HOTELIER AWARDS 2012: Marketing/PR finalists named

These five finalists will compete for the PR/Marketing Person of the Year 2012 in the Hotelier Middle East Awards to be held on October 31 at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC. 

Below you will find extracts and testimonials from the shortlisted nominations for each of the five candidates... 

Emille Loyola-Artigas, cluster marketing manager, Hilton Worldwide Ras Al Khaimah

About Emille
Emille began her career in the hotel industry as a PR assistant, she became PR manager and eventually marketing & communications manager. In 2006 she started with the Hilton Worldwide family at Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa (in the Philippines), where she was part of the pre-opening team. She developed and implemented Hilton branding, which was a big milestone as this marks the brands re-entry to the country after more than a decade of absence. After two years, she moved to Maldives and joined the re-branded Hilton Irufushi. With her immense desire to move to the UAE, she joined Hilton Al Ain as marketing manager. After a year and a half, she transferred and managed the marketing department of the now six Hilton properties with almost 2000 rooms in Ras Al Khaimah as cluster marketing manager.

While in Ras Al Khaimah, she has made tremendous contributions, not only to the cluster, but also for the region and area. She was recognised and awarded as Hilton Worldwide’s 2012 Circle of Excellence Marketing Person of the Year for all of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, awarded in January 2012 at Hilton London Metropole.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
With her dynamic attitude, enthusiasm, sincerity, and significantly vast knowledge of the Hilton and all the brands, Emille’s assistance is regularly sought by her counterparts, and she consistently provide support to all the other properties’ marketing and PR requirements in the Middle East and KSA. She goes over and beyond her own duties to support other properties, from UAE to KSA and even the Egypt cluster.

Emille ensures she is 100% focused and concentrated on every project that she is responsible for, from the beginning until it is completed. Whenever she has a media familiarisation trip, she ensures that all are well taken care of, from going out to find the perfect giveaways and funding them herself, to checking every room for her every guests.

Testimonials for Emille
“It was lovely to meet you, Emille. Your enthusiasm and contributions are infectious! Keep up the good work and hopefully our paths will cross again soon,” Josi Kytle, senior director regional marketing –EMEA, Hilton Worldwide

“At this month’s annual 2012 sales & marketing summit, cluster marketing manager for Ras Al Khaimah Emille Artigas was awarded the top prize as Marketing Person of the Year for EMEA. With several entrants from across EMEA, this win represents a major achievement for the region and I would like thank both Emille and Enrico for their significant contributions during 2011. I’m proud that we have such great talent in MEA and I’m confident we will continue to see great things in the future,” Oliver Schmaeing, director - regional marketing – MEA, Hilton Worldwide

“I really had a wonderful time working with Emille. Her work attitude is beyond commendable. She exudes positive attitude, and never fails to inspire and motivate even on her most pressured and stressful moments. Her work is of high-quality as she maintains close attention to details despite the numerous projects and job requirements she has to complete. Because of her skills, talent and knowledge of her job, it was very easy and fun to work with her. While she has tremendous responsibilities on her sleeve, she never fails to help other Hilton properties all over MEA as well as other departments within her cluster. I am so proud to have worked with her, and up to this time, she still is a valuable help for me and my team,” Nader Halim, general manager, Hilton Salalah Resort
 

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Haitham Assem, marketing communications manager, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

About Haitham
Haitham Assem joined Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates as a front desk attendant in December 2006 and has since experienced exceptional career growth within the company, progressing within a span of six years through the positions of marketing coordinator, marketing executive, senior marketing executive, assistant marketing manager to his current position as marketing communications manager at one of Dubai’s most visible and active hospitality properties from a marketing and communications standpoint.

In his current role, Haitham’s duties involve a broad range of activities ranging from marketing and brand building to the management of the hotel’s reputation and image in the press and public eye. His daily duties involve working with the hotel’s retained creative agencies to develop marketing, advertising and public relations content, campaigns and collateral, planning and managing associated budgets to successfully execute campaigns, enhancing brand image through all forms of media and customer interaction, identifying and utilising opportunities to create positive brand associations for Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, networking within the industry, supervising and supporting media visits and press trips, creating and publicising special offers and packages, planning, organising and attending press gatherings and social events, successfully managing and reporting the department’s finances and developing web and online content to support marketing and PR efforts as well as corporate activities and communication strategies.

