Jumeirah Group's general managers shuffle hotels

Jumeirah Group has made a number of internal changes to its management team in Dubai, with its general managers moving across properties.

Margaret Paul has been appointed general manager of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and will oversee the management of 1,400 members of staff, 202 suites and nine F&B outlets.

She has been spearheading Madinat Jumeirah – The Arabian Resort since 2012 overseeing the resort’s four hotels – Jumeirah Al Qasr, Jumeirah Mina A’Salam, Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf and Jumeirah Al Naseem, as well as the Souk Madinat Jumeirah and the resort’s conference centre.

Paul, a Scottish national, has been with Jumeirah Group since 2002. Previous roles include hotel manager for Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London; and hotel manager before becoming general manager at Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Mahmoud Sakr has been appointed as the area general manager and general manager of Jumeirah Emirates Towers as of March 1, and Sven Wiedenhaupt has been appointed general manager of Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Sakr will be responsible for developing and running the commercial and operational strategy, the management of 400 rooms and suites and 530 members of staff at Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

With 30 years’ experience, he started his career with Jumeirah Group in 1999 as director of rooms at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Over the next eight years, the Cairo-born hospitality professional became EAM – rooms division and resident manager before becoming hotel manager. Sakr was appointed GM of Jumeirah Mina A’Salam in 2008.

In Wiedenhaupt’s new role at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, he will be responsible for overseeing the direction and development of the 20-year-old property including the refurbishment of 334 rooms and suites. Scheduled to start in May and finish in November, the programme will also include a number of guest facilities, including the family pool; Sinbads Kids Club; and the landscaped promenade that runs between the gardens and the beach.

Wiedenhaupt previously worked at Jumeirah Emirates Towers and his industry experience spans over 35 years. He spent 20 years working for leading hotels in New York, San Francisco, Arizona, Wisconsin and California. With an aptitude for food and beverage, roles included director of food and beverage at Four Seasons Hotel New York in 2004. In 2008 he made his first foray into the Middle East, joining The Four Seasons Hotel Doha as hotel manager before transitioning to The Four Seasons Hotel Damascus as general manager.

Wiedenhaupt then headed to the West Indies in 2013 to oversee the Four Seasons Resort Nevis as GM. In January 2015 he returned to the Middle East to take up the role of GM at Jumeirah Emirates Towers.