Insider Stories

Rixos Bab Al Bahr, Ras Al Khaimah appointed Ahmed Elnawawy as General Manager, making the award-winning, family-friendly, luxury hotel the newest venture in his 22-year-long career with top hospitality brand names. In this role he will bring his unique expertise, strategic market insight, and strong leadership skills to Rixos Bab Al Bahr and shall report directly to Cenk Unverdi, Regional Managing Director at Rixos Hotels Gulf. Elnawawy will be responsible for leading, shaping, and executing the hotel’s overall strategy and business operations.   A seasoned luxury hospitality professional with a strong background in operations, guest satisfaction, and revenue generation. Elnawawy is passionate about delivering creative strategies to drive high levels of operational performance. Commenting on Elnawawy’s appointment, Cenk Unverdi said: “Rixos Bab Al Bahr is a unique property that is well positioned to capitalise on Ras Al Khaimah's growing appeal as the fastest growing holiday destination, and it'll need visionary leadership to ensure it remains competitive. I'm confident that Elnawawy has the necessary experience to successfully meet this challenge.”   Ahmed Elnawawy added: “I am excited to join an already well-established, luxury resort. I intend to create an atmosphere where team members feel empowered and can add value to the Rixos brand that stands out as a top family, resort destination around the world. I would like to thank the team for a warm welcome and I can’t wait to get started.” Elnawawy joins Rixos Bab Al Bahr from Emaar group where his most recent role was Head of Emaar Customer Excellence. Elnawawy also held several leadership roles within the Emaar Group between 2016 and 2022. He joined them in the role of Director of Rooms at the Address Dubai Mall, followed by General Manager at Manzil Downtown, General Manager at the Address Fountain Views, and General Manager at the Palace Downtown. In addition, Elnawawy is no stranger to Rixos. Between 2013 and 2015, he held the role of Rooms Division Manager at Rixos The Palm Dubai.

Zulal Wellness Resort is the Middle East’s largest and first full-immersion wellness destination incorporating Traditional Arabic & Islamic Medicine practices and the world’s first family-oriented wellness offering. Heinrich brings with him over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked across an array of hotels in different markets, including Europe, the United States, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Over the years, he has worked in many different functions in operations, giving him hands-on knowledge across a variety of areas, allowing him to train staff and implement new procedures to ensure guests have a memorable experience. This in-depth experience puts him in a strong position to deliver positive business results and tangible outcomes for Zulal Wellness Resort, ensuring guests have the same transformational experience they have come to expect as the Chiva-Som standard. Krip Rojanastien, Chairman of Chiva-Som International Health Resorts said, “We are pleased to welcome Heinrich to the Chiva-Som family. His professional experience and his personal wellness journey will be a great asset to the team."     He added further, “His ability to bring out the best in people and commitment to delivering the highest standards of service are just some of the reasons why we asked him to lead the team.  Under his sharp leadership and with a keen eye for detail, we are confident that his expertise will prove invaluable in ensuring that Zulal Wellness Resort delivers an unparalleled wellness experience, along with the highest level of service and satisfaction to our guests.” Heinrich has a strong personal ethic when it comes to wellness, which is what attracted him to Zulal Wellness Resort. His determination shows in his ‘walk-the-talk’ in terms of wellness. He has progressed from team sports to more individual pursuits, once enjoying long-distance running but now using the gym more and swimming on a regular basis.  Heinrich says “As one ages one realises that fitness alone is not enough – you understand that diet and nutrition are the biggest contributors to wellness and they are anti-aging in their own right. Following my own tests for food intolerance I can see clearly the impact of food on health. I am excited and honoured to be working with the wellness professionals and the kitchen team at Zulal Wellness Resort to lead the pursuit of wellness to guests from around the world.” At Zulal Wellness Resort, Heinrich will be responsible for overseeing all areas of operations, sales, commercials and marketing. With a culture of wellness at the forefront, every aspect of his service delivery will be focussed on providing an environment that encourages healthy lifestyles and wellbeing. Zulal Wellness Resort enjoys a tranquil backdrop, surrounded by the Arabian Gulf in the north of Qatar, incorporated with Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine throughout each to restore the body, mind and spirit in a sustainable manner. Led by a team of wellness consultants, nutritionists, spa and holistic therapists, physiotherapists and personal trainers, every retreat begins with a personal health and wellness consultation to help guests set their goals. This is combined with complimentary daily activities; therapeutic treatments; full access to the resort’s wellness centre including hydrothermal area, Himalayan salt room and hammam; and personalised herbal supplements for guests to take home to support their continued wellness journey.

