Dedeman chief crowned CATHIC’s top hotelier
Turkish hotel veteran Murat Dedeman, Chairman of Dedeman Hotels & Resorts International and President of Dedeman Holding has been named the most influential hotelier by his industry peers, according to Jonathan Worsley, Chairman, Bench Events and co-organiser of the Central Asia & Turkey Hotel Investment Conference (CATHIC) in Istanbul next month (February 6-8 2012).
He said that Dedeman will receive the CATHIC 2012 Leadership Award at the event for his decades-long contribution to the region's tourism and hospitality sector.
Over a 40 year-span, Dedeman Hotels & Resorts International has grown to become a leading regional operator, and Turkey's first hotel chain to forge an international presence with a footprint extending to Cyprus, Moldova and Uzbekistan, across 22 properties.
According to Worsley, Dedeman scooped the award following voting by CATHIC's 30-strong advisory board made up of key industry leaders. "The Leadership Award is presented to an individual acknowledged by the hospitality sector as someone who has significantly contributed toward the development, success and growth of the industry," Worsley noted.
Among many touch points that have helped develop the nation's now burgeoning industry, Murat Dedeman has offered his counsel to numerous professional associations, such as the TYD (Turkish Tourism Investors Association), TUGEV (Tourism Development and Education Foundation) and SKAL (International Association of Travel and Tourism Professionals), among others.
Worsley promised that the upcoming CATHIC 2012 will provide a timely platform to discuss the future of tourism in the region and the drive to encourage inward investment. Alongside Dedeman, key speakers include Hamdi Akin, Chairman of Akfen Holding Company; Cevdet Akcay, Chief Economist, Yapi Kredi Bank; Denis Hennequin, President & CEO, Accor SA; Eric Danziger, President & Chief Executive Officer, Wyndham Hotel Group; Angela Brav, Chief Executive Officer – Europe, IHG; Kurt Ritter, President & CEO, The Rezidor Hotel Group;; Serdar Bilgili, Chairman, Bilgili Holding; Simon Vincent, President - Europe, Hilton Worldwide; Roeland Vos, President EAME, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; and Lado Sakvarelidze, Chief Financial Officer, Redix.
The Central Asia & Turkey Hotel Investment Conference will run from February 6 -8, 2012 at Ceylan Intercontinental, Istanbul and is organised by Bench Events and Questex Media. Details can be found on www.cathic.com
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