Hilton Singapore Orchard is proud to announce the appointment of Rupert Hallam as it newly appointed General Manager. A Hilton veteran with over two decades of hospitality experience under his belt, Rupert commenced his Hilton journey in 2002 where his career took him across various continents, including Fiji, Southeast Asia, and Australia, where he was most recently the General Manager of Hilton Adelaide.
Rupert's favourite quote - “A Day Without Laughter is a Day Wasted”, is a significant reminder of laughter’s unifying force in bringing people together, fulfilling the vision of delivering exceptional hospitality experiences in every hotel, to every guest, every time. The company is extending the warm welcome to Rupert as he continues to elevate the positioning of Hilton Singapore Orchard as a brand-defining and inspirational landmark Hilton hotel in Asia Pacific.
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has appointed George Koumendakos as its new General Manager. The Dutch national brings 37 years of experience including 15 years as General Manager in multiple 5-star hotels around the world.
Koumendakos, who is fluent in three languages, is a highly respected hotel professional who has worked in 14 countries. Prior to arriving at Metropole Hanoi, he was most recently the General Manager at Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara in Malaysia. He also formerly led the pre-opening team at the Intercontinental Hanoi Landmark 72 Hanoi.
“Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi’s rich 122-year history, sophisticated and elegant French colonial design, and warm and personalized service, along with its distinctive sense of French joie de vivre, make it one of the world’s most legendary hotels, and I greatly look forward to being part of its next illustrious chapter,” Koumendakos said.
Koumendakos, a graduate of the renowned hospitality management Hotelschool The Hague in the Netherlands, officially took the helm at Metropole Hanoi on Sept. 25.
His arrival coincides with major milestones at the hotel, including the upcoming reopening of the historic Metropole Wing in December following an extensive refurbishment that will usher in six new Metropole Suites (while the overall number of rooms will remain the same). Metropole Hanoi also recently relaunched its celebrated Vietnamese restaurant Spice Garden with a new concept, design and menu.
In February, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi was awarded a prestigious Five-Star rating—the top level of recognition—from Forbes Travel Guide for a fourth consecutive year. Metropole Hanoi is one of only two hotels in Vietnam to earn the Five-Star rating—and the only in Hanoi to receive the top distinction. In June, the industry-leading travel magazine Travel + Leisure named Metropole Hanoi one of the top city hotels in Vietnam in its annual Luxury Awards Asia Pacific. Additionally, it was included in their esteemed list of the “500 Best Hotels in the World.”
Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Fiji is excited to announce and welcome Ms. Helen Regan as Resident Manager of the prominent Fijian resort located on the Coral Coast.
Regan has spanned over two and half decades in hospitality where she has had extensive expertise within Resort Management with prominent and world-renowned industry leaders within tourism in Australia, South Pacific and Asia. Her global influences have taken her from Australia, Singapore, Japan, and the Fiji Islands. A seasoned hotelier and passionate by nature, Regan understands the essence of Fiji as a travel destination. She is an accomplished Fijian hotelier with a passion to appreciate a guest’s journey and stay by delivering unique, memorable experiences and services.
Prior to joining the resort, Regan’s inspired leadership has seen her work forinternational hotel brands such as Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts and Outrigger Resorts and Hotels, not forgetting award winning luxury boutique resorts Longitude 131, Jean Michel Cousteau Resort and Samphire Rottnest.
Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Fiji’s General Manager; Francis Lee said, “Regan will be a valuable asset to the resort, and we look forward to the new initiatives that she will bring on board in her new role.” Francis commented that Regan has an extensive background in hotel management and that the team was proud to have her on board.
La Vie Hotels & Resorts is bolstering its teams across Australia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, with the following appointments.
Alan Christie is the new area general manager in Sri Lanka and will drive the strategic performance of the group’s three Radisson properties in the country.
As the new director of growth and business development, South and South East Asia, Suthiroj Sathitpornkitti (Chris) will be based in Bangkok and will focus on expanding La Vie Hotels & Resorts portfolio across the region.
In Sydney, Abhey Sachdeva takes on the role of business development manager, Australia, and will drive sales performance for hotels within the Australian shared services portfolio.
Other appointments in the Australian team include Andrew Marin as group manager of sales, Justin Furkhan as business support manager, and Catriona McKay as group manager revenue and distribution.
The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a lodging business unit wholly owned by CapitaLand Investment, today announced that it is expanding its global business development team with the appointment of Ryan Chan and Dulaphan Amatyakul as Vice Presidents of Business Development. This move is in line with Ascott’s commitment to drive asset-light growth and reiterate its confidence in the travel and hospitality landscape, as it targets to double its fee revenue to over S$500 million in the next five years. Both Ryan and Dulaphan will report to Serena Lim, Chief Growth Officer at Ascott, who was appointed earlier this year.
