Get ready to celebrate! Here's the Hotelier Middle East Awards nomination guide

May 13, 2018

The nominations for the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2018 are now open. Now in its 14th year, the awards are a chance to congratulate the best team players, and those whom you feel should be recognised for their hard work, innovative ideas, and willingness to go above and beyond to ensure their hotels meet and exceed goals, and excel in the competitive Middle East hospitality industry.

The event is set to take place on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 — with the location to be announced soon. This year’s theme is ‘Taste of India’ and we will be bringing the bright, bold colours of the sub-continent to celebrate the vibrant hospitality industry.

This year, we have 18 categories, 16 of which are for individual nominations covering a broad range of roles from housekeeping to sales & marketing to F&B. This year, for the first time, we have two team categories. After absorbing sister title Hotelier Express, the awards team has decided to introduce the ‘Mid-Market Hotel Team of the Year’ award to this year’s proceedings, in order to honour the growing sub-sector of the regional industry.

How to nominate

The process for nominating candidates this year stays the same as last year. Here we guide you through the process, step-by-step.

1.   All entries must be submitted online through the event website, www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/awards.
2.   On the website’s top banner, you will see a link that says “Submit Nominations”.
3.   Click on that, and you will be taken to the event’s submission micro-site.
4.   On this site, you will be asked to sign in and create an account.
5.   The account is a centralised system from which you can submit all nominations for your property.
6.   Once you sign in to your account, you can submit entries for multiple categories, and edit the nominations right up until the nominations website closes on September 2, 2018.

The nominations deadline has been set for Sunday, September 2, 2018, and no extensions will be granted.

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Writing your nomination

Keeping your answers concise and to the point, while including all relevant information about the candidate, is the key to putting together a good entry. You will be penalised for exceeding the word limit mentioned on the questionnaire. The judges have to sift through hundreds of entry forms, so please treat the nomination as if you were putting the candidate forward for a job vacancy. When an employer reads a CV, their attention must be captured on the first page — nominations for the Hotelier Middle East Awards should be approached in a similar way. For further information on best practice for writing your nominations, please head to the website to read the nomination guidelines on: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/awardsnominations/nomination-guidelines/

What happens after I've sent my nomination?

The nomination deadline is Sunday, September 2, 2018, and nominations will not be accepted after this date. Once that date passes, the Hotelier Middle East team will begin shortlisting entries and in each category a shortlist of six candidates — and in some cases, eight — will be chosen. The shortlist will be posted online at HotelierMiddleEast.com and the person that nominated the shortlisted candidate will be contacted. The shortlist will be submitted to Hotelier’s independent panel of judges, who will be announced this summer, and the winners will be revealed at the Hotelier Middle East Awards on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

Who can nominate?

Nominations are open to all hotels in the Middle East and North Africa, no matter what star-rating or positioning. If you work in a hotel in the Middle East and North Africa, you can nominate one or more of your colleagues. There is no fee for entering the awards, and no limit to how many colleagues are entered from one property — just remember to focus on quality of your entry above everything else. Hoteliers are not allowed to nominate themselves, but if you would like to be considered, please approach your line manager, HR manager or PR manager and they will be able to advise you. Nominations from people outside your hotel will not be considered, but if a friend or guest thinks you deserve to be nominated, pass this feedback to your HR manager. Hotelier Middle East recommends that the general manager is included in the process of deciding whom to nominate.

Whom should i nominate?

The judges are looking for employees who have gone over and above the call of duty. It doesn’t need to be the most senior or experienced person in the hotel, rather a colleague who is conscientious and committed, and brings a fresh outlook to their role, while contributing something original to your hotel.

Award categories:

1. Fitness/Spa Person of the Year
2. Concierge/Guest Services Person of the Year
3. Housekeeper of the Year
4. IT Manager of the Year
5. Hotel Engineer of the Year
6. Safety & Security Person of the Year
7. HR & Training Person of the Year
8. Procurement Person of the Year
9. Finance Person of the Year
10. Sales Person of the Year
11. Marketing & PR Person of the Year
12. Executive Chef of the Year
13. F&B Manager of the Year
14. Young Hotelier of the Year
15. Unsung Hero of the Year
16. GM of the Year
17. Hotel Team of the Year
18. Mid-Market Hotel Team of the Year