Patricia Assaad has recently joined the Abu Dhabi Grand as public relations manager.
Assaad who was born in Beirut, studied business administration and began her hotel career in Lebanon with the Marriott chain at the end of 1997. In 1999, she joined Starwood in Lebanon before she decided to travel to the United Arab Emirates in 2001 to work with the Rotana Middle East chain. Assaad started as sales manager in Rotana's area sales office of Abu Dhabi before transferring to the Public Relations Department at the Abu Dhabi Grand. Meanwhile, Rie Awa has joined the Abu Dhabi Grand as a sales executive. She will be responsible for the Japanese account service division. Born in Japan, Awa obtained a bachelor of business administration in Tokyo and completed her intensive English language course in the United Kingdom. She moved to the UAE in 2001 for first experience in the Gulf region to join Rotana Hotels. She said she looked forward to studying Arabic language and culture during her stay. Awa's previous experience in Tokyo at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Travel World Agency handling Japanese tour operators contributes to the exciting outlook for Abu Dhabi Grand, said the hotel statement.