By BW Hotelier ACCORHOTELS, HAS-appointed Rajesh Gopalakrishnan as the General Manager for the newly opened ibis Chennai City Centre. In his new leadership role, Rajesh will spearhead operations at the ibis Chennai City Centre. As a seasoned international hotelier, Rajesh brings over two decades of diversified hospitality industry experience including strong Chennai market expertise. He started his AccorHotels career in 2005 as an Executive Chef for the Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and HICC. His decade long and continuing tenure with AccorHotels has seen Rajesh take on a string of leadership positions, including his previous appointment as the General Manager at ibis Chennai SIPCOT in 2014. While at ibis Chennai SIPCOT, Rajesh played an instrumental role in introducing the ibis brand to the city and successfully positioning it as a well-recognised and leading international economy hotel. Rajesh has been passionate about hotels from a young age, beginning his career as a Trainee Chef with the Taj group of Hotels in 1992. He was soon promoted to the position of Sous Chef at the Taj Coromandel, Chennai. From there on, he took on a variety of senior culinary roles at reputed hotels such as the Radisson Chennai, The Leela Mumbai and Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Expressing delight on his appointment, Rajesh Gopalakrishnan, General Manager, ibis Chennai City centre, said, ’I am very excited to take on this new role at the ibis Chennai City Centre, AccorHotels’ third property in Chennai and its second economy brand hotel in the city. The brand ibis is recognised around the world for its consistency, quality and affordability and providing its guests with the highest quality of service. I look forward to working with the ibis Chennai City Centre team in achieving excellence, driving growth and in offering a truly modern, comfortable and seamless stay proposition to our guests.’ Rajesh holds a diploma in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai. He has also undertaken the International Hospitality Management Program (IHMP) from Accor Academy Asia in 2010.
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By BW Hotelier PARK HYATT Hyderabad has appointed Thomas Abraham as General Manager of the property. Before joining the Park Hyatt Hyderabad team, he was the General Manager of the luxury resort hotel, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa for nearly four years. He joins his new assignment with an expertise of over 20 years in the Hospitality industry. At Park Hyatt Hyderabad, he aims to align the company’s purpose by providing both colleagues and guests with rare and intimate experiences at Park Hyatt Hyderabad. He intends to strengthen the operational strategies of the hotel while introducing innovative methods for smooth functioning of the hotel. Abraham started his hospitality journey with the Oberoi Hotels, Mumbai as Assistant Banquet Manager soon after he completed his Diploma in Hotel Management in 1992 from the prestigious Les Roches, Switzerland. He was promoted to Banquet Manager in 1995, a position in which he demonstrated impeccable planning, coordinating, motivational and execution skills. In 1998, he was transferred to The Oberoi, New Delhi as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager. Abraham then joined the Goa Marriott Resort in January 1999 as Director of Food & Beverage, where he was handed the reins to manage the food and beverage operations. Fortified by his achievements, he moved to Hyatt Regency Delhi in January 2001 as Director of Food & Beverage. With an aim to widen his horizons, Abraham joined the Taj Luxury Hotels in September 2003 as the Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage and worked at their flagship hotels in Delhi & Mumbai. Known throughout the city for his expertise, dedication and commitment, Leela Kempinski Mumbai appointed him as its new Resident Manager in July 2006. After nearly two years of success with Leela Kempenski, Abraham joined M-venpick Hotel, Sana’a, recognised as Yemen’s finest hotel, as Resident Manager. He played an integral part in bringing stability to the operations there and was responsible for enhancing service and product efficiency. Moving forward, he returned to the Hyatt family as the Resident Manager, Grand Hyatt Mumbai. There he played an instrumental role in assisting the General Manager in establishing the objectives and policies for the hotel, operations, general security and safety and orchestrating all major programmes in and around the property. On the personal front, Abraham loves exploring the rich cultural side of this Nizami city and its art and culinary heritage.
