< PreviousHotelier Awards special hoteliermiddleeast.com October 2022 30 CONCIERGE AND GUEST SERVICES PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Brian Faula Atlantis Dubai Serving up to 250 guests daily, the concierge department of Atlantis Dubai is as enormous as you’d expect. It wasn’t just the scale of Brian Faula’s role that impressed judges though, as chief concierge, he has transformed his department. He has helped in generating a revenue of approximately AED2 million per month via partners, depending on the time of year. One of the most important projects Brian oversaw was the delivery of a concierge software called Alliants. The interactive system allows the team to log guest bookings and provide a digital itinerary. He worked to create a ‘golden menu’ that is lled with experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. These include skydiving onto the Atlantis beach, an F&B dine around through Atlantis signature restaurants, and a dinner at the chef’s table. HIGHLY COMMENDED Stefan Sigmund InterContinental Doha Beach & Spa HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER OF THE YEAR WINNER Harssh Gauur Taj Dubai One of the most important functions in any hotel, a good housekeeping manager is someone who not only keeps their hotel clean, but also motivates and inspires the team at the same time. Taj’s Harssh Gauur proved just that to judges. Over the year, he introduced a range of checks and audits around training. As colleagues began to see that their development was foremost, they delivered higher standards. He also created a positive work environment by implementing various team building exercises, outings and games regularly. He introduced new revenue streams through opening laundry services to local residents, expanding beyond the four walls of the building. HIGHLY COMMENDED Wael Tarrad Shangri-La Jeddah HOUSEKEEPER OF THE YEAR WINNER Michelle Cruzado Media One Hotel An award-winning housekeeper is completely reimagines what is possible in their role, pushing the con nes of their department. Media One’s Michelle Cruzado has done just that in the past 12 months. She is spearheading the execution of glass re-usable water bottles at Media One as part of the sustainability programme. With her head of department away, she has been entrusted to liaise between higher management, engineering, food and safety, rooms and MICE, all of which she has managed. Also in the past year, she has become a certi ed trainer at the hotel which entails that she is responsible for overseeing the new staff in her team as well as looking for ways to improve the ef ciency of her team members. Training is a person passion of Cruzado, who has also been training the majority of out-sourced staff at Media One Hotel in best practices and standards. HIGHLY COMMENDED Anas Al Jurmi, Crowne Plaza Hotel AmmanHotelier Awards special 31 October 2022 hoteliermiddleeast.com FITNESS AND RECREATION PERSON ON THE YEAR WINNER James Andrews Atlantis, The Palm Since joining the team in September, James Andrews is credited for modernising an entire department. In terms of entertainment, he introduced a resident DJ to the property, in turn creating a range of recurring events and a nice revenue steam to the hotel. Guest feedback scores from Review Pro Semantic Index show an 11.2 percent increase YOY when comparing summer 2021 to 2022. One of the biggest projects he implemented is the Beat the Heat Aqua Sock programme, which saw free aqua socks handed to guests so they could enjoy the waterpark during the hot summer months by keeping their feet protected. To date, 162,000 Aqua Socks have been given to guests visiting the waterpark, resulting in higher levels of guest satisfaction and hotel revenues. A worthy winner of this award. HIGHLY COMMENDED Koksal Yuksektepe Rixos The Palm Hotel and Suites SPA MANAGER OF THE YEAR WINNER Malika Zaarour FIVE Hotels and Resorts Over the year, one of Malika Zaaroour’s biggest achievements has been collaborating with Beverly Hills Wellness and Aesthetics – thereby bringing a known USA spa clinic to Dubai, one often favoured by celebrities. She has also championed the introduction of a retail section at the spa which has since accounted for 30 percent of ReFIVE Spa’s revenue. Across both Dubai hotels, ReFIVE boasted a 14 percent increase from 2019- 2021 (excluding 2020). Moreover, ReFIVE Spa on Instagram showcased a 14.7 percent increase in total followers, an 84.7 percent increase in accounts engaged and an 89.7 percent increase in accounts reached over the last 90 days. HIGHLY COMMENDED Igor Mitric The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert SPA THERAPIST OF THE YEAR WINNER Dyan Ni Putu Purnamasari Park Hyatt Dubai Park Hyatt Dubai is among the top