Prior to moving to Dubai, Haitham worked in the hospitality industry in his native Egypt at JW Marriott, Cairo; IHG, Sharm El Sheikh and Hostmark, Sharm El Sheikh. He is currently working towards a professional certificate in marketing at The Chartered Instituted of Marketing UK, and will be a Chartered Marketer in a few months.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Haitham’s enthusiasm and passion for the job have made him yearning for more knowledge to benefit the organisation and took the initiative to enroll himself into one of the most recognised institutes worldwide, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. This course requires a personal time investment from Haitham not only by attending night classes after long work days twice a week, but also studying and passing exams and assessments. Haitham has been able to apply a lot of the knowledge from his studies and took it upon himself to practice and apply his learning in his work environment, educating employees about the role of marketing in improving the guest stratifications and maximising hotel revenue. Haitham is due to graduate in by end of 2012 and he is planning to start his masters right after his graduation to enable him to be more specialised in the Marketing Communication.

Talent development is one of Kempinski’s main areas of emphasis and Haitham has taken this onboard by expanding the marketing communication department and finding the right candidates to be the future leaders of the department. Developing others and the preparation of a shadow cabinet is one of his main priorities in order to continue his career growth within the company, he is currently preparing his team for the next level of their career from day one he has clearly explained to them the way they will grow and what is needed from them in order to achieve it, alongside with his constructive regular one to one appraisal.

Thanks to his operations background, Haitham has been an incredible support during the high occupancy in supporting other operational departments short of staff. He is regularly helping out by being in the hotel lobby at peak times approaching guests and assisting them with their check-in, check-out, solving complaints and enquiries. He spends a lot of time walking around the hotel and meeting the guests, engaging in a conversation to learn their needs, feedback and their wish lists. Asking the guest to share their experience on the online platforms, to share it with the other travellers and responding to their reviews in a very short time.

Testimonials for Haitham
“I’ve worked with Haitham Assem for 18 months and he is valuable member of our regional PR team. Haitham is an ideal PR manager for a hotel – he has the poise and sophistication of a luxury hotelier, he performs well under pressure and is capable of managing a diverse range of tasks, and he possesses the strategic mindset and common sense that are critical to effective PR. Haitham is a leader in the Middle East and Africa region for Kempinski. I use him frequently as a resource for new members of our team and he provides valuable insights into structuring and running a successful PR department. Haitham leads his own team well, utilising their individual strengths to meet the dynamic demands of a hotel PR and marketing department. He works closely with the director of sales & marketing and the general manager to ensure that the PR activities support the overall objectives of the hotel. In a city that is known for its superlatives and a preference for new venues, Haitham has managed to maintain an ongoing interest in the hotel through effective communications in social media, CSR, press events, and great media relations.

"The hotel has been open six years so it’s not the newest hotspot in town, but our occupancy remains high year-round. We are undergoing a massive renovation in our lobby and the space next door in the mall, and despite noise from a dozen jackhammers our lobby lounge remained full because everyone knows the best latté in Dubai is served there. You could attribute that to our barista, but a large part of reputation comes from the PR department. It is easy to lead a PR team for a new hotel, but I believe that keeping a hotel that has been open six years relevant is no small feat for a PR manager. Our revenues reflect this, as well as our reputation in the public and among the media. Haitham has been a valuable asset to Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates and he is certainly an example to his peers,” Lashley Pulsipher, regional director of public relations - Middle East & Africa, Kempinski Hotels

“I have known Haitham since 2008 and I always see in him a person attracting success around him. Being a person who came into hospitality through operational tasks and making his way up to marketing and PR, he seems to do a hospitality PR and marketing close to customers' hearts by aiming to accomplish real goals rather than unachievable fantastic ambitions. Among the Kempinski hotels I work with, I am a fan of Haitham and a great marketing team he is a leader of. It is always a great pleasure to be working with people knowing what they are doing and spreading this to people around,” FJ Esanboev, regional web & ecommerce manager, Kempinski Hotels Middle East & Africa.

“Haitham is truly an asset to our company and one of the most enthusiastic hotel marketing managers we have on board. He's constantly seeking new promotional opportunities for the property and creating all collateral for the property while always being in-line with our corporate brand identity. It is truly a pleasure to work with a professional like Haitham,” Esther Mauer, corporate director brand & marketing, Kempinski Worldwide.