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By BW Hotelier YATRA.COM HAS appointed Vikrant Mudaliar (see photo) as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the company. He will be responsible for leading marketing activities across all Yatra.com business-lines and group entities.’? While focusing on strengthening Yatra’s brand equity in the travel category, he will be responsible for driving the marketing and communications strategy to support the company’s overall strategic objectives. The role will also have him responsible for all traffic and consumer marketing initiatives across web and mobile platforms and driving customer-engagement and loyalty. Commenting on the appointment, Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com, said, ’We are extremely excited to have Vikrant as part of the leadership team at Yatra. He belongs to a rare breed of marketing professionals who have created and built brands in new categories. Vikrant’s experience in traditional marketing and digital media coupled with his consumer understanding will be crucial in Yatra’s next phase of growth.’ Mudaliar brings with him over 16 years of experience and has handled leadership roles across business management, marketing, sales and strategy functions. He has experience across sectors such as e-commerce, media and entertainment, automobiles and consumer goods. Mudaliar previously served as Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Lenskart.com. He has also previously worked at Tata Sky Ltd. as Vice President-Brand Marketing where he played a key role in making Tata Sky the category leader and also a leading consumer brand in the country. While his longest stint was with Tata Sky for close to a decade, he has also previously worked at General Motors India, Jumbo Electronics Dubai and Pepsi Foods Ltd. ’Travel as a sector has always intrigued me and to work for Yatra at this pivotal time, when the industry is seeing customer empowerment like never before through innovative e-commerce platforms, is absolutely thrilling,’ said Vikrant. He added, ’Consumers are currently expecting brands to find relevant, unique and interesting ways to interact with them. Yatra has visibility and services across travel categories and I hope to make its reach wider and measurable in a lot of ways. I am keen to adopt new digital technologies in developing marketing innovations that help travelers identify Yatra as the most obvious choice.’
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By BW Hotelier CARLSON REZIDOR Hotel Group has announced the appointment of Camilla Chiam as Vice President of PR and Communications for Asia Pacific. She reports directly to Thorsten Kirschke, President, Asia Pacific, and will be a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Committee. Chiam will lead the PR and Communications team in developing and implementing strategies to increase the visibility and further enhance the perception of Carlson Rezidor and its hotel brands, in support of the Group’s expansion in Asia Pacific. She will be in charge of the region’s internal and external communications activities, increasing Carlson Rezidor’s share of voice in the media and public sphere, as well as providing strategic counsel to senior leadership on crisis communications, reputation management issues and on brand application, as the corporate brand ambassador for the region. Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said, ’Camilla is a seasoned specialist in global communications, brand and public relations, who has worked in the United States and Singapore. With her solid track record in leading the communications and marketing strategies in the hospitality and travel industries, as well as her media background and multilingualism, she will be a great asset to our team as we work towards doubling our operating portfolio in Asia Pacific in the next five years.’ Chiam has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Before joining Carlson Rezidor, Chiam was Head, Group Corporate Communications, at Pontiac Land Group and Patina Hotels & Resorts, where she provided strategic counsel regarding the Group’s assets and oversaw brand implementation and all communications and public relations strategies. Prior to that, she was Director of Public Relations at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Marketing Communications Manager at Jetstar Asia Airways and Valuair, and also worked as a journalist in Singapore and Los Angeles.
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By BW Hotelier CHEF VENECIO Cadavida has been appointed as the Japanese Speciality Chef at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. Born and brought up in Philippines, Chef Venecio Cadavida, fondly known as Chef Dondon is a Sushi master and is also known for his exquisite culinary skills that he has acquired over the last 11 years of experience across varying restaurant concepts. Having worked and acquired a varied skill-set from hotels across Philippines and India, Chef Dondon brings his Japanese culinary expertise to the most sought after destination for F&B viz. JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. Chef has trained at various hotels of repute across the globe namely ITC Hotels Grand Bharat Gurgaon, Louis Caf- and Restaurant, CASA Ysabel Caffe Restaurant, YABANI Restaurant, Tokyo on the Rocks Restaurant and many more. Chef Dondon is a perfectionist and loves preparing exotic sushi’s and enjoys experimenting with different flavors to give a personal touch to each and every dish. Chef also enjoys surfing the internet to keep him updated on the latest food trend across the globe and video chatting with his children in the Philippines.