Stuart Deeson has been promoted to the group’s vice president of operations across all of MEA. This brings the number of hotels under his remit to more than 30, double what he was handling previously as area VP for Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Jordan and KSA. The top job puts him in charge of seven brands, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Alila, Andaz, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. It also sees him managing 9,000 staff and close to 6,000 keys. His responsibilities will only grow as the US company readies to grow by 80 percent in Saudi Arabia, fuelled by its involvement in the Kingdom’s gigaprojects. Hyatt will open the likes of Park Hyatt Diriyah Gate, Grand Hyatt The Red Sea and Miraval The Red Sea (the latter is the regional debut of the brand).   Stuart Deeson’s rise through Hyatt   Deeson began his hospitality career at the age of 16 in the family country house hotel business, before joining the Hyatt family in 1995 and gaining extensive knowledge of Asia and the Middle East markets over nearly three decades. He started his journey with the company as business development manager at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, and got promoted two years later to director of business development at Hyatt Regency Xian in China. In 1999, Deeson was appointed the hotel’s director of rooms and successfully climbed the career ladder to his first executive assistant manager position in 2000, at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Korea. Continuing his journey across Asia, Deeson moved to Japan in 2002 to join the pre-opening team of Grand Hyatt Tokyo as EAM, rooms. Three years later, he took on his first GM role at Hyatt Regency Johor Bahru in Malaysia, before making the exciting move to the Middle East as GM of Park Hyatt Dubai in 2010. Deeson moved to the UAE capital in 2014 and held GM positions at Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt properties before taking on his former role as area vice president and general manager of Andaz Capital Gate Abu Dhabi. Srdjan Milekovic, senior vice president operations – Europe, Africa and Middle East, Hyatt, said, “I am delighted that Stuart has stepped into this new role. With his deep knowledge and experience across the Middle East and Africa, I know he will deliver great value for our colleagues, owners and guests, and successfully drive Hyatt’s purpose forward in the region.”

As the DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City prepares to open its doors, key roles are being filled at the hotel, and a number of top positions have been filled by women. Emiratis will also play a key part in building the team with women leading in this area too. The roles of Director of Operations, Front Office Manager, Marketing Head, HR Diversity & Inclusion Officer, GC&E Sales Manager, and Executive are all held by women, who are specialists in their respective positions. Additionally, visitors to the hotel will be welcomed by Doaa Mustafa, who has the distinction of being responsible for the door to the hotel, making her the very few females to hold this position in the UAE. “When recruiting the team for DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City we wanted to ensure that we had diversity in terms of nationality and gender,” said Vikram Jamwal, General Manager for the hotel. “We wanted a reflection of people in the UAE, and I feel we’ve achieved that; they’re building a new community with their teammates as we prepare to open our doors with the warm hospitality of DoubleTree.” A Turkish national, Birsen Kan has been appointed as Director of Operations and is well versed in transitioning a property from pre-opening to open and has worked in the Hilton family for 8 years. Christine Manoukian takes on the position of Front Office Manager and will be responsible for the guest welcome experience. Hailing from Armenia, Christine has always been a guest-facing professional and enjoys dealing with people. Emirati Amnah Abdullah Alhefeiti leads the people component of the hotel, as the Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion Officer where she uses her sociology skills to manage the team at the hotel. When it comes to the marketing and events at the hotel, that role falls to Dina Haroon, as GC&E Manager who comes from the seasoned hospitality market of Egypt. Dina will be ably supported by her Emirati teammate Hend Suliaman Humaid, in her role as GC&E Executive. Rounding out the senior female leads is Priyanka Krishnamurthy as Assistant Marketing Manager who comes to the hotel from another International Brand to help promote the hotel to guests and visitors. “We’re preparing for our opening, and the teams are making sure everything is in place. It’s an exciting time and we’re looking forward to the first guests getting to meet our team,” concluded Jamwal. The DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah City is set to open soon after the finishing touches have been completed.

