Olwin De Souza rises up to become GM of the Year (Independent Hotel)

Olwin De Souza, the general manager of the Ghaya Grand Hotel Dubai, was named as the GM of the Year (Independent Hotel) at the Hotelier Express Awards 2018.

De Souza was not present on the evening, and his award was collected by his director of F&B, Abhishek Waghulde from Diversey marketing director Samit Sanyal.

Waghulde told Hotelier: "We’ve been working hard over the past year - we’ve improved occupancy, and have risen up the TripAdvisor ranks. He is a hands-on GM who has brought in some big corporate accounts with his great industry connections."

De Souza was heralded for his work on the property’s social media presence, as well as improving occupancy levels over the last year, and increasing staff satisfaction levels. In another win, the hotel achieved its required budget in the last year.

The highly commended nominee in this category was Gloria Hotels and Resorts area general manager Freddy Farid.

The Hotelier Express Awards 2018 took place at the Grosvenor House Dubai on February 28, 2018, and was supported by a range of industry partners including: A. Ronai, Duni, Diversey, Guest Supply, MMI, OSN For Business, and Tint.