“Haitham helped us with a number of daily communications tasks such as designing roll-up banners, recruitments material, posters, branding the cafeteria, preparing presentation material for new hires and even creating classified ads to be published in various newspapers. Has also helped negotiated prizes for staff parties at no cost to the company through his excellent relationship with various suppliers,” Jeannie Moffat - director of people services, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
 

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Klara Zakis, PR manager, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Middle East

About Klara
Klara’s passion for public Relations has been long standing, she recalls getting a library book out about advertising and PR when she was 12 years old, a strange choice for a young girl but something stuck.
Klara started her career in public relations in 2007 after graduating with a journalism and public relations degree – she finished top of her class in PR and was headhunted straight from university. She took up a junior executive position in a PR agency in London, a year later she was transferred to Dubai. In 2009, Klara joined Action PR and became an account manger on the tourism and events team. During her time at the agency she worked on various accounts including Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Royal Caribbean Cruises and most crucially the Rezidor Hotel Group.
When Rezidor’s regional PR manager left the position to work for Carlson Rezidor in the UK, Klara was put forward as first choice to fill the position. Klara jumped at the chance, as her involvement and love for the hospitality and tourism sector had grown over her time at Action. Klara has now been with Carlson Rezidor for nearly two years. She looks after 31 hotels throughout the Middle East and North Africa and three brands, Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson and Hotel Missoni.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
In 2011 and 2012 Klara has been personally responsible for the annual charity campaign The Box Appeal. When Klara first joined the company The Box Appeal was a small charity campaign that asked people in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to fill boxes with essential everyday items for labourers. Klara took it upon herself to make the campaign bigger and even more successful so even more people in need would be helped. All nine hotels in the UAE took part, plus both Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels in Oman, Cairo and Bahrain. Overall 13 hotels took part.

When Klara first arrived at Rezidor there was an internal newsletter in place that was sent out quarterly to all staff in the region. It detailed three main areas, responsible business, news and events and appointments. Primarily it is a human resources tool used to communicate with staff across the region. Klara attended a HR meeting in early 2012, many of the HR staff said that they did not feel that the newsletter covered enough HR issues and left many staff feeling alienated, they also wanted a tool to motivate staff. Klara took it upon herself to redesign the newsletter, coming up with ideas to engage and entertain staff. To help the HR department she added a new feature idea called the Yes I Can Star. Each quarter Klara ask the hotels to nominate someone who has gone above and beyond in their role of duty. She then interviews this person, with a mixture of work and personal questions - a behind-the-scenes look at the staff that make this company a success.

Testimonials:
‘Klara has an incredibly strong eye for news – for example, she secured quirky, memorable coverage for Hotel Missoni during Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2012 by flying in the kilt-wearing, dreadlocked doorman from Hotel Missoni Edinburgh and creating social media and lifestyle visibility among a very crowded landscape. Klara has rock-solid media relations skills, having successfully launched a number of properties for Carlson Rezidor both regionally and internationally, and hosted range of press trips and media visits to garner significant coverage for both new and existing properties. Having taken on the lion’s share of responsibility for The Box Appeal, a CSR initiative across the Middle East to provide basic necessities to thousands of labourers and others in need, Klara single-handedly developed and executed a media campaign which resulted in significant visibility and more importantly, thousands of boxes donated through word of mouth and favorable, widespread media coverage,” Eileen Wallis (and team), managing director at The Portsmouth Group

“Klara is constantly supporting each and every standalone hotel in the region, it doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, what kind of information you want, or what help you need, she is always there. Over the last few years I have worked with her across three different Radisson properties, including pre-opening, re-branding, four-, five-star hotels and a resort, and every time she was involved personally on the PR plans of those properties. Each and every plan for the hotels’ is individualised and full of passion. I believe that the big success of last year’s Responsible Business project; The Box Appeal would not have been so successful without her efforts – a region collecting 10,000 boxes, to be given and distributed for the labour camps in the Middle East is an incredible achievement. What I really like about her is she’s always on top of the current trends, leading the way rather than being stuck in the past like so many local PRs. Lastly, Klara believes each and every magazine and journalist should feel exclusive and that’s why her approach to PR is always personalised and tailor-made, to the magazine, the journalist and the project. It is always a pleasure to work with her,” Pinar Kirlar, PR manager Radisson Royal Hotel