Neeraja Rahul has been appointed LEAD Engineering aka Chief Engineer at the Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis. She becomes the first female Chief Engineer for the Radisson Hotel Group in the Middle East. Rahul joins Radisson RED Dubai from their sister property the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. With only 6 years experience in hospitality she’s on a very swift climb to the top. Rahul took her first hotelier steps as an engineering admin at the Radisson Blu and is passionate about effective maintenance programs - she has been overseeing most engineering aspects and increasing efficiency throughout the hotel since joining. She may be a relative newbie to the hotel business but she’s already an award winner - in 2021 Rahul was the Engineering Person of the Year at the Hozpitality MEA Excellence Awards. The appointment of Rahul takes the balance of RED Dubai leadership to a 60-40 female/male split. Stuart Birkwood, Curator aka General Manager at Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis, said ‘We’re excited to bring Neeraja on board with us here at RED. Her technical knowledge and fresh approach will further enhance our engineering team. Female leadership in the engineering discipline is far from common within hotels so we’re delighted to have Neeraja and I’m very much looking forward to her bringing new creative ideas & solutions as part of our 2023 strategy. As a hotel we continue to be dedicated to our diversity, equality and inclusion’ In 2020 Rahul’s dramatic rise thru the ranks saw her appointed as Assistant Maintenance Manager. Since then she has worked on numerous projects to digitalize the usually more mechanical engineering operational tasks in the hotel. Rahul successfully led the implementation of the HotelKit repairs tool which wholly changed the way the hotel executes daily maintenance + repairs requests and measurably improved the communication between hotel departments. She’s also a flag bearer + champion for Responsible Business within Radisson. Rahul is seen as one of the new pioneers and female rising stars within the Radisson Hotel Group as it strives for Balanced Leadership across its portfolio. In addition to her career ambitions, Rahul is also a wife and as a young mom of an 8-month-old daughter. Jan Hanak, Managing Director - UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Radisson Hotel Group & former GM Radisson Blu Hotel Deira Creek comments  ‘It’s been great seeing Neeraja growing within our group from a member of the engineering team to Assistant Chief Engineer and now getting her well deserved first Chief Engineer position. I wish her continued success and further development within the Radisson Hotel Group’

The Italian native joined Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek in 2020 as Executive Assistant Manager.  From his beginnings as a pastry chef in Italy to Hotel Manager of Dubai’s first five-star hotel, Rossi has been with Radisson Hotel group for almost 15 years and held positions such as Italian chef, executive chef, Director of F&B, Director of Operations and most recently Executive Assistant Manager. Over his career, Rossi has lived and worked in eight different countries including Italy, USA, Spain, Poland, The Netherlands, Libya, Egypt, Ukraine, Georgia, Latvia, Russia and the UAE. In his new appointment, Rossi will lead the 5-star hotel which includes 288 rooms, 15 F&B outlets, a health club, spa, weddings, and M&E. Niccolo takes over from his predecessor Jan Hanak, who will remain with Radisson Hotel Group in his new position of Managing Director of Arabian Peninsula. Jan said of the appointment: “I’m delighted to appoint Niccolo Rossi as the new Hotel Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek. Over the last two years, he had led the hotels operational team to great results. His expertise in F&B has helped us exceed all revenue and quality targets across all of our outlets. It’s been a pleasure to work with Niccolo and I have every confidence he will thrive in the role of hotel manager and continue to bring the hotel success.” Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek is currently putting the finishes touches to a newly renovated spa, café, and all-day dining. The hotel has recently celebrated success in the inaugural Dubai Michelin Guide 2022 where Persian dining experience Shabestan featured as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek, looks forward to continuing the hotel’s legacy within the city under the leadership of Niccolo Rossi as it continues to deliver memorable moments to its guests.

Tobias Ammon, a long-time Radisson GM, will oversee the only international four-star hotel in Dammam Second Industrial City. This is his first property in KSA, having extensive experience leading multiple properties across Radisson portfolio. Commenting on his appointment, Tobias says: “As a passionate hotelier, I am delighted to join the hotel at this exciting time, my international exposure has given me a unique perspective on all aspects of the hotel operation, and together with the hotel team, I am looking forward to creating unforgettable experiences for our guests, delivering Radisson’s renowned Yes I Can! Service.” Ammon has worked on and off with Radisson for a combined 15 years. Coming from a restaurant background, he began his path in Frankfurt as a restaurant manager back in 2005. His experience in a General Manager position includes Radisson Blu Hotel Klaipeda, Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort Cesme, Dorint Hotels, Radisson Blu Muscat and Sohar, and Radisson Blu Bosphorus.

