Hotelier Indonesia
Macao, China. 19 December 2016 – The BMW Hotelier Awards, a ceremony which honours the dedicated professionals of the hotel industry, held its 3rd edition on Thursday 15th December 2016, at The Parisian Macao. Over 400 hoteliers and industry professionals gathered in the grand ballroom to await the announcement of this year’s award winners.
The BMW Hotelier Awards celebrates the most talented and hardworking professionals that bring life to a hotel, whilst also inspiring the younger generation to join this ever-growing industry, by giving newcommers – the millenials – greater job rewards, recognition and a clearer sense of career path. This year saw applications from over 200 properties from 62 different brands. 2016 also marked the debut of the ASEAN competition, which opened up the platform to an additional ten countries. Winners of each category, for both Greater China and ASEAN, were decided by the expert judging panel through a two-round process and based on a combination of facts presented in the applications, interviews, and testimonials.
The 34 award winners were presented with their prestigious trophies by one of the six judges alongside a representative from the partnering companies. This year’s partners included BMW, Nespresso, Technogym, La Bottega, Pernod Ricard and FIJI water. The judging panel was comprised of experts who, between them, hold a significant amount of industry specific skills and knowledge. Those judges were, Yona He – Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific – Forbes Travel Guide, Dai Bin – President of China Tourism Academy & Director of National Tourism Data Center, Alison Gilmore – Portfolio Director – International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), Worldwide, Dr. Sacha Stöcklin – Campus Director – Les Roches Jin Jiang International Hotel Management College, Zita Ong – CEO and Board Member – Edipresse Media Asia and Simon Kahn – Chief Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific – Google.
Taking home the “General Manager of the Year” Award for Greater China was Torsten van Dullemen, General Manager of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. “Well, as the winner of the GM Award, I feel…well, I feel speechless actually. Thank you of course for everyone associated with The Hotelier Awards. Out of all the recognitions that I have seen tonight, this is the one that is awarded to us, not only because of the individual, but because of all the people around who help us to shine everyday.”
Frank Reichenbach, General Manager of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, proudly won the General Manager of the Year Award for ASEAN. “It doesn’t get any better than this! I have worked in most countries in Asia and now I am back in the Philippines. I think this recognition is something that is really special. I would like to thank my team first of all; that is also, what I mentioned in my interview with the judging panel earlier today. I was asked, what makes a great hotel? It’s the person; it’s the interaction; it’s the wow factor; I think that’s my belief and I continue to live for that.”
2016 saw the debut of the APAC “Corporate Hotