Sayed Salem El Sayed cruises as Fitness/Spa Person

The Palace Downtown Dubai spa and recreation Sayed Salem El Sayed ran to the top of the charts as the Hotelier Middle East Fitness/Spa Person of the Year 2015.

Sponsored and presented by Figjam managing director Sanjay Murthy, El Sayed picked up his award on the night fighting off stiff competition from worthy contenders.

"I feel so happy, I feel so proud of what I have done. I feel supported by the management of the hotel, and I feel that I whatever I have done in my life has helped me gain this trophy," said El Sayed after picking up the trophy.

He attributed his ability to create treatments that meets guests' expectations through his years of experience. He said: "The guests come again and again, and share their reviews on social media and TripAdvisor. We'v e gota lot of recognition - the ranking on TripAdvisor has improved. We started on 25th and now number two out of 183 spas.

El Sayed was recognised by the judges for implementing a number of new initiatives in the last year which has resulted in fantastic financial results for the spa and recreation elements of the hotel.

Highly Commended nominee in this category is Jennifer Bonifacio from Crowne Plaza Dubai – Deira. The judges commended her tireless efforts in selling her department to new customers.

The shortlisted nominees in the Fitness/Spa Person of the Year category included: Armstrong D'Souza, health club manager, Holiday Inn Downtown, Kuwait; Ferdinand Taaca, spa manager, Melia Dubai; Philip Bartle, director of recreation, Fairmont The Palm; and, Shamjir Pullishery, recreation supervisor, InterContinental Muscat.

The Hotelier Middle East Awards 2015 took place on Wednesday, October 28 at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, and was resplendent in its James Bond theme.