Jumeirah Beach hotel serves up F&B manager win

David Thompson, October 27th, 2016

It was a successful year at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2016 for Jumeirah Beach Hotel as F&B manager Patrick Fernandez fought off strong competition from the region for the F&B Manager of the Year crown.

The F&B manager of the Year category at this year’s Hotelier Middle East Awards generated a lot of debate throughout the judging process, due to the high standards of all nominations, but Jumeirah Beach Hotel as F&B manager Patrick Fernandez clinched top spot on the old Hollywood themed evening.

The other nominees included: InterContinental Muscat’s Ahmad Itani, Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek’s Aldert Vanzyl, InterContinental Jeddah’s Baris Altinkok, and Marriott Marquis City Center Doha’s Daniel Burnstein.

Highly commended in this category was awarded to David Hirber from Sofitel the Palm Dubai.

Upon receiving his award Fernandez said: “This is a dream come true. I have been nominated for a award before, but this is my first win. I owe a lot of gratitude to my family and my team for supporting me throughout my career.”

Fernandez improved F&B colleague satisfaction levels by 3% in Q1 2016 and guest feedback scores. Speaking of this accomplishment he said: “We spend a lot of time with colleagues and I meet will all staff and managers – we collect a lot of feedback then I act on this and turn it into positives to improve and get better.”

Judges recognised the difficult market conditions Fernandez is operating under, and commended his can-do attitude.

Fernandez also created an operational plan for Euro 2016 at the Dhow & Anchor, which generated additional revenue compared to the previous Euro event.

He also redesigned seasonal campaigns such as Valentine’s Day to enhance guest experience and increase revenue.

Fernandez said: “It's been a tough year, so this is a great achievement. 2017 will be challenging due to the market outlook but we are positive – our team will achieve everything we set out to achieve.”

The Hotelier Middle East F&B Manager of the Year category was sponsored by Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino and presented by Horeca Trade marketing manager Jad Asaad.