Minor Hotels appoints three general managers across properties in Africa, Indian Ocean territory

Laurie Burr [Click through for more images]

Thailand-headquartered Minor Hotels has appointed three new general managers across its Anantara and Avani brands in the Indian Ocean and North, Southern Africa.

Lotfi Masbahi has been appointed as the general manager of Anantara Tozeur Resort, Tunisia, which is scheduled to open in September this year. Masbahi’s experience in the hospitality industry spans over three decades. This includes a decade with Mélia Hotels International, where he attained his first managing director (general manager) role and several years heading up two Vincci Hotels properties.

Lotfi started his career in the industry working in both food and beverage and human resources. He joins Anantara from his previous position with Radisson Hotel Group as general manager of Radisson Blu Sousse.

Meanwhile, Laurie Burr has been appointed as the cluster general manager for The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara and Avani Victoria Falls Resort.

Burr joins Anantara from Legacy Hotels & Resorts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was area general manager looking after a portfolio of five hotels. A British national, Burr possesses over three decades of analysing multinational hotels and resorts’ critical business requirements.

The third hire, Coetzer Deysel, has been appointed as the general manager of Anantara Mauritius Resort, opening in Q4 2019. Deysel joined Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas in February 2016 as cluster general manager in the Maldives for Anantara Dhigu, Anantara Veli and sister property Naladhu Private Island.

Having grown up in South Africa, Deysel’s career in hospitality started out leading safaris in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and spas over two decades. He then returned to South Africa where he furthered his career in a number of South African game reserves. In his most recent cluster role, Deysel also focused on introducing several sustainable initiatives such as the adoption of solar power and the launch of the ‘Minor Hope programme’ for underprivileged Maldivian students.

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