“I have never met someone as passionate about their job as Klara is for her role. She is extremely genuine in her approach, especially when it comes to media relations. She is greatly appreciated by all the journalists and that’s not just because of her professionalism and creativity, it is mostly because of her genuine and personalised approach she has for each and every single one of them. Klara is also very proactive and is always ahead of the game in this extremely competitive market. She initiates very creative angles to PR stories for the group as well as for our hotels and that always adds an interesting twist to a PR story or feature. Klara is also a great colleague to work with, always helpful and a great sense of humour,” Stephanie Aboujaoude, regional marketing manger, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
 

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Nancy Nusrally, area public relations manager, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, UAE

About Nancy
Mauritian born, Nancy was educated in Kuwait and later, France where she completed a Bachelor of Business and in 2003 a Masters Degree.

Her background has been in both the private sector with experience in sales and marketing, but more recently on the agency side of PR working for Bates Pan Gulf PR in Kuwait.

She took up her first role in the hospitality sector when she joined Anantara in September 2010. Today she is leading the internal PR for Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spa in the United Arab Emirates. The properties which fall under her remit are Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara in Liwa Desert, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara on Sir Bani Yas Island and the latest addition to the portfolio, Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara in Abu Dhabi city.

Nancy's value to the organisation has been acknowledged through her growing portfolio of responsibility. While the portfolio sits at three properties, it is going to become five by the end of H1, 2013. She is already working towards these openings with planning and direction.

Nancy is fluent in English, French, Arabic, German and Spanish. These language skills are of absolute value in her role which is not limited to local media but a strong focus on international media.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Nancy is one of the most diligent team players you will ever find. She consistently works long hours without being asked. In her role she is often needed to work weekends. She does this without complaint.

Nancy actively shares her knowledge with those around her. We can see the benefit of this with our associate Tammy, marcom assistant, who is now confident and skilled enough to step in unassisted with all the planning for media and in some cases hosting. This would not have been possible without Nancy’s guidance and teachings along the way.

Nancy has been instrumental in the hotels being recognised by several awards programmes.

Testimonials for Nancy
“Nancy is one of the most well-connected and driven PR people in the region who has the ability to influence and drive awareness for our properties and brand. Her ability to work across all media online and offline in both Arabic and English is an asset which is rare to find in the Middle East. Her contact list and passion sets her apart from her peers and any recognition is well deserved,” David Garner, regional director of sales & marketing, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas Middle East.

"I came to Abu Dhabi for the first time a few months ago and it was Nancy who greeted me on my arrival. She immediately put me at ease and established very quickly what I needed to make my story great. Everything from the travel and food aspects to arranging a golf partner for me to review one of the newest courses in Abu Dhabi, she is a real asset for the company," Nick Walton, freelancer, based in Hong Kong.

"Nancy is my direct supervisor and she is a terrific mentor. She has always given me time and provides her inside knowledge and guidance freely. She constantly drives me to improve myself and not settle for anything less than perfection," Tammy Gan, marCom assistant (reporting to Nancy)

“I have no hesitation in recommending Nancy for the Hotelier Middle East Award for Marketing/PR Person of the Year. I have appreciated in particular her industry knowledge, timelines, professional and friendly as well as being efficient and thorough”. Monique Safayan, marketing & communications, Tourism & Culture Authority, Abu Dhabi

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About Sally
Heralding from Grimsby in the UK, Sally has spent all of her working life dedicated to the hospitality industry. Her background is very comprehensive with qualifications from City & Guilds in Cooking for the catering Industry, Health & Safety at work and Direct Trainers Award.

Sally has also attained additional skill sets including; Psychometric Training, customer & client relations and managing change & development. These qualifications have mirrored Sally’s career that has encompassed training, HR and business development in the UK before arriving in Dubai in 1994 and working for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, firstly as an outlet manager and then onto with her first exposure into PR and promotions in 1996.

In 1999 Sally moved to Dubai Country Club where she spent five years as marketing & events manager before joining Crowne Plaza Dubai (Sheikh Zayed Road) where she spent just over two years as public relations & marketing communications manager responsible for the opening PR campaigns for Trader Vic’s & Wagamama’s.
Wafi was the next stop and Sally represented the property as marketing communications manager for nearly four years before joining Media One Hotel in April 2010 as PR & marketing manager. Since joining Media One Hotel Sally has been busy maintaining a very high profile for Media One by creating a strong brand identity that highlights the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ graphic approach, regular PR exposure through print, online and radio, and effectively networking with the media across all mediums.