“As a global player with a strong network of in-market teams, one of our core strengths has always been in our ability to drive agility and market-led solutions. The appointments of Ryan and Dulaphan will support our focus on driving expansion in key markets as they work alongside our local cluster teams. Both of them bring valuable expertise from their respective fields and will play integral roles in leading region-specific plans that will not only strengthen owner engagement through tailored solutions, but also allow us to focus on strategic deals as we enter a phase of accelerated asset-light growth,” said Ms Serena Lim.
“Ascott’s business model spans various accommodation assets such as serviced residences, coliving properties, hotels and independent senior living apartments for both short and extended stays. Defining global living with our diversified portfolio of 15 brands, our approach is two-fold. Firstly, it is about driving global brands alongside travel demand and trends. Also, our regional brands enable us to go deep with robust localised solutions. I am confident that Ryan and Dulaphan will add to the strength of our global team and enhance our market agility as we work towards achieving our growth targets and delivering long-term value for our owners and our business,” added Ms Lim.
Ryan will play a key role in supporting Ascott’s business development strategies to grow the group’s current portfolio in both existing and new markets. Focusing on Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India, he will also take the lead in aspects of financial feasibility and deal support for new business strategies.
Ryan joins Ascott from Far East Hospitality where he expanded the business through strategic initiatives and prior to that, he was based in Bangkok as Group Director of Development of Dusit International. A seasoned development professional, Ryan brings with him over 15 years of sectorial knowledge and experience covering markets in Asia Pacific and the Middle East including Southeast Asia and emerging cities in China. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Real Estate), Honours from the National University of Singapore.
Based in Bangkok, Dulaphan will focus on the development of Ascott’s business strategies to drive growth in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
With more than 15 years of related experience in investment management, corporate and investment banking, as well as hotel operations, Dulaphan was Senior Vice President, Investment & Business Development at Conduit House Holdings (Thailand) prior to joining Ascott. There, he was involved with various regional hospitality projects in Asia Pacific and oversaw all related investment transactions for the company. He also held senior roles in asset management and hospitality firms such as MFC Asset Management PCL, Valor Hospitality Partners Asia and DTGO Corporation Limited. Dulaphan holds an MBA from the Mahidol University International College in Thailand.
Govnd Joshi, currently working as a hotel manager in Thailand, is running a property under the management of Oakwood Hotels - Ascott Group. The hotel is owned by the Boutique Corporation, a company that focuses on designing, developing, managing and selling innovative real estate solutions in the hospitality, retail, and commercial sectors, also operate its own brand Jono, and Jono X hotels. Govnd comes from India and has been working for more than 15 years in some of the top tourist destinations and business hubs across the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, Maldives and India with some of the leading hotel brands like Intercontinental Hotels, Kempinski and Minor Hotels.
An army brat who was raised and did his schooling in different parts of India was very much inspired by the brave stories of the armed forces and wanted to be an army officer, however, still misses very much to have that olive green uniform. Travelling was one of the motivations that drifted him to study hotel management. He has been to many countries to work in and has enjoyed his stint wherever he got posted he loves to connect with people and learn their culture. Currently, he is posted in Thailand and very much impressed with the culture and the people where hospitality is deep-rooted in hearts. A believer in life-long learning continues his learning by reading books, travelling and enrolling in industry courses as Cornell University is his one of favourites. Strongly supporting the local talents wherever he goes, Govnd hopes this interview will inspire and guide more future leaders of the industry.
What was your first job in the industry?
GJ: I started my career in the hotel industry as a waiter at Kempinski Hotel, Mall of the Emirates Dubai in 2007, I still carry very much respect for this hotel as it acted as a practical school for me where I got opportunities to learn from some of the best and powerful industry leaders who are still in touch and act as mentors to me, after serving four years plus with this property, I was transferred to be part of the pre-opening of a Kempinski Resort in one of the most beautiful countries in the planet, Seychelles, where I served as a Restaurant Manager.
What do you love the most about hospitality?
GJ: Hospitality creates opportunities for you to work across the globe with people form different cultural backgrounds. You physically get transferred to countries where you work with local individuals and you become part of them. You learn from each other and that makes you a better leader. One of the quotes that I truly like about Ibn Battuta is that the great leaders of the world are great travellers. Once you are in the hospitality industry, you automatically become a traveller as this is one of the requirements that come in this industry.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome on your way to success?