hotels in the emirate when it comes to spa experiences. In that sense, it should come as no surprise Dyan Ni Putu Purnamasari stood out to judges. It’s not just where she works which turned heads, it was her work ethic. Over the course of the year, Purnamasari has been nominated for employee of the month and the entire quarter on several occasions. She is also a top performer in the team when it comes to revenue generation from treatment and retail sales; and she continues to overachieve in all her targets. Additionally, she has built up a name for herself where a range of customers come back to the lavish hotel just to see Purnamasari. In a city where staff retention and guest loyalty are both issues, judges were impressed by Purnamassari’s loyalty to her property and her role in driving repeat business for the resort. HIGHLY COMMENDED Arif Wibowo The Ritz-Carlton RiyadhHotelier Awards special hoteliermiddleeast.com October 2022 32 HR PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Chantal Kramer IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City When you’re dealing with more than 1,000 hotel keys, one would imagine you’d lose the human touch. Not IHG’s Chantal Kramer though. Over the past year, she has made a real impact on employees and the community while driving results. Kramer is involved in major projects, such as hiring UAE nationals, upskilling interns, and successfully converting them into employees. She also on-boarded 12 UAE nationals, seven as full-time employees and currently fi ve internship trainees in roles in front offi ce, sales and marketing, quality, human resources and IT. In fact, Interns for 2022 has increased by over 222 percent from 23 in 2021 to 74 YTD in 2022 with a conversion of 25 percent. She has also worked to get more people of determination into employment, brought in more female leadership, managed the payroll function and also oversaw a revamp of the staff cafeteria. HIGHLY COMMENDED Kim Fajardo Melia Desert Palm, Member of Melia Collection FINANCE PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Juman Salih Jumeirah Al Naseem It is to be expected that Jumeirah Al Naseem would have some impressive fi nancials behind it, but Juman Salih has exceeded every target placed upon the hotel over the past 12 months. Under him, in 2021, the hotel’s budget was exceeded considerably year-on-year and compared to 2019. In 2021 hotel GOP was also up year-on-year, another feather in this award-winners cap. One of Salih’s many innovations has been the introduction of a summer strategy by working closely with the commercial, HR team and other operational teams. As a result, 2021’s summer season was the hotel’s best ever in terms of fi nancial results. HIGHLY COMMENDED Amr Fahmy Crowne Plaza Bahrain PROCUREMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Hatem Mohamad Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Al Thuraya City Thanks to the efforts of Hatem Mohamad, his hotels have reported a saving of more than US$375,000 in the past year. This came from negotiating hotel contracts; driving down food costs 43 percent; and also a 36 percent saving from a food item rebate with all suppliers. From saving money to making money, he successfully partnered with a third party wedding planner, which resulted in an additional $427,250 in revenue. This deal turned wedding packages into something offered directly by the hotel rather than guests having to deal with a separate planner. Due to his savings, there was a bonus given out for colleagues across the hotel and the sister business units – a big morale and loyalty booster. More than just helping IHG management, he has helped his team by helping ensure the refurbishment of staff accomodation was carried out. HIGHLY COMMENDED Liyadh Chenthratil Ramada by Wyndham Beach Hotel AjmanHotelier Awards special 33 October 2022 hoteliermiddleeast.com REVENUE MANAGEMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Mushal Nisthar FIVE Hotels and Resorts Perhaps the only thing FIVE manages better than a party is revenue. Under Mushal Nisthar, This year (January to June 2022), FIVE Hotels and Resorts maintained an occupancy rate for FIVE Palm Jumeirah of 93.4 percent while FIVE Jumeirah Village has sustained 95 percent. At the time of nomination, room revenue across the group jumped 131 percent this year, while brand share in total room revenue generation has been an average of 55 percent average for both hotels. Also this year, FIVE Palm Jumeirah and FIVE Jumeirah Village have consistently ranked fi rst in the STR comp-set for RevPAR and FIVE Hotels and Resorts is currently performing 235 percent higher than its comp-set in terms of TrevPAR. Nisthar was also vital to the opening of FIVE Zurich, the group’s fi rst