These finalists will compete for the General Manager of the Year 2012 title 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 candidates...
Horst Walther-Jones, Moevenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach
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About Horst
Horst Walther-Jones is an exceptional hotel manager with 35 years’ experience in the international hospitality sector. His career has spanned virtually every role from Commis Chef all the way to his current position as General Manager of the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach. He holds a Master of Culinary Arts degree from Germany and has worked as Executive Chef, Director of Food & Beverage, E.A.M, Resident Manager and Project & Pre-Opening General Manager in some of the world’s finest private hotels and hotel companies such as Renaissance Hotels, Hyatt International, Jumeirah Hotels and now Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts. He has worked in Europe, Central America, China, Saudi Arabia and has been in Dubai for more than 13 years. He joined the newly opened Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach in December 2010 as General Manager. In his short venture he achieved miles stones for the hotel’s future; 5 Star rating, re-creating and launching the popular West Beach Bistro & Sports Lounge, design upgrade of all rooms in the hotel, Green Globe certification, talk of the town Friday brunch concept and much more. His success has been due to his strong leadership qualities and his genuine care for people. He has an individualized approach and treats all employees and guests with respect and equal attention. Through his leadership, Horst has built a foundation based on trust, entrepreneurship and friendships which resulted that he is surrounded by a team of colleagues who always can speak openly and have no fear to approach him for guidance.
Above and beyond the call of duty…
When Horst arrived in December 2010 the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach was still not officially classified by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and was classified as a 4-Star hotel. Horst’s first goal was to convert this hotel into a classified 5-Star property. In just 3½ months, he converted the entire hotel operation to the standard of a 5-Star hotel in Dubai. Even though the hotel was virtually brand new it needed some detailed design improvements, some of which were required by DTCM to grant the 5-Star rating. Horst created new room types that gave the hotel a luxury uplift with a warm and modern design, new colour schemes and new Arabic décor accents to reflect the local heritage in a contemporary way. Horst Walther-Jones goes out of his way to promote not only his own hotel but also Dubai and the GCC. He spoke at the Customer360ME Summit at the Mӧvenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach from in April 2012.This is the main conference in the Middle East focusing on positioning the customer experience at the heart of companies’ strategies to ensure long-term success. Horst participated in a panel discussion on “Bridging Diversity and the Differences in a Multi-Cultural Customer Base to Attract and Retain Customers in GCC Markets” where he discussed unique techniques to attract people to GCC markets, as well as the role of value-based segmentation and diversification. Horst takes corporate social responsibility seriously. He took the initiative to support families in need from Nepal by employing six young men and women in the hotel. He also arranged for the hotel to sponsor a child in an SOS Children’s Village. He has initiated regular blood donations from colleagues, discarded linen is contributed to the labour camps, lost and found items are given to charity organizations, and the hotel has participated in the “Cakes for a Cause” initiative for breast cancer and the “Make a Difference” campaign for World Diabetes Day. He is a strong believer that the happier and more motivated his colleagues are, the better the experience is for any guest. For this reason he initiated the hotels “Colleagues Welfare Committee”, which consists of colleagues from different departments meeting regularly to discuss relevant matters with the management. He also holds a monthly colleagues’ breakfast for the night shift and a colleagues’ lunch where he has face-to-face conversations at different employee levels. There are monthly staff gatherings called M People (Mövenpick People) where employees are recognized and rewarded for their achievements during the previous month. Horst is a General Manager who creates a work environment where people consider it a privilege to work, will be positively influenced and inspired for the rest of their lives, and this translates directly into the best service to hotel guests and increased revenue and profitability for the business – true excellence in hotel management.
Testimonials for Horst
“Dear Horst It was a pleasure to meet you personally on the occasion of my visit to Dubai and I would like to thank you very much, also on behalf of my wife Katrina, for the generous care during my stay in Dubai. For me it is by no means a matter of course to be greeted and treated as a king in a Mövenpick Hotel. You and your team did everything possible that we felt exceedingly well. Started with the wonderful royal suite for an absolute top rate, the driver at our disposal, the daily changing “sweets” in our room which certainly were made by the pastry chef, the access to the beach club of the hotel Ritz Carlton as well as, in general, your concern about our well being. You made our stay in Dubai to a wonderful experience and I thank you heartily therefore. I hope you like your work as a General Manager at the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach and you will go on being successful. The first months of your work have been most positive and I wish you good luck and all the success needed. I look forward to meeting you personally again at the next opportunity and in the meantime wish you all the best. Kind regards, Guido Egli.” Email from CEO Mövenpick Holding.
“Mr Horst Walther – Jones is the complete GM, he is a Gentleman, well-schooled in the Hotel Industry with an understanding of all departments within a Hotel structure that he can assist and give his professional opinion to. But Most of all he cares a great deal about the most important assets of a Company and Hotel….. the people. All Decisions undertaken by Horst first considers the impact and implications for team members and he always has the time no matter how busy to have a one on one discussion with anyone whom needs his time for personal reasons His Knowledge of operations, Sales and Finance is amazing, a true all-rounder with experience built on many years in the Deluxe Hotel Market though out the world. Horst is very focused on driving daily improvements and keeps all management on their toes, but achieves his outstanding results though a caring attitude and great sense of humor.” Marcus Dudley, F&B director, Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach.
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