Rotana reveals exec team for two new Dubai hotels
UAE-based Rotana has revealed the executive team handling the preopening of Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana and Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana, a 620-key hotel complex in Dubai.
CLICK THROUGH TO NEXT PAGE TO REVEAL THE EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBERS
Slated to open in December, the hotels form part of the 12,540 square metre extension of Al Ghurair City, one of the region's oldest shopping centres, which is expected to be completed in quarter one 2013.
The five-star Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana Dubai will feature 428 rooms and suites while Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana Dubai comprises 192 hotel apartments. The hotel and hotel apartment complex, which will not serve alcohol, will feature four food and beverage venues including Liwan, an all-day dining restaurant; signature Persian restaurant Shayan; Buzz Deli Cafe, and Yasmine Lounge in the lobby.
The executive team led by general manager Mark McCarthy will employ up to 500 staff members.
Over the coming week, Hotelier Middle East will feature a full preview of the hotel and its facilities, including an exclusive photoshoot.
In the meantime, click through to the following pages to unveil photos and bios for the key executive team members...
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Mark McCarthy, general manager
Mark McCarthy has taken the reins as general manager for the two pre-opening properties Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana and Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana, Dubai.
An American national, McCarthy came to the UAE to join Rotana in 2007 as the general manager for Towers Rotana Dubai, having previously held senior positions in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, Zambia and Bahrain.
He has racked up around 30 years in the hospitality industry, the majority of which was spent with InterContinental Hotels Group in the USA, Middle East and Africa.
In his current role he is overseeing the overall management and operation for the two properties comprising 620 keys.
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Afrah Hamdy, director of spa
An Egyptian national, Afrah Hamdy is responsible for the launch of Zen The Spa.
She joined Rotana to take up her current role in June 2011 from Grand Millennium Dubai. Other posts in the UAE include as part of the pre-opening team for Al Ain VCLL centre, and later the management of VLCC’s Mirdif Centre in Dubai.
A graduate of accounting and business management from Cairo University, Hamdy took her first steps in to the spa sector as health club coordinator at the InterContinental hotel in Sharm-El-Sheikh in 2005 and later in 2006, at the Seven Pillars Spa at the Sheraton Sharm in 2006 where she became head therapist and then acting spa manager. She is multi-lingual in Arabic, English, French and Italian.
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Armin Weller, director of food and beverage
German national Armin Weller has racked up a quarter of a century in the hospitality industry, having grown up in Germany’s Black Forest region, renowned for its numerous hotels and spa towns.
He started out as a pastry chef before moving into hotel management. His career took him across America, the Caribbean and the Far East before he moved to the Middle East. As such, he has operated hotels in such diverse settings as Munich, Cuba, Jamaica, Cancun, Bali and Kuwait.
A pre-opening professional, the launch of the Al Ghurair complex will be Weller’s sixth hotel opening. He is heading up the F&B operation for the two hotels.
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Carine Harb, director of marketing and communications
Promoted from assistant director of marketing and communications at Park Rotana Abu Dhabi where she had worked for more than two years, Carine Harb moved to Dubai to take up her current on the preopening team at Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Al Ghurair Arjaan by Rotana.
Harb, a Lebanese national brings more than 13 years’ of hospitality experience to the new hotel complex, including five years in the sales department and another four years in events and catering.
She gained has a degree in Hospitality management and an MBA in sales and marketing.
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Diana Sutari, director of human resources
Sutari brings more than 13 years of experience working within the UAE hospitality, an impressive 12 years of which have been spent with Rotana.
Her career began as finance secretary in 1999 before moving into the HR segment as HR coordinator, onto HR officer and later she was promoted to assistant director of human resources. Sutari has worked as director of human resources for more than three years in various Rotana properties including Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi.
Within her current role, Sutari will oversee the opening of Rotana’s Al Ghurair properties including the recruitment of more than 400 staff members.
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Joachim Textor, executive chef
Having started his career has an apprentice in his home country of Germany; Joachim Textor has travelled the world bringing a wealth of culinary experience from across the globe.
The UAE is Textor’s 11th country to work in having first moved to Dubai in 2007 to take up the role of executive chef at Al Murooj Rotana Hotel & Suites Dubai.
Three years on he moved to Dubai’s Media Rotana Hotel and Apartments, establishing six F&B outlets and introducing the hotel’s renowned theme nights which led to an increase in F&B sales of 18%.
Textor has extensive experience in Asia, having worked for renowned international operators including Starwood and Regent Hotels in China, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia among other Asian countries. A real globe trotter, he has travelled to more than five continents, 90 countries and 486 cities, many of which were visited during his time working with luxurious cruise liner MS Europe.
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Maric Van Duijvenbode, executive assistant manager
Having joined Rotana as executive assistant manager earlier this year, Maric Van Duijvenbode is overseeing the day-to-day operations for the two Al Ghurair hotels.
He brings more than 20 years of hospitality industry experience to the role, having previously working with renowned international operators such as IHG and Movenpick across the Asia Pacific, US and the Middle East.
Key projects Duijvenbode has been integral to include the rebranding of The Regent of Hong Kong to InterContinental Hong Kong and the opening of InterContinental Dubai Festival City, as well as the launch of Movenpick’s Dubai properties.
Duijvenbode graduated fro Tokyo YMCA nternational Hotel College, Japan and MEAO College for Tourism. He is fluent in Japanese, Dutch and English.
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Nader Batniji, executive assistant manager in charge of business development
With more than 18 years’ experience in hotels, Nader Batniji starter his career with IHG in Amman, Jordan.
He has gained a variety of experience mostly in the finance and sales departments.
Having worked around the Middle East, including in Dubai, Batniki returned to Jordan to take up the role of sales manager at Grand Hyatt Amman in the ‘90s, before being promoted to director of sales – a post he held between 1997 and 2007.
From there he went onto work with Marriott hotels in Jordan as country director of sales before joining Rotana in late 2008 as director of sales – MICE, based in the area sales office for Dubai and the northern emirates.
He was promoted to his current role in June 2011.
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Osama A. Semaan, director of front office
A Rotana veteran, Osama A. Semaan has been with the group for 15 years working in various hotels throughout the UAE and further afield.
He was part of the pre-opening team for Dubai’s Al Bustan Rotana in 1997, and more recently contributed to the opening of the emirate’s Rose Rayhaan.
Other properties under his belt include The Cove Rotana Resort in Ras Al Khaimah, The Cove Rotana, Afamia Rotana Resort in Lattakia and Khalidiya Palace Rayhaanby Rotana Abu Dhabi.
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Ute Knott, director of housekeeping
German-borrn Ute Knott took up her current role as director of housekeeping for the Al Ghurair complex in May.
Having begun her career as an apprentice in a hotel in Germany 1988, Knott worked her way up to assistant housekeeper, to executive housekeeper and eventually director.
She first came to the Middle East in 2003 for the executive housekeeper role at Crowne Plaza Kuwait. She moved to Dubai two years later after securing the post of executive housekeeper for Towers Rotana Dubai.
Her first director role came in 2008 as director of housekeeping at Al Raha Beach before returning to Rotana in 2009 as director of housekeeping for Park Rotana & Park Arjaan in Abu Dhabi.