hotel outside of Dubai. HIGHLY COMMENDED Elie Khalil Swissötel Al Ghurair & Swissötel Living Al Ghurair IT PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Amer Farfour Jumeirah Al Naseem Considered an ‘IT genius’ by his team, Amer Farfour constantly innovates new ways to improve guests’ online experience and played a great role in upgrading guest-facing technologies in rooms, restaurants and event spaces. He successfully negotiated cost reductions at eliminating unnecessary internet and telecom costs and decreased the resort’s annual costs for the maintenance of all its software and hardware. He implemented e-menus and e-butler services across the hotel, as well as e-signatures, allowing guests to sign on an iPad. In the past year, he has also upgraded workstations in the resort to latest hardware including introducing Windows 11 to colleagues. HIGHLY COMMENDED Hassan Ali Bab Al Qasr Abu Dhabi SALES PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Roman Lafner JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai & Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Roman Lafner and his team were able to end 2021 on high with a competitive ADR of AED477 at the JW (a hotel with 1,600- plus keys) a monumental task even for the veterans in the business. Using the low room rates to his advantage, he and his team started to venture out to newer, untapped markets. Al Maha Desert Resort on the other hand experienced one of the most profi table year in its entire existence, closed the year at close to 70 percent occupancy with a healthy ADR. Over the last 12 months, Lafner has continued to focus on improving the team structure to maximise effi ciencies and performance and has hired top new team members to help him. With comprehensive individual goals set, he held direct reports accountable to achieve and exceed our business goals for the year. HIGHLY COMMENDED Antonio Gracio Madinat JumeirahHotelier Awards special hoteliermiddleeast.com October 2022 34 BANQUET MANAGER OF THE YEAR WINNER Natalya Galinovska Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira This year, Natalya Galinovska oversaw events such as InterContinental Hotels Group’s General Manager Conference in March 2022, with all regional general managers and corporate leaders in presence, along with the Omni Life conference hosting 4,200 guests, where again she and her team delivered without any faults. Under her management, The event centre team has executed the four- day catering of IHG’s stand at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. Thanks to her, the YTD revenue in the department exceeded budget by 39.88 percent and is above last year’s YTD gures by 256.39 percent. The achieved departmental GOP is above budget by 43.8 percent and exceeded last year’s gures by 501.45 percent YTD. She impressed judges for her ability to think about operations as a whole, rather than just her own department. HIGHLY COMMENDED Sabu Joseph Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira HOTEL ENGINEER OF THE YEAR WINNER Viji Kunjachan InterContinental Muscat In the past year, Viji Kunjachan has initiated and installed drinking water plant unit in his preperties to eliminate plastic bottles, thus managing to eliminate 770,000 plastic bottles per year. In fact, much of his year has been de ned by an ardent commitment to sustainability. He has taken initiative to install EV units for seven IHG hotels in Oman; and has also installed food waste compost machines for all IHG hotels not only in Oman, but also the Crowne Plaza Dubai. He also organised sustainability and carbon deduction workshops for 50 students at 10th grade from Muscat International School this year as well. Kunjachan uses his role to give back wherever he can. HIGHLY COMMENDED Satya Sreedharan Media One Hotel SAFETY & SECURITY PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Jack Weideman So tel Dubai The Palm Jack Weideman is the person in charge of the safety and security of an average 1,000 guests a day and a total of 400 staff on duty at any given time, along with the safety of the buildings and its assets. He leads 60 recreational staff, 35 security staff and even two paramedics. Under his leadership, the crises management, safety and security policy and procedures used in the So tel Palm has been shared with other So tel properties to create a security standard in the region, requested by other known security managers and previous general managers he worked with. His skills have been shared in UAE, Mauritius, Bahrain, Bangkok and even Cambodia. And closer to the UAE, Weideman was part of the team setting up the security department for Raf es and Fairmont in Doha, a regional agship for the entire Accor Group. HIGHLY COMMENDED Fatime Me re Hotel