4. Rezidor Hotel Group, Area Vice Resident for the Middle East and Turkey, Mark Willis
Known as a fresh and energetic mid-market hotel brand offering ‘friendly and welcoming hospitality at a competitive price,’ Rezidor currently operates eight Park Inn hotels, with a further 10 in the Middle East pipeline.
Among the new opening by Park Inn by Radisson is the 150-room Dubai Motor City hotel, overlooking the race track at the Dubai Autodrome, and is part of an investment worth US $136.3 million (AED500 million), due in 2017.
A British national, Willis has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, including more than 15 years with the Rezidor Hotel Group. Willis started his career in the culinary sector, taking on roles in a number of locations including London, Stuttgart and South Africa before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 1995 in a variety of senior roles. In 1998, he returned to the UK, where he joined the Rezidor Hotel Group as hotel manager for Radisson SAS Hotel Manchester before securing his first general manager position in 2000 with Radisson SAS in Oslo, Norway.
Willis then relocated to Bahrain in 2002 as general manager of the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, where he repositioned the property. Willis moved back to London in 2004 opening the Radisson SAS London Stansted Airport. He then joined the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel in London’s W1 where he became the district director for the UK South region, supporting a further seven Radisson Blu properties.
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