Nishan Silva has been appointed as the new general manager for Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre. Silva joins the Dubai property directly from the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, Philippines.
Hyatt Regency Dubai has appointed Stéphane Blanc as its general manager.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced it has signed an agreement with Mr. Rashid Al Abbar to open a 192-room Aloft on Dubai's iconic man-made island – Palm Jumeirah. Scheduled to open in 2017, Aloft Dubai, The Palm will be the brand's first resort in the Middle East, complete with beach access, when it opens its doors as the first mid-market hotel brand on the island.
Dubai-based luxury property developer and holding company Seven Tides International has announced a new team member with the appointment of Shamia Mouratsing as Head of Marketing & Communications for its five-star hospitality venture, DUKES Dubai on Palm Jumeirah.Boasting more than 13 years’ solid marketing experience, Mouratsing has spearheaded campaigns that have generated millions of dollars in revenue for properties under her remit over the past five years. A graduate of Emirates Aviation College, Mouratsing will be responsible for communicating all marketing initiatives to its target markets across business, trade and consumer sectors.
Aleph Hospitality (http://www.AlephHospitality.com), a pioneering third-party hotel management company founded by industry veteran Bani Haddad and headquartered in Dubai, today marked its official launch with the unveiling of the company's new website, alephhospitality.com.In addition to providing prospective hotel owners and business partners with an overview of the company's services, the site seeks to help demystify the concept of third-party management, which, despite being relatively little known in the region today, is widely tipped to fuel significant future expansion within the Middle East and African hotel industry.An established model in the U.S. where in 2014 the top ten third-party management companies alone accounted for more than 260,000 rooms(1), third-party or 'white label' hotel management allows a hotel owner to appoint a specialist hotel management company to operate their hotel, in addition to taking a franchise from a major hotel company in order to secure an international brand above the door. An alternative to the most prevalent asset management structures in the region today where hotels are typically operated by a hotel brand under management contract with an owner or are operated independently by the owners themselves, often without an international brand, third-party hotel management presents many benefits to both hotel companies and investors alike."By establishing a credible third-party hotel management solution for the Middle East and Africa, our aim is to open doors that were previously closed," explains Bani Haddad, Founder and Managing Director, Aleph Hospitality. "We want to create opportunities both for hotel companies, by providing a trusted intermediary with whom they can grow their franchise portfolios, and for owners of hotels of all shapes and sizes who wish to benefit from a combination of dedicated operational support and the advantages of an internationally-renowned brand."Having already signed its first management contract and with its first hotel opening, the 116-room Best Western Addis Ababa, just three months away, Aleph Hospitality is already experiencing strong demand for its services. "With some regional owners historically locked out of a market where management agreements were largely the preserve of upscale developments in established destinations, we truly see this as an exciting new beginning for the regional hotel landscape," said Haddad. "Hotel companies, consultants and owners that we've spoken to right across the region have all been extremely positive about the accelerated growth this model could bring."Founded by industry expert Bani Haddad, whose career history spans all aspects of hotel management and roles at major industry players including Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotel Group and Disney, Aleph Hospitality's name was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the ancient Phoenicians, widely credited with revolutionising the way the world communicates through the development of the 'Aleph-bet', or alphabet.(1) HotelManagement.net, 2015 Hotel Management Survey, March 2015
Rezidor, one of the most dynamic hotel groups worldwide and a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, introduces the lifestyle select brand Radisson RED to Dubai. Located in Dubai's Silicon Oasis, a community designed to facilitate and promote modern technology based industries, the 171-room Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis is expected to open in Q3 2018.
Shangri-La Hotel Dubai welcomes newly appointed resident manager Craig Cook to the executive committee.
Barrie, a Scottish national, joins the team from Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Wild Wadi Waterpark where she served for three years as DOSM across the 618-room property and waterpark.
Hotel guests in Dubai looking for some relief from the desert heat will have a luxurious way to escape: The planned Rosemont Hotel & Residences will include a 75,000-square-foot (6,968-square-meter) rainforest, complete with a sand- free beach and stream.
DAMAC Properties Chairman Hussain Sajwani announces launch of another Dubai icon and one of Dubai's largest real estate projects on the Sheikh Zayed road overlooking the Dubai Canal
RIU Hotels & Resorts and Dubai master developer Nakheel have formally signed their business partnership agreement. Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman of one of the Middle East's biggest developers, travelled to Mallorca to sign the joint venture agreement with Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels.
World Travel Awards (WTA) has unveiled the nominees for its upcoming Middle East Gala Ceremony 2016.
Amwaj Rotana Jumeirah Beach - Dubai has welcomed Hossam El Said as its director of food and beverage (F&B).
Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Seema Pande in a consultancy capacity as Director of Sales at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Seema joins from The Address Hotels and Resorts where she was Group Director of Sales and Marketing for Emaar Hospitality Group overseeing The Address Hotels + Resorts, Armani Hotels and Resorts and Vida Hotels. Her previous experience in Dubai includes roles at Emaar Hospitality Group; Al Manzil and Qamardeen hotels in Downtown and the Fairmont Dubai.
FRHI Hotels & Resortshas appointed Bastien Blanc to oversee sales and marketing for the global hotel company’s activity in the Middle East, Africa, and India. Blanc, who takes on the title of vice president, sales & marketing, MEAI, brings over 24 years of international hospitality experience to this position including his most recent position as vice president, sales, marketing & development, Russia & CIS at Interstate Hotels. Over the course of his career, Blanc has held several senior management and general manager positions with AccorHotels.
Heikkinen joins Fairmont Dubai from Raffles Dubai, where he began work as executive sous chef in 2012, and was subsequently promoted to executive chef for the hotel in 2013.
Jannah Hotels and Resorts is to start construction on a new five-star hotel that will make the reception check-in queue a thing of the past.
Copthorne Hotel Dubai has appointed Hertz Langdet Martin as its new HR Manager. Prior to her new position, Hertz worked as an HR Consultant for a hotel company in Dubai & Abu Dhabi. With 10 years HR experience, Hertz has served various 4 and 5 star hotels in the UAE in senior positions including HR Manager/Director HR roles. During the course of her career, she has been overseeing a variety of tasks from running skills training, to setting up new departments in pre-opening phases of hotels as well as supporting day-to-day HR operations and strategic planning.
Hyatt International EAME/SWA has appointed Christian Pertl as regional vice president of sales operations for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa.
Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Richard Alexander as the General Manager at Jumeirah Al Naseem, Madinat Jumeirah, the Arabian Resort of Dubai. A British national, Richard has over 31 years’ experience in the luxury hotel and tourism industry. He returns to Jumeirah and Dubai after eight years since his last role as General Manager at Jumeirah Mina A’Salam in 2008.