Grand Hyatt Amman has a new executive chef.  Michele Prevedello lands in Jordan having previously spent three years in Saudi Arabia. A long-time Hyatt member, chef Prevedello has traveled the world through the group. His most recent role was as executive chef of Grand Hyatt Al Khobar Hotel and Residences for three years. When asked about his new position and life in Jordan, Prevedello replied: “New places, new excitement, new city, new people.” He will now lead outlets including The Lombard, The Lounge and 32 Degrees North. Italian outlet The Lombard is the signature restaurant of the hotel. Opened in March of last year, The Lombard in Amman provides classic Milanese cooking, regional Italian dishes and beverages, and a commitment to celebrating Italian culture and traditions.

Edwin Gomes will oversee six bars and two restaurants including the Italian- Mediterranean signature restaurant Basilico. Originally from Kolkata India, Gomes’ passion for the culinary arts comes from a young age, as he hails from a family of chefs. After a number of apprenticeships, Gomes fine-tuned his craft at The Park Hotels in Kolkata. His career soon took him across the globe to work with brands such as Hilton, JA Resorts and Spa, Royal M and Royal Caribbean Cruise Liners. Edwin Gomes comments his appointment: “I look forward to setting marks to achieve the unachieved. Simply put, luxury is not just a statement, but rather it’s something you literally must taste. There are prime standards to set and consistently meet, one of them being freshness. Freshness has always been vital for me as a chef. I live up to our farm-to-fork philosophy and quality produce is the key.”

Thomas Meier joined Jumeirah Group as Chief Operating Officer in October 2021. Now he will take on the role of interim CEO of the group replacing José Silva. Having studied at the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne, Thomas started his career in general hotel management roles in Asia and rose through the ranks to lead operations for Raffles globally. He then spent several years leading new openings and integrations globally for the Fairmont, Swissotel and Raffles brands, ahead of joining Minor Hotels as Senior Vice President, Operations (Asia) in 2016.Thomas brings extensive operations experience gained across multiple markets. His global responsibilities have spanned business performance, acquisitions, owner relations and transformation across all aspects of hotel operations, development, and systems integration.

DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa Marjan Island appoints new commercial and sales directors. Mahmoud Hegazy, originally from Egypt, joins the team from Hilton Doha and brings 19 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing. Experienced in revenue, sales, marketing, finance and business development. While at Hilton Doha, he started as a director of sales, followed by business development manager and lastly commercial director. He is a long-time Hilton member, starting as a sales executive in 2003. He has also worked as a cluster senior sales manager in Kuwait for the group and director of sales across Egypt. Turkish-born Bahar Yildirim is already well-versed in the UAE luxury market. She joins the team from Marriott International where she oversaw several of the brand’s key properties. Prior to Marriott, Yildirim was with the Rixos brand which has seen strong growth in the market since launching in the last decade. Managing sales strategies and activities, Yildirim will be responsible for capitalising on untapped markets and ensuring the hotel is always top of mind for an unforgettable experience.

Situated along the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the dynamic destination Al Raha Beach Hotel is pleased to announce that Sidi Fikri has been appointed as the new Executive Assistant Manager. Being a Moroccan/American with a colourful background, both professionally and culturally, Sidi Fikri is a goal-oriented individual and an exceptional leader with a wealth of experience. He graduated from Queens College with a Degree in Computer Science/Information Systems Management and Cornell University with a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Administration/Management. Chasing the “American Dream”, Sidi’s hospitality career began over 20 years ago in New York City. A versatile and driven hospitality professional, Sidi worked his way up at some of the finest restaurants in the Big Apple and currently embodies hard work, patience, resilience and ambition after facing a variety of challenges. His eagerness to further learn and grow his career, ultimately landed him in prestigious management roles within various restaurant groups and well-established hotel brands which sparked his passion for the hospitality industry. Sidi embarked on a true adventure after moving to Asia to complete his hospitality journey over a decade ago. Having successfully competed in a field that was underestimated in the region, he was able to quickly adapt within the environment. Commenting on the appointment, Sidi Fikri says, “I am thrilled to join one of the finest properties within the Danat Hotels portfolio and look forward to working with an amazing team. I aim to take the hotel’s luxury services to the next level while also positioning the hotel as one of the top destinations in the city. I believe that passion and a genuine interest in hospitality are key to a phenomenal service culture. An enthusiastic team will always strive for ultimate excellence.” Sidi will be offering extensive knowledge with a creative touch and practical understanding of the hospitality and service field that spanned from New York City through South East Asia and Middle East.