Indigo Dubai DowntownHotelier Awards special 35 October 2022 hoteliermiddleeast.com IN-HOUSE MARKETING PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Joshua Craddock 25hours Hotel One Central 25hours Hotel One Central has taken Dubai by storm and become one of the most talked about new hotels in the city, thanks to the dynamic marketing strategies spearheaded and implemented by Joshua Craddock. At the time of nomination, Craddock has achieved a total of over US$3,625,331 in PR AVE and a media reach of 193,711,762 through PR activities and outside-the-box marketing pushes. He also helped with the creation of ve websites for the hotel and the individual brands within, dedicated to converting traf c into revenue. From social media generation to F&B marketing and from to billboards, to parties and events, Craddock has leveraged every vertical he can to make his hotel a roaring success and in turn, he has helped create one of Dubai’s most head-turning hotels. A bright future awaits. HIGHLY COMMENDED Rosemarie Tacorda Park Hyatt Dubai IN-HOUSE PR PERSON OF THE YEAR WINNER Nora Alotaibi The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh & The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah In the past year, Nora Alotaibi has created PR and marketing plans that led to a signi cant boost in F&B revenues and hotel revenues. These include drives during Saudi National Day, the Seraj, Alorjuan, Suhour and banquet tents during Ramadan. She revamped and augmented the hotel’s social media strategy and activities which led to thousands of new users and advocates for her hotels. She plans and executes annual public relations and marketing activities to support the business objectives for the two biggest hotels in KSA. As more eyes are on Saudi Arabia, Alotaibi’s role will grow, but it’s clear she can handle it. HIGHLY COMMENDED Ionela Savescu Palazzo Versace Dubai UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR WINNER Mohammed Almulla Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens Mohammed Almulla is the man greeting guests, old and new as they enter the property. Given Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens’ overarching positioning is being a welcoming, neighbourhood hotel, Almulla’s role is crucial, and his work has been integral in taking the friendly local vibe to the next level. Every morning he greets his colleagues with a huge smile, and positive energy. He is trusted by the team to be giving an ideal rst impression of the hotel to those who visit, as well as waving guests off and ensuring they leave with a smile. He not only an inspiration for his team members to follow his lead in working hard with a smile, but for the wider community in succeeding despite any adversity. He goes by the mantra that anything is possible that you set your mind to, and it’s clear he lives by this daily. Almulla is a worthy winner. HIGHLY COMMENDED Virpritpal Singh Khalsa FIVE Palm Jumeirah Hotelier Awards special hoteliermiddleeast.com October 2022 36 YOUNG HOTELIER OF THE YEAR WINNER Aznive Boghossian W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island Young corporate sales manager Aznive Boghossain has excelled at W Hotels despite all odds. Having only joined the hotel a week before Covid struck, she has had to learn to ride the wave of crisis right from the off. This has not dissuaded her one bit and she has shown incredible dedication and commitment to helping the hotel achieve success.She is a top performer within Marriott International itself, ranked in the top 10 percent across all of EMEA for Q1 of this year. She has taken her corporate segment share from 12 percent to 36 percent YTD and today is handling more than 100 separate corporate accounts. The W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is one of the most important Marriott hotels in the entire region, host to a myriad of sporting events. Boghossian never let the pressure get th her. HIGHLY COMMENDED Tiana Amann The House Hotel Jeddah City Yard & Cloud7 Residence Ayla Aqaba GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR – MIDSCALE WINNER Marcus Sutton Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens Since Marcus Sutton began his role as GM at Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens, he has delivered record owners returns for Jumeirah Group, with record results continuing into 2021. This includes boosting the RevPAR levels 113 percent YOY; F&B revenues 18 percent and GOP 30 percent. An approachable leader, he launched the weekly ‘Coffee with the GM’ initiative which bridges the gap between employees of all levels and senior management. He has also opted to support home-grown SMEs with the launch of Sprudel Closed Loop Bottling System, which replaces