Tenth Hotelier Awards attracts record numbers
The Hotelier Middle East Awards 2014, which took place at InterContinental Dubai Festival City on 29th October 2014, attracted a record 600 attendees this year.
The region’s four-and five-star hotel sector came together to celebrate success in 19 categories, ranging from GM of the Year, to the Hotel Team of the Year and the much loved Unsung Hero Award.
The awards, which have been running for a decade, are organised by the region’s leading B2B publisher, ITP Business.
---CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL THE WINNERS AT THE HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 2014---
“ITP business is delighted to have welcomed record numbers of attendees to the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2014, where an abundance of talent was showcased,” said Walid Akawi, Chief Executive Officer of ITP Publishing.
“As the leading magazine for hotel professionals in the Middle East, we are delighted that the Hotelier Middle East Awards continues to grow, while standing by the hallmarks of the publication to showcase leadership, innovation and best practice in the hotel industry,” he added.
Nominations for the awards are open from April and are made through HotelierMiddleEast.com/Awards. The nominations are then shortlisted and overseen by an independent judging panel.
This year a twelve-strong group of experts expertly whittled down the 550-plus nominations to 95 shortlisted candidates, 19 of whom were selected to be honoured with a prestigious Hotelier Middle East Award.
“The process behind the Hotelier Middle East Awards is a thorough and absorbing one, designed to truly celebrate the teams and individuals that make the region’s hotel sector the envy of many around the world,” said Hotelier Middle East’s Crystal Chesters.
“Both the editorial team and the judging panel spend a long time going through the entries, but all of us agree that it is more than worthwhile when the achievements of our winners are celebrated on the night,” she added.
One of the most coveted awards of the night was the Hotel Team of the Year award, which this year went to Atlantis The Palm, which also took home PR/Marketing Person of the Year and Executive Chef of the Year. Commenting on the three wins, Atlantis General Manager Serg Zaalof said: “It feels really good for my 4500 colleagues. I am very, very happy."
This year’s awards had a Japanese-theme, which included everything from the staging and room decoration, through to the food and entertainment, including Geisha fan and umbrella dancers and Taiko Drummers.
The Hotelier Middle East Awards 2014 was sponsored by some of the most influential suppliers in the hospitality sector, including presenting sponsor DU, Silver Sponsor Restonic, Merchant Star, Sava Branding – Amir, Diversey, Pulsar, MLA, Patchi, Ronai, Horeca, Arecont Vision, TCL and Canon Middle East.
“Congratulations to the ITP team on the success of their 10th edition of the Hotelier Middle East Awards!” said Shadi Bakhour, General Manager, Canon Middle East. “We enjoyed the professional collaboration and appreciate how Canon was presented throughout the event. I’d like to thank the team for their efforts and a job well done.”
The volume of engagement with the event was demonstrated by social media activity, with the Hotelier Middle East Twitter feed (@HotelierME) achieving 27,258 impressions on the day of the awards. All of the coverage from this year’s event will be documented in a 30-page feature in the December issue of Hotelier Middle East.
Next year’s Hotelier Middle East Awards is to take place on 28th September 2014, with a James Bond theme. Nominations for will open on 1st April 2015. For sponsorship opportunities at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2015 please contact Stephen.Price@itp.com.