Hotel Equatorial Penang, the island's only golf and convention resort has appointed Mr. William Hurley as General Manager. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Hurley was operating a private consulting company based in Tokyo and Hawaii.
Brock’s significant culinary experience includes stints in the United Kingdom and France. He started his European adventure in Cambridge, United Kingdom as Chef de Partie Pastry for the two-Michelin star Midsummer House, followed by a stint as Head Chef for the Hotel Touring in Valloire, France. Preceding his European work experience, Brock started his career as a Demi Chef De Partie at the Crowne Plaza’s Victoria Street Café in Christchurch, New Zealand. There, he started honing his culinary skills before moving on to neighbouring Australia for a new challenge as a Demi Chef De Partie at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne. Within a short time, Brock gained promotion to Chef De Partie upon his move to the Stokehouse Restaurant in St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne. Born and raised in Wanganui, located on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Brock completed his secondary education at the Wanganui Collegiate School before enrolling at the Wanganui Polytechnic where he obtained diplomas in Culinary Arts and Patisserie.
Hard Rock International and Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) are proud to announce the opening of the newest members of the Hard Rock family: Hard Rock Hotel Penang and Hard Rock Cafe Penang. Located in Malaysia, within one of Asia's most popular island destinations, Hard Rock is infusing new excitement and energy into the market, underscoring the brand's strategy to accelerate expansion worldwide.
Born and raised in Penang, Betty has 17 years of hospitality experience with some international brands including Shangri-La and InterContinental. Prior to joining Hard Rock Hotel, she was Director of Sales at Parkroyal Penang. Betty’s new role is to oversee and champion all aspects of sales and marketing activities to open the first Hard Rock Hotel in Malaysia. John Primmer, General Manager of Hard Rock Hotel Penang notes, “Betty has a wealth of experience in promoting Penang as a destination. Her bubbly nature and extensive contacts makes her an ideal fit for this resort”. Scheduled to open in October 2009, Hard Rock Hotel Penang will be the first musically themed resort in Malaysia, which aims to infuse new excitement and energy into the popular holiday destination. Most of the 249 guestrooms are configured as deluxe rooms with sea views; while the lagoon deluxe rooms come with direct pool access off the guest balconies.
Previously, he was the Resident Manager at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, where he was actively involved in the renovation and re-branding of the hotel, which subsequently earned the hotel awards such as the “Best Luxury Accommodation” from the New South Wales Tourism Award and “Best Deluxe Hotel of the Year 2006” from the Australian Hotel Association (AHA). Mr Cristol first joined the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts group in 2001 as the Director of Food and Beverage a key role in the hotel’s upgrading and renovation programme.
A New Zealand national, Primmer has 27 years of hospitality experience, having held senior management positions in Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and United Kingdom for the past 17 years. He was previously the General Manager of James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor Wellington New Zealand. Scheduled to open in mid-2009, Hard Rock Penang will be the first musically themed resort in Malaysia, which aims to infuse new excitement and energy into the popular holiday destination. Most of the 249 guestrooms are configured as deluxe rooms with sea views; while the lagoon deluxe rooms come with direct pool access off the guest balconies. Five food and beverage establishments are planned for the resort, which will include a Hard Rock Café, an all-day dining restaurant, pizzeria, poolside bar and lounge. Facilities include a full service luxury spa, a fully equipped gym, a specialised Lil’ Rock Kids Club, Teens club, Hard Rock merchandise stores, and a 26,000 sq ft free-form swimming pool – the largest pool in Penang.