Ugur Lee Kanbur has been appointed as General Manager at Destination Mina Seyahi
Destination Mina Seyahi has appointed Ugur Lee Kanbur as cluster general manager.
The cluster includes three Marriott International brands: W Dubai - Mina Seyahi, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Waterpark.
He replaces Tolga S. Lacin in the role, following his move to Ennismore.
Known as Lee, Kanbur will oversee the operations and customer experience across each brand with a strong focus on delivering an exceptional guest experience and a place for employees to thrive. With 35 years of experience in operational and management roles across Asia for Marriott International, he has spent 16 years in China where he worked as the general manager of the W Suzhou and served for some time at The Westin Tianjin and The Westin Wuhan.
Kanbur is of Australian/Turkish origin and speaks English, Turkish and basic Chinese. Starting his career at Hilton Melbourne as a waiter and progressing quickly to bar manager, he was always aiming for success. After nine years, he challenged himself to take part in an army bootcamp in Turkey and shortly after took up a role at Hyatt Istanbul, before returning to Melbourne where he would work across independent food and beverage outlets to hone his skills.
Kanbur's Asian journey began in 1999 with a move to Singapore. He has since worked across several operational roles at hotels including: The Westin Stamford and Westin Plaza Hotel Singapore, The Westin Shanghai Hotel and Residences China, Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhen China, and the Westin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He became hotel manager of the The Westin Mumbai Garden City in India in 2008 and took up his first general manager role in 2011 at The Westin Wuhan which marked the opening of the first Westin hotel in Central China.
In 2013, he went on to become general manager of Westin Tianjin China in 2013. Prior to his new role at Destination Mina Seyahi, Kanbur played a pivotal role in the pre-opening and opening of the first W brand in a secondary city in China in 2016. Serving as the general manager of the W Suzhou China, he managed a large portfolio including 379 rooms, 60 serviced apartments, the Away Spa and recreation areas, six food and beverage outlets, and expansive banqueting facilities. He also served as the chairperson of the Marriott Business Council of Jiangsu/Suzhou from 2019 until 2024.