With just one month to go until the Hotelier Middle East Awards are held at the world’s tallest hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai on October 30, it is time to unveil the shortlist.
In total, 90 hoteliers across 18 individual awards categories have been shortlisted, along with five hotel teams for the coveted Team of the Year Award.
Here we unveil the finalists for Hotel Manager/EAM of the Year Award, a new category for one of the most important roles in the industry.
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Luke James, operations director, Media One Hotel
ABOUT LUKE
Luke qualified with a Bachelor of Business in Hospitality Management from SHA International College of Hotel Management in Switzerland in 2001. He has worked with international hotel groups around the world including Hyatt and Hilton Worldwide as well as Jumeirah and Monte Carlo Beach Club in the UAE in various capacities. He joined Media One Hotel in February 2012 as Operations Director reporting directly to the General Manager.
WHY WAS HE NOMINATED?
Luke’s efforts to introduce new promotions to F&B operations have seen profits soar over the past year but it is his commitment to standards, attending to guests personally during shortages in key staff members, implementing brand excellence and encouraging professional growth among team members through training programs that really stood out.
WHAT DID HIS TEAM SAY?
“Luke is a unique Operations Director; he is instrumental in the incredible results the hotel has achieved over the last 18months. His dedication to support the teams and being staff focussed has had a great influence on the reduced staff turnover. Luke is efficient, yet casual; friendly and low key, but drives all the key initiatives for the hotel, motivating all the enthusiasts to 'GO BEYOND' to achieve the required results.” Sally Meech, director of marketing communications
WHAT DID HIS GUESTS SAY?
“Luke understands that guest satisfaction is critical to the success of the Media One hotel. Whilst most of our clients ask for weekly feedback and reports, Luke has driven us to provide daily feedback not once but twice a day – Positive reviews are sent to his marketing colleagues but he deals personally with any problems himself, tackling any flaws in the service offering honestly, openly and with humour.” Simon Stockwell, director, Isee International Consumer Insights Specialists
Please click through to next page to find out who else is shortlisted…
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