V Jayachandran Pillai was
recently appointed general manager of WelcomHeritage, Narmada Jacksons,
Jabalpur. Pillai brings with him years of experience, having previously
worked at one of Madhya Pradesh's premier heritage hotels
InterContinental The Grand, Mumbai
Sudhendu M Pandit was recently
appointed general manager of InterContinental The Grand, Mumbai. With over
25 years of experience covering various portfolios such as F&B, accommodation,
sales, finance, administration and general management of five-star hotels,
hotel apartments and a large restaurant chain, in India as well as abroad,
Pandit is well prepared for his new role. Prior to this appointment, he
was general manager of Chelsea Tower Hotel Apartment in Dubai
Nam Hai resort, China
The Nam Hai, a luxury oceanfront
resort managed by General Hotel Management (GHM), appointed Christian
de Boer as the hotel's new director of sales.
In his new role, de Boer will be responsible for
marketing and sales for Nam Hai, through the creation and implementation
of proactive sales strategies. He will also assist with on-site sales
training and development, as well as strengthen The Nam Hai's relationships
with key sales affiliates, tour operators and wholesalers, representative
tourism offices and airlines
Devarana Spa, Dusit Thani, Manila
Thailand-based spa operator, Devarana
Spa recently appointed Angkana Chiewkanrob as manager of its Dusit
Thani Manila branch.
Chiewkanrob has a degree in nursing from Mission
College Bangkok, and is a licensed Instructor of Basic Life Support, certified
by the American Heart Association. She has also had intensive training
covering all aspects of spa management, as well as Thai hospitality and
service, which complements spa treatments and services.
Prior to this appointment, Angkana worked as a Thai Senior
Cabin Attendant for Japan Airlines, where she gained air cabin crew service
experience
Regent Luxury Group, Carlson Hotels Worldwide
Carlson Hotels Worldwide recently
named Bjørn Gullaksen as president of the Regent Luxury Group.
A hospitality industry veteran with more than 30
years of experience, Gullaksen served as executive vice president for
Carlson's full service hotels, including Radisson Hotels & Resorts
and Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts.
As part of his new role, he will continue to oversee
hotel and resort operations
Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa, Langkawi
The Frangipani Langkawi Resort
& Spa recently appointed Mark Suppiah as resort manager.
Suppiah has extensive experience having worked
in the tourism and hospitality industry in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Germany
and the United Kingdom for the past 24 years. Prior to this appointment,
Suppiah worked with Asian Overland Services (AOS) as Director of Operations.
In his capacity, Suppiah will be responsible for
preparing the hotel for its peak season occupancy and overseeing completion
of the resort extensions and refurbishment
MakeMyTrip
MakeMyTrip has appointed K N
Anand to the position of vice president, Outbound Tourism. In this capacity,
Anand will head the Outbound Leisure service offerings of the company. He
has extensive experience in the Indian travel industry, having worked across
sectors. He has previously held positions at Cox & Kings and Thomas
Cook. He received his Bachelors Degree in Science from Bangalore University,
and a Post Graduate Diploma in Systems Management from N.I.I.T, Bangalore
Radisson Plaza Hotel Hangzhou
Michael Murphy has been
appointed executive general manager of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Hangzhou.
A native of Canada, he has worked throughout Asia and the Bahamas over the
past 20 years holding senior management positions in Shanghai, Hong Kong,
Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Tokyo, Nassau and Phuket and Hangzhou
with several international and independent hotel groups. His past assignments
include EAM of the Lyford Cay Club in Nassau, hotel manager of Fuchun Resort
Hangzhou and most recently, hotel manager of the Regal Airport Hotel in
Hong Kong
Shangri-La Hotel, Zhongshan
Steven Foo has been appointed
general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Zhongshan.
Foo is a native of Singapore, has 20 years of working
experience in the hospitality industry. Before taking up this new position
he was resident manager at Shangri-La Hotel, Dalian. He joined Shangri-La
Hotels and Resorts in Beijing in 1994 and this was followed by further
management positions with the group throughout India, the United Arab
Emirates and mainland China. He has also held positions at The Westin
Stamford, Westin Plaza and The Mandarin Oriental in Singapore
India Hospitality Corporation
India Hospitality Corporation, the AIM-listed special
purpose acquisition vehicle focusing on hospitality, leisure, tourism, travel
and related businesses in India, has announced the appointment of Rajeev
Talwar to the board as a director.
Talwar was until recently additional director general
(ministry of tourism) for the Government of India and also chairman and
managing director of the India Tourism Development Corporation. He was
also CEO of the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology
Choice Hotels
The board of directors of Choice Hotels International,
Inc has announced the promotions of David White, chief financial
officer, and Patrick Pacious, vice president, corporate development
and strategy, to senior vice presidents of the company.
David White joined the company in September 2002
as vice president, financial/SEC reporting and was subsequently promoted
to controller in December 2002. In September 2006, he was named vice president
and chief financial officer. Patrick Pacious joined Choice in July 2005
as senior director of corporate strategy. In early 2007, Pacious' role
expanded to include corporate strategy
Mandarin Oriental
Mandarin Oriental Hotel group has announced the appointment
of Luis Marco as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona
scheduled to open in early 2009.
Marco brings over 40 years of hospitality experience
to his new position, having held a number of senior management positions
in famous landmark hotels such as The Hamilton Princess in Bermuda, the
Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, and the Pierre Marques in Acapulco
where he acquired numerous awards such as the first ever AAA Triple Five
Diamond Resort rating