single-use plastic bottles with re llable glass water bottles across the the entire hotel. HIGHLY COMMENDED Stuart Birkwood Radisson RED Hotel, Dubai Silicon Oasis GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR – HIGH-END WINNER Jaime Simpson Jumeirah Mina A’Salam One of the most respected GMs in the region, Jaime Simpson is a role model not only to her own staff, but for countless others in the sector. Since becoming general manager of the hotel in 2021, she has overseen an immense ‘awakening’ of the property, refurbing facilities, rooms and suites, and also rebuilding an entire team in the process. She has reimagined F&B outlets in line with a Jumeirah-wide restaurant rush, and has used her role to reward the hotel’s long-serving and hardest workers. Simpson has worked her way up to GM, previously hotel manager at Jumeirah Beach Hotel during the height of the pandemic. This dif cult time taught her the importance of inspiring her team and keeping people motivated. Simpson has used her role as a platform to celebrate women in hospitality. HIGHLY COMMENDED Hanna Azzi Nikki Beach Resort & Spa DubaiHotelier Awards special 37 October 2022 hoteliermiddleeast.com HOTEL TEAM OF THE YEAR – MIDSCALE WINNER Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites had an absolutely incredible 2021. GOP vs budget overachieved by 153 percent; GOR vs budget overachieved by 112.97 percent; and the hotel achieved HOTEL TEAM OF THE YEAR – HIGH-END WINNER FIVE Palm Jumeirah During the rst half of this year, the Palm Jumeirah resort maintained an occupancy rate of 93.4 percent, putting the hotel number one in its comp-set for RevPAR according to STR. This also puts SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR WINNER Atlantis Dubai’s Atlas Project Atlantis, The Palm has raised more than US$120,000 for charity in the course of a year. The Dubai resort raised funds through its Atlas Project launched in June last year, now channelling the BREAKOUT PROPERTY OF THE YEAR WINNER 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central is so successful that is it part of the reason Qatar First Bank recently bought millions of dollars’ worth of shares in Ennismore. Chiefs describe the hotel as a agship for the entire portfolio globally. The hotel has taught others the power of diversifying, with its co-working spaces always quietly buzzing, its restaurants always full, and even an on-site record and music area. HIGHLY COMMENDED Anantara World Islands Dubai its budget during the rst month of opening as well. The hotel also worked on distributing meals to taxi drivers who had been transporting Covid-19 positive patients to Dubai Health Authorities during the pandemic. HIGHLY COMMENDED Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens FIVE Hotels and Resorts on a brand- level 235 percent ahead of its comp-set. FIVE Palm Jumeirah’s team boosted the revenues of The Penthouse 20.8 percent in 2021 compared to 2019. At the same venue, revenues have jumped 70 percent. HIGHLY COMMENDED Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai money towards local conservation and sustainability projects. It currently focuses on four key groups of wildlife; sharks, rays, dolphins, and corals, and two key threats to the ocean; unsustainable seafood and plastic pollution. HIGHLY COMMENDED Hilton’s Taste of UAEHotee Middle East Awards hoteliermiddleeast.com October 2022 38 Jerry Inzerillo INDUSTRY LEADER OF THE YEAR WINNER Jerry Inzerillo Diriyah Gate Development Authority Jerry Inzerillo is one of the hospitality industry’s most in uential gures, having notched up more than ve decades’ experience across a wide range of companies including Forbes Travel Guide, Kerzner International and IMG Artists. Last year he was named one of Forbes Middle East’s Top CEOs in the Middle East thanks to his role as CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Saudi Arabia, part of Saudi Vision 2030. He now leads one of the most pioneering tourism projects on the planet, valued at more than US$50 billion dollars and primed to house dozens of world- class hotels. 39 October 2022 hoteliermiddleeast.com IN THE FRAME See all the winners from the Hotelier Middle East Awards with their trophies IN TH See all the AME ddle East dle East IT PERSON OF THE YEAR Amer Farfour CONCIERGE & GUEST SERVICES PERSON OF THE YEAR Brian Faula PROCUREMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR Hatem Mohamad PROCUREPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCURPROCUROCUOCUCFINANCE PERSON OF THE YEAR Juman Salih HOUSEKEEPER OF THE YEAR Michelle Cruzado HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER OF THE YEAR Harssh Gauur (represented by a colleague) FITNESS & RECREATION PERSON OF THE YEAR James AndrewsNext >