Sally has embraced the social media scene and is responsible for Media One’s Facebook page with more than 5000 friends and Media One’s twitter account. Her recent post of ‘Which 3 people would you like to be stuck in an elevator with’ attracted a huge spike in responses, and interesting daily posts such as opinions on the Olympics, have ensured the popularity of the Media One Facebook page. At the beginning of 2012 Sally was promoted to director of marketing communications.

Above and beyond the call of duty…
Sally has been known to work around the clock in order to ensure she hits challenging deadlines. Many emails are received and work is being carried out until the early hours of the morning.

Operating with a small team, Sally is a perfect example of the ‘going beyond’ attitude that Media One lives by – a recent example of this was for the ‘Joining Jack’ fundraising activities, whereby Sally worked until 5am in the morning before returning to the hotel at 8am to welcome four-year-old Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy sufferer Jack Johnson and family to the hotel. The late night/early morning was due to putting the final touches on a seven-day programme of activities & fun for this inspirational youngster and his family which resulted in more than AED 90,000 being raised in funds to aid research into this currently incurable disease.

Sally heads up the Media One Green Tourism committee, and working proactively with the engineering team, has managed to implement changes resulting in a reduction in annual energy consumption despite increased hotel occupancy and increases in DEWA rates. Sally fronts all other CSR activities; including tin-can collections, special environmental-friendly days, and paperless Wednesdays. Sally is also renowned as a caring, ‘motherly’ figurehead for many of our front-line enthusiasts.

Testimonials
“I have been dealing with Sally Meech since 2004 when she was at Crowne Plaza and have continued to deal with her on a professional level during her time at Wafi and now Media One Hotel. She is without doubt one of the most professional marketers in Dubai and is someone I will go to first whenever we have an idea or project. As she makes things happen and understands the operational complexities involved. So when I got involved with Joining Jack she was an obvious person to speak to. She turns ideas into a reality and adds so much of her own time and creativity to the event that she over delivered on all levels. She is a very popular and well-loved personality within the media and as a result has the loyalty of the media in the market. I know of no other marketing manager in the UAE who can claim that. The award for best marketer would be long overdue in my opinion and nothing short of what she deserves,” Andrew Wingrove, publishing director, Men's Lifestyle Group

“I have known Sally for a number of years and had the pleasure of working with her at the Crowne Plaza Dubai between 2004 and 2006. For many people Sally is the face of Dubai; one only has to refer to the late Lord Lichfield's photographic essay of Dubai life, "A City Portrait" ,to see her resplendent in one of her fantastic hats at the Dubai World Cup. To me, this photo captures the essence of Sally; a lover of life and at the centre of everything she does. When we worked together her passion, enthusiasm and creativity were on constant display and I look back on those times with great pride and affection. Her campaigns to launch Trader Vic's Madinat Jumeirah and introduce Wagamama to the UAE were inspired - some people will remember her turning up to the opening party with a chopstick hairstyle. It was the talk of the night and ensured a huge amount of coverage in the days and weeks that followed the event. There are many other stories to tell but I think it is sufficient for me to say she was instrumental in re-positioning the hotel and its food and beverage offering. At the same time, Sally has remained true to herself and she is remembered here as someone who is always ready to lend a helping hand or even just listen. On her visits back to the hotel it is inspirational to see how she picks up conversations with old colleagues, when the time comes to depart I will be very proud if I manage to leave only a quarter of the warmth and goodwill that she has generated among our colleagues. I wish her every success with this well deserved nomination,” James Young, general manager, Crowne Plaza Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road

“I have known Sally Meech for seven years now and in my opinion she is one of the most dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic and genuine PRs in Dubai. She has the balance between professional and friend spot on. I never feel like she's using me to promote events etc and the fact that she comes up with unusual, fun and creative marketing ideas makes me happy to jump on board and support what she's doing. I can't think of anyone more worthy of Marketing/PR Person of the Year. She's brilliant,” Stef Burgon (Geordiebird), The Catboy & Geordiebird Breakfast Show, Dubai 92