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By BW Hotelier CHEF TOSHIYUKI Okabe has been appointed as the Japanese Chef at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. Toshiyuki began his culinary journey in 1997. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Toshiyuki brings to the table, his expertise in handling operations, training, planning, developing and executing new concepts and various trends for many renowned hotels. His zeal towards food, his strong communication and interpersonal skills and extensive knowledge of culinary processes and procedures have helped him evolve into a versatile personality thus accepting various roles. Prior to joining JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, he was profiled as Japanese Head Chef of Saki Lounge Restaurant, Fairmont Hotel Cairo. Toshiyuki was responsible for several kitchen operations at many prestigious hotels like Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Resorpia-Atami, Takakuraya, Kaikagetsu. He gained thorough knowledge on Japanese cuisines, became expert handling in food preparation, stock control, food ordering developing the menu and sourcing kitchen. A connoisseur of Japanese cuisine, Chef Toshiyuki attributes his thorough knowledge and expertise to his family roots that have greatly influenced his tastes, cooking concepts and style.
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By BW Hotelier DUBAI HOLDING has announced the transition of Gerald Lawless, Jumeirah Group President and CEO, to a new position responsible for tourism and hospitality in Dubai Holding’s Corporate Office, having served 18 years at the helm of Jumeirah Group. Dubai Holding also announced the appointment of Stefan Leser (see photo) as Group Chief Executive of Jumeirah Group, effective from February 1, 2016. Leser joined from Swiss travel business Kuoni, where he spent the last 10 years, most recently as Executive Vice President of its outbound travel and inbound specialist businesses managing a team of 8,000 employees. His Excellency Mohammad Abdulla Al Gergawi, Chairman, Dubai Holding, thanked Lawless for his leadership of the Jumeirah Group. ’We welcome Stefan Leser as the new Group CEO of Jumeirah Group. He has a deep understanding of the fast changing international travel market, which will play an important role in driving Jumeirah’s successful expansion plans both at home and abroad,’ he said. Stephen Murphy, Chairman, Jumeirah Group Board, said, "I would like to express immense gratitude on behalf of the Jumeirah Board to Gerald for his role in setting up, growing and leading the Jumeirah Group for the past 18 years. Under his leadership, the Company has emerged as a major player in the luxury hospitality market and stands as one of the most widely recognized Dubai-born brands. As Gerald steps into his new role with Dubai Holding, the Board warmly welcomes Stefan as Group Chief Executive Officer and looks forward to fully supporting him in leading the next exciting phase of growth for Jumeirah." Stefan Leser, the new Group CEO, Jumeirah Group, said, ’It's a great honor to join Jumeirah; one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality brands and a major contributor to Dubai’s phenomenal success story. I look forward to working closely with Jumeirah's talented team as we continue to grow our international portfolio, build our range of brands and deliver ever better services to our guests and business partners.’
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By BW Hotelier REZNEXT, THE world’s true real-time enterprise distribution technology company and preferred profit management partner has announced the appointment of Zubin Bilimoria as President, Revenue Management Service. Bilimoria is a seasoned hospitality professional and has held various leadership roles in global organizations. At RezNext, Bilimoria will lead the consulting services division and demonstrate the value of RezNext’s integrated solution suite backed by industry leading services and turnkey support. He will also spearhead the GDS program for customers in India and abroad. This appointment follows the company’s decision to expand its consulting services to international geographies while also adding to the offerings in the revenue portfolio for customers globally. According to Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext Global Solutions, ’With a million data points to consider in their revenue strategy, hoteliers are constrained to attend to their core task of guest engagement. At RezNext, we provide hoteliers with revenue consulting powered by smart analytics and strategy execution backed by deep domain expertise. This allows hoteliers to focus on their primary tasks while a highly skilled team works round-the-clock on optimising the hotel’s revenue.’ ’With the increased market demand for our services, we have revamped the revenue management team and appointed Zubin to lead the effort. Zubin has great experience in the global hospitality market and has helped many leading hotel brands improve their online visibility significantly and drive incremental revenues. Zubin will play a key role in helping us double our market penetration efforts for revenue management service in India and abroad,’ added Kistner. He was most recently Managing Director Indian Subcontinent at Profitroom. Earlier he was associated with RezNet World as its Managing Director for India. He has also led the team at Infocross India and Travtech Business Solutions as their CEO, leading the distribution for Trust International.
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