Nick Patmore. Nick Patmore.

Winning the title of F&B Manager of the Year 2017 by a huge margin at the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2017, was JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai director of food & beverage Nick Patmore.

Having joined the property in 2016, Patmore has achieved great success in this position, driving year-on-year growth in owner profitability across food and beverage, despite market challenges and intense competition.

His work has also contributed to an increase across both guest and associate satisfaction scores, while launching new concepts within the property. Patmore told Hotelier Middle East: "One of the two biggest things is making sure that your guests are happy and getting them back again. Making affordable prices at really good quality food, and making the guests come back again is really important. In terms of the staff, if the staff are happy, the guests will be happy."

Patmore teased at more changes with the F&B scene at the hotel, with late-December slotted for some new developments.

His efforts so far are reflected in exceptional results with increases in F&B profits for 2016 and 2017 to date. Patmore also led the team to quadruple the hotel F&B database in 18 months by installing an effective programme with the F&B department and teams. This database has proved essential in the marketing of the hotel and his commitment to it has added huge value to marketing efforts. Explaining his involvement with this project, Patmore added: "Dubai is a very transient market, so having an updated database is very important, especially within food & beverage, so that your customer is always aware of what’s going on within the food & beverage department."

In his spare time, Patmore supports charity organisations where he can and took part this this year's Marriott International Road to Awareness campaign.

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Patmore was presented the award by Horeca Trade marketing manager Jad Asaad, and highly commended in this category was Pieter Liebenberg from Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek.

Other shortlisted nominees included: Arun Narayanan, EAM F&B, Kempinski Al Othman Hotel Al Khobar; Anuj Nainta, F&B manager, Meliá Dubai; Baris Altinkok, director of food & beverage, InterContinental Jeddah; and, Pierre-Antoine Jullien, director of food & beverage, Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara.

The Hotelier Middle East Awards 2017 took place at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai on October 25, 2017, and was supported by a range of industry partners including: silver sponsor SNS Haute Couture Furniture, category sponsors SIAL Middle East, A. Ronai, Diversey, Jung, OSN for Business, Dimara International, supporting sponsor Pulsar Foodstuff, event sponsor Party Social, floral sponsor Forever Rose London, coffee sponsor Dallmayr Coffee, water sponsor Acqua Panna & S.Pellegrino, and beverage sponsor MMI.