Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced that Rajit Sukumaran has assumed the position of Vice President, Acquisitions and Development for Asia Pacific, excluding China.
Piloting the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in its journey to new heights is Mr Sunshine Wong as General Manager, taking over from Mr Bill Sheppard. Prior to his appointment, he headed the Commercial team for Japan and Korea of Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) from 2012 to 2014 and boasts 11 years of experience as a General Manager within IHG properties alone, across both Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brand families.
Nick Barton, formerly Chief Commercial Officer for IHG's Greater China region, picks up the baton from Karin to assume the role of CCO for AMEA. Nick's career with IHG spans nearly 10 years. He was previously based in the company's headquarters in Denham, overseeing the marketing and communications team for the Europe region before moving to Shanghai, China for five years. He has relocated to Singapore to lead the group’s sales and marketing functions in the region.
Scottish born Anne is no stranger to Singapore, having been the Executive Assistant Manager of the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium for three years from 2008. She brings with her a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry. Her career with the Intercontinental Hotels Group so far has spanned some 14 hotels, 3 brands and 8 countries including Scotland, Germany, Austria, England, Singapore, the Maldives, Slovakia and Russia. Anne returns to the region after spending two years in Europe – first as Resident Manager at the InterContinental Berlin Hotel, and most recently, the General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Bratislava.
Chef Chua brings with him more than 30 years of culinary experience, and will be leading the team in overall kitchen operations, conceptualisation of menus, banquet and events, as well as positioning Atrium Restaurant, the hotel’s new all-day dining restaurant as one of the preferred restaurants in Singapore.
Ng is a member of the AMEA Regional Operating Committee and she will be based in IHG’s regional head office in Singapore.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the appointment of Deborah Woollard as Vice President (VP) of Human Resources for the Asia, Middle East & Africa (AMEA) region. She is a member of the AMEA Regional Operating Committee and based at IHG’s regional head office in Singapore. Deborah is responsible for shaping and delivering human resources strategies to support the company's business plans and objectives in the region. In her role, she will lead the company's talent management programme to identify, recruit and retain key talent. She will also drive the training and development strategy for the company's leadership team to ensure IHG continues to have the right talent to deliver its strategy in AMEA. Deborah joins IHG with more than 15 years in human resources. Prior to this, she was with Abbott Laboratories, overseeing regions spanning Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and looking after key emerging markets such as Russia, India and China. Deborah began her career with Unilever where she spent more than ten years building her career in talent development and HR. She has lived and worked in London, Australia and Singapore, where she has now resided for nearly seven years. Deborah succeeds Zareena Brown, who has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Talent and Leadership Development, IHG.
Duetto, the market leader in hotel profit optimization software, announced the opening of a Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, along with the appointment of Patrick Andres as Regional Vice-President, and Amanda See as Vice President of Sales.
Patrick Andres is a veteran of the Asia-Pacific hospitality technology space, whose management positions include hotel sales, hospitality automation and electronic distribution. He most recently served as the Asia-Pacific Vice President and Managing Director for Travelport, a leading GDS vendor. Prior to that, he built and ran regional operations for Sabre Hospitality Solutions, which provides hotel marketing and distribution services. In that role, he oversaw the company’s expansion to Japan, China, India, South-East Asia and the Pacific. Before Sabre, Andres oversaw Asia for Micros-Fidelio, opening both its Hong Kong and Singapore offices; and served as Director of Business Development for Expedia Travel, with a focus on building and implementing Direct-Connect interfaces between hotel reservation systems and the Expedia family of sites. He also worked for SAP and IATA.
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific's 10th Annual AsiaConnect Conference was held in Singapore on September 3, 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Conference Center. At the conference, two panels discussed how technology is impacting the role of the Sales Manager, and that of the Revenue Manager in hotels.
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Asia Pacific's 10th Annual AsiaConnect Conference was held in Singapore on September 3, 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Conference Center.
Paul Logan will take on the newly created position of Chief Development Officer. Over the next 15 months, Paul will transition his growth responsibilities to Clarence Tan, culminating in his retirement at the end of 2015. Paul will report directly to the region's Chief Executive Officer Jan Smits.
Alan Watts, previously Chief Operating Officer (COO), Australasia and Japan, and Operations Performance, AMEA, will now oversee the performance of the region's 246 hotels across 37 countries and territories. In his expanded role as COO for Asia, Middle East and Africa, Alan will be supported by Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa and Phil Broad, Vice President, Food & Beverage, AMEA.
Raffles Hotel Singapore has appointed Cheryl Ong Su Lyn as Director of Sales & Marketing. Ong Su Lyn brings a wealth of previous experience to Raffles. She was previously Director of Sales & Marketing and Director of Marketing Communications with the St. Regis Singapore. She has also held marketing, brand and communications roles with Tiger Aviation Pte Ltd and World Sport Group. Ong Su Lyn’s track record with many of Raffles Singapore’s key partners – and international key markets – combined with her proven leadership record will be invaluable to her new role.
Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore, the first of a new 'Jenre' of fresh, friendly and fuss-free mid-range hotels by Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd, opened its doors to the public in Singapore today. The opening is the first in a major initiative to launch the Hotel Jen brand in nine key gateway cities across Asia Pacific by March 2015.Mr. Greg Dogan, president and CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, who was in Singapore for the official opening ceremony, said: "Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore marks a significant milestone in our journey to redefine the hotel experience for today's new generation of travellers. Singapore is one of Asia's leading travel and tourism destinations and a hub-market for the region, making it a prime location in which to showcase our new 'Jen' concept for the very first time."Centrally located along Singapore's principal shopping belt, Orchard Road, and in close proximity to the CBD, Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore is well positioned for guests to discover distinctive local experiences, inspired by the virtual persona Jen, a professional hotelier who loves life, travel and the adventure of discovering new places.Lothar Nessmann, chief operations officer of Hotel Jen, commenting on today's opening and the new brand, said: "We are thrilled to open the doors to our first Hotel Jen here at Orchardgateway. Catering to the changing demands of our existing customers and the more independently-minded 'millennial' mind set, the Jen brand offers travellers greater flexibility to blend the boundaries between business and leisure. An authentic 'informed and friendly' service style will allow our guests to discover Singapore's unique local culture without unnecessary fuss."Located directly above Orchardgateway – Singapore's newest shopping mall – Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore is interconnected with three shopping malls providing a seamless, weather-proof shopping experience and direct access to Somerset MRT station offering effortless connectivity to all parts of Singapore.Staying with Jen captures the joy of travel and spirit of adventure, celebrates culture and smoothes out frustrations. Jen's dream is for every stay to start with anticipation and end on a high.Herve Duboscq, general manager of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore, added: "It's a real honour to be opening the doors to the first ever Hotel Jen today. We have guests arriving already and it's just so exciting to see our virtual persona Jen become a reality, as her values of simple pleasures, easy efficiency and a sense of adventure come to life through the hotel and our fantastic team working here."
Thomas Gebler, Executive Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage, will lead the team in driving food and beverage excellence in the hotel’s banquet operations, as well as in the four food and beverage outlets which include signature Cantonese restaurant Man Fu Yuan, all-day dining restaurant Olive Tree, Lobby Lounge as well as Victoria Bar. With over 12 years of experience, Thomas brings with him a wealth of knowledge and creativity that will set the tone for the vision towards an innovative and excellent epicurean experience for diners ahead. He will also work closely with InterContinental Singapore’s Executive Chef Eric Neo to conceptualise and revitalise dining concepts post refurbishment. Originally from Germany, Thomas was most recently with Rosewood Abu Dhabi, where he held the role of Director of Food & Beverage, and was part of the hotel’s pre-opening team responsible for the launch of six restaurants, four bars and a lounge. Prior to joining Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Thomas was instrumental in the successful opening of 11 food and beverage outlets at Waldorf Astoria, Shanghai and held a role in a similar capacity at Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg Russia, where he was based for four years.
Edwin Tan, Director of Engineering, joins from Singapore Marriot Hotel, where he held the role of Director of Engineering for close to three years. During his tenure, he managed the refurbishment of the hotel’s guestrooms, lobby, food and beverage outlets and other public areas. Prior to that, Edwin worked at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore as Engineering Manager. A strong advocate of green initiatives, Edwin is also a qualified Fire Safety and Food Safety Manager, and holds a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, an improvement management system adopted by many organisations to realise the vision of operational excellence. With Edwin’s extensive experience and leadership, he will guide the team through a successful refurbishment of the hotel and achieve more green accolades in line with the brand’s vision to be a responsible business.
Replacing Carlos Monterde at Fairmont Singapore is Scott Murray, who has been named hotel manager. He brings with him over 20 years of experience working with hospitality groups including InterContinental and Banyan Tree. Recent roles include hotel manager for One&Only Royal Mirage and general manager for Hayman Island. He looks forward to solidifying the property’s niche in the thriving hospitality landscape, following its multi-million dollar renovation project.
In his new role as the Singapore Marriott Hotel’s executive chef, Matthew, who previously served since 2012 as the property’s executive sous chef, leads a kitchen team of 100. He also oversees the Singapore Marriott Hotel’s five award-winning restaurants, renowned amongst the finest restaurants in Singapore’s Orchard Road district. Additionally, Matthew supervises in-room dining, banquets and events and is responsible for all menu development and food and beverage quality control for the property, which is a perpetual favorite among Singapore event venues. Since beginning his culinary career at the age of 16, Matthew has worked across the Asia Pacific region, from the classic country estate of Mount Lofty House in the Adelaide Hills, to top Melbourne establishments such as the Sofitel Melbourne, The Australian Club and The Point Albert Park Lake, where he earned a prestigious Chef’s Hat Award by The Age Good Food Guide. He has also helmed the kitchens of the award-winning Mesa-Manifesto Restaurant and Tapas Bar in Shanghai as well as Carlson Hotels in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has appointed Sandy Russell as Vice President, Commercial Operations, Asia Pacific. She reports directly to Thorsten Kirschke, President, Asia Pacific and will be a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Committee. In her role, Sandy will be responsible for driving revenue generation strategies in the region, across the disciplines of global and regional sales, revenue optimization, branding and marketing. “We are delighted to have Sandy Russell join us in Asia Pacific, overseeing our commercial strategy which will see a greater focus on property performance and profitability for our 97 hotels. She will be a great asset to the team, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be invaluable as we move forward with our regional growth strategy,” said Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Sandy has 21 years of experience in hospitality, of which 14 years were with Carlson Rezidor in sales and marketing roles including Senior Director of Revenue Generation, Director of Global Key Accounts as well as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing. At Carlson Rezidor, Sandy founded and chaired the Canadian Revenue Generation Committee for five years. Following that, she initiated Carlson Rezidor’s global MICE advisory board. In recognition of her achievement, she was presented with the President’s Most Valuable Player of the Year Award in 2008 and the Innovation Award in 2007. She also received the Carlson Hotels Top National Sales Award in 2007. Sandy studied Sales and Marketing at Seneca College in Toronto, Canada. She has also served on several philanthropic boards including The Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and is also a founding member of Be The Change, that provides rehabilitation for children sold into sexual slavery in Cambodia.