Dubai, UAE, August 21, 2007: Emaar Hospitality Group LLC, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, has expanded its management team to drive diversified growth across the hotel and serviced residence, recreation club and other leisure sectors.
The key team that also guides the expansion of Emaar Hospitality Group to new geographic markets comprises Mr Marc Dardenne (Chief Executive Officer); Mr Amit Arora (Director – Sales and Marketing); Mr Bernhard Ilming (Director – Hospitality); Mr Wee Meng Chua (Director – Finance); Mr Viktor Stampfer (Director – Culinary Excellence); Mr Rene Dietsche (Director – Food & Beverage) and Ms Louise Forrester (Director – Human Resources).
The current portfolio of Emaar Hospitality Group includes the Arabian Ranches Golf Course and The Montgomerie, Dubai; the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club; Nuran Serviced Residences; and Hayya! recreation clubs. The hotel roster of Emaar Hospitality Group includes Al Manzil and Qamardeen Hotels at The Old Town, managed by Southern Sun Hotels; the soon-to-open Palace Hotel at The Old Town Island, managed by Accor Hotels and Resorts; Burj Dubai Lake Hotel and The Dubai Mall Hotel – all five of them at Downtown Burj Dubai, and the Dubai Marina Mall Hotel at Dubai Marina.
“The development plans of Emaar Hospitality Group complements Emaar’s Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world through geographic expansion and business segmentation, especially into the hospitality & leisure sector,” said Mr Dardenne. “We have a multinational team at the helm to give the right impetus and direction of growth in the hospitality & leisure sector, where service excellence is of paramount importance.”
The core team of Emaar Hospitality Group consists of seasoned hospitality professionals with several years of experience in multicultural and international environments.
Mr Marc Dardenne is also the Chief Executive Officer of Emaar Hotels & Resorts, and was previously Vice President & Area General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in the Middle East, overseeing the operations of four Ritz-Carlton hotels in Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Sharm EI Sheikh.
Mr Amit Arora has over 10 years of hotelier experience and was previously Sales and Marketing Director with The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai. Mr Bernhard Ilming, a hotel veteran of 40 years, has several years of experience working with international hotel operators in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and was previously managing director of a hotel real estate company. Mr Wee Meng Chua has extensive experience working in South Asian markets in senior financial roles.
Mr Viktor Stampfer is a hands-on F&B professional and was Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Dubai, and Culinary Vice President of LSG Sky Chefs previously. Mr Rene Dietsche brings in international F&B experience and was earlier Director of F&B at Harrods of Knightsbridge. Ms Louise Forrester is a qualified HR professional with over 11 years of experience working in the Middle East and UK.
Emaar’s hospitality portfolio focuses on delivering the highest levels of service excellence while highlighting superior product quality, dedicated human resources support and world-class F&B experiences.
