Madinat Jumeirah appoints managing director

Jumeirah Group has appointed Stefan Bollhalder as managing director of Madinat Jumeirah.

Bollhalder has taken up his position with immediate effect reporting directly to Doris Greif, who is the senior vice president MEASA for Jumeirah Group.
 
He has more than 30 years’ experience in luxury hospitality, and has worked across Switzerland, New Zealand, Brunei, Indonesia, Germany, Nepal, Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong and France.

Bollhalder trained as a chef with Swiss Hotel School Pontresina before taking up a number of management roles with Hyatt International, including general manager positions in Kathmandu, Baku and Hamburg.

He moved onto work with Shangri-La Group and acted as general manager for a number of its properties in Asia and Europe. He joins Jumeirah Group from the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, where he was general manager and area manager for Europe.

Jumeirah Group CEO Stefan Leser said in a statement: "Stefan Bollhalder brings a wealth of experience to Jumeirah and will be a great addition to the leadership team.

"Madinat Jumeirah is a very special destination. It is a Dubai landmark and a flagship property within the Jumeirah portfolio.  Stefan’s expertise in operating complex hospitality offerings and delivering results at scale is highly valuable, and we are delighted to welcome him to the Group."

Bollhalder added: "This is my first role in Dubai and I’m very much looking forward to living and working in this exciting city, and being part of the Jumeirah family."

A Swiss national, Bollhalder speaks German, English, French and Malay and has a number of professional qualifications from hospitality and business institutions including Cornell University.