Marsa Malaz Kempinski makes three key appointments

Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha, has appointed Christoph Strahm as its new hotel manager and two further members to its senior management team: Matyas Bak, director of rooms, and Asif Akash, executive housekeeper.

Strahm is a passionate Swiss hotelier and started his career in 2005 at Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains in St Moritz, Switzerland, in the food and beverage department.

After working with Sofitel in Vietnam, Strahm returned to Kempinski, taking on leading roles in Yinchuan and Dalian in China, before being appointed general manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines by Kempinski, where he facilitated the takeover of the historical “Hotel Rwanda”.

He holds an MBA from HEC Lausanne, and will lead all the hotel operations along with Wissam Suleiman, general manager.

Matyas Bak started his career in the US in 2005, before joining Kempinski Hotel Corvinus in his hometown, Budapest, Hungary, in 2006.

Since then, Bak has taken on managerial front office and reservations roles in Bulgaria, Dubai and Slovakia.

He also held the position of regional rooms specialist for Europe; Matyas assisted at the opening of Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, and managed projects in Myanmar, Djibouti, Chad and Kenya.

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He will lead the front office and housekeeping departments while also overseeing the recreation facilities and activities.

Finally, Akash is an experienced hotelier with specialised skills in the housekeeping department.

He started his career with Kempinski in 2004 and has since been appointed to assume leading roles in Djibouti, Seychelles, Bahrain, Riyadh, Al Khobar and, most recently, Kinshasa in the DRC Congo.

Akash will be managing the housekeeping department along with Cornelia Zschunke, who has recently been promoted to director of housekeeping and will be involved in all the future hotel openings in the Middle East and Africa region.

Marsa Malaz Kempinski general manager Wissam Suleiman said: “I am thrilled to welcome these three talented managers. Their appointments and expertise will help us to continue our emphasis on delivering excellence, innovation and results for our guests and stakeholders, ultimately helping to secure the continued success of Marsa Malaz Kempinski over the coming years.”

Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha opened in January 2015. The luxury resort offers 281 luxury rooms and suites, 11 F&B outlets, a 150m private beach and the only Spa by Clarins in the Middle East, along with conference and events facilities.