Excom team on-board for Dukes Dubai hotel

Seven Tides has appointed the management team for the new Dukes Dubai hotel and hotel apartments.

The general manager and four senior executive committee members have come on-board ahead of the scheduled Q1 2016 opening.

General manager Mete Atakuman brings more than 20 years’ industry experience to the role with previous knowledge of openings and acquisition.

An Australian citizen, Atakuman, has experience of Dubai-based brands, having previously worked with the Jumeirah Group to oversee the takeover of the Jumeirah Bodrum Palace, Turkey as well as managing several pre-opening projects in China and Azerbaijan for the international luxury hotel chain.

“Mete has a proven operational and commercial track record when it comes to spearheading new hotel projects, and his experience of conveying luxury brand concepts will be instrumental to our success as we introduce this uniquely British brand to an expectant market in the region,” said Abdulla Bin Sulayem, CEO, Seven Tides, developer of Dukes Dubai.

The Excom team includes Laetitia Pardo who joins Dukes Dubai as director of sales & marketing. A French national, Pardo has hospitality industry experience on two continents. She has worked in both the hotel and serviced apartment sector, with hotel groups such as Atlantis The Palm, Hilton International and Sofitel, as well as properties including The Savoy in London.

Former French naval officer, Richard Mazeau, takes on responsibility for Dukes Dubai’s recruitment strategy as the new director of human resources. His previous experience includes Anantara Doha, where he oversaw recruitment from pre-opening, the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, as well as managing HR and training for One&Only Resorts, Dubai.

The fourth new member of the executive team, director of engineering, Avnish Kumar, has been in the region for a decade as a pre-opening specialist, working with Time Hotels, Mövenpick and The Address Hotels amongst others.

Navin Shah has been hired as the hotel’s director of finance. A qualified chartered accountant with over 15 years’ experience, he has held a number of executive director positions, and has worked on brand and property launches for Zaya Hotel Management, The Address Hotels and Accor in the UAE, as well as for Millennium & Copthorne covering the Middle East and Africa.

“The success of Dukes Dubai in the UAE is contingent upon its leadership team and their ability to position the brand as a market leader and deliver its distinctly unique character in today’s extremely competitive marketplace,” added Bin Sulayem.

Located on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah, the 273-room hotel and 227 hotel apartments will offer leisure, conference and entertainment facilities including a private beach, indoor pool, outdoor infinity pool and state-of-the-art gym, along with five food and beverage outlets.