GJ: I am an Indian who did his education and training in India only, right after my college and training, I got a job in Dubai. When I was with Kemplinsk Hotel in Food and Beverage department, I was part of a restaurant by the name of Sezzam that was having 935 sitting capacity where we had 98 team members in service and a similar number of kitchen personnel. I still remember we had flags of fifty-one countries in our team member's cafeteria, which means we had employees from 51 countries serving in the hotel. If you don't know the culture of others, it becomes very hard for you to connect with individuals, and I had to go through the same challenges when I joined there. At that time I was only twenty-two years old and was not only new to introducing myself to other cultures but, also to the industry. I was literally quiet for my initial couple of months, however, it didn't take me long to adapt not only to the working culture but much more to learn the culture of others how they behave and what type of language one can use to connect with people from other nationalities. Having overcome this challenge by adapting to the culture of others, now it's very easy for me wherever I get transferred to work with the locals.
What makes one a true hotelier?
GJ: One needs to understand that working in hotels is just not a job that pays you. Yes, it does, however, it is completely a lifestyle that you have to adapt. I have been hearing a lot since I joined hotels that it's very hard to work in this industry. If you are passionate about anything, then nothing is hard. You will never hear from people who have climbed mountains like Everest or have stepped on the north or south pole that it is very hard, why because they do it out of their extreme passion. It's an industry where you are dealing with people, your colleagues, and your guests who are visiting you, and they all are with you for filling some of their emotional needs. Once you get succeed in filling the needs of the people for what they are emotionally driven, you become a real hotelier. Yes, there are some technical aspects that we call hard skills which basically every industry requires to operate, however, in hospitality once you master in soft-skills, you become a true player in the industry.
What would be your advice to beginners in the industry?
GJ: The industry and its culture have changed very much since I personally joined hotels. Now the generation-z is entering who are raised and educated completely in a different environment. However, once you are in the hospitality industry, I will suggest the first thing you keep in your mind that is PEOPLE. You are working with people and for people who are driven by their own emotions, not some gadgets in their hands. Yes, the technology is there to support which is changing very fast, but the emotional needs of people remain very much the same where you need to give them more time. This industry will teach you automatically how to work hard, but I strongly believe and recommend, only that will not take you far, one needs to work smartly and be a life learner. The real learning starts once you leave your college room where a faculty doesn't come to you to teach but you seek knowledge of what you really want to be. Nowadays we say that we are learning a lot as we have social media and we get everything in it, that is somehow true, but you need to learn what you want to seek in your life, not what is just coming in front of you in your hands by social media or other channels. And also, keep in your mind from the beginning that your career will be just a part of your life, but not your complete life. Your families, your other hobbies, friends, fun, and relationship are all part of life too. Progress in every segment of your life to lead better in the future.
New Avani+ Khao Lak General Manager, James Sutcliffe joins the upscale resort from InterContinental Khao Yai Resort where he was opening General Manager.
With over a decade of operational experience in the hospitality industry, notable appointments include Resort Manager of InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau, Executive assistant manager of Como Point Yamu in Phuket and Resort Manager of Gaya Island Resort in Malaysia.
James brings his dynamic leadership style and passion for people to the role. A born communicator, he excels at uniting effective and productive teams, enabling team members to function at their collaborative best. His work experience in different countries has not only benefitted his career progression but his personal development too, as he is able to acclimate quickly to new cultural settings and engages well with multinational teams.
He will oversee all operations for the acclaimed property, which offers something for everyone, from foodies, kids, nature lovers to surfers and yogis. He is presently rolling out his new vision for the resort which speaks to the modern, millennial minded Avani traveller.
“I am excited to be a part of the Avani culture and I believe Avani+ Khao Lak embodies the essence of the brand`s DNA,” says James. “We are looking to impart insider knowledge about the region to our guests. Khao Lak is one of Southern Thailand’s most up-and-coming destinations thanks to a happy union of beach and small town attractions, beautiful national parks and interesting alleyways. We want guests to explore the old town, the cultural and culinary treasures and community markets with ease".
An Australian national, James holds a MBA from Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in New South Wales, Australia and certificates in Financial Management, Leadership and Revenue Asset Management from Cornell University. James began his hospitality career with Niyama Maldives working in food and beverage before taking on his first management role with YTL Hotels in Malaysia.
Khao Lak and surrounds offers an idyllic home for James – the perfect spot to indulge his passion for the outdoors - hiking in tranquil Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, surfing at Pakarang Beach, bamboo rafting down the Wang Kiang Ku river and diving in the Similan Islands.
Minor Resorts is pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Zarybnicky as General Manager of Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, commencing this month.
Martin joins Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel from his previous role as Complex General Manager of InterContinental Bangkok and Holiday Inn Bangkok, where he focused on IHG’s flagship masterplan renovation, repositioning the hotel and F&B destination bars and restaurants and mentored the next generation of hospitality leaders.
With 354 guestrooms and suites, Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel combines an unrivalled location with iconic design and gracious hospitality. High chandeliered ceilings, hand-painted silk murals and lush gardens provide a feeling of sanctuary in this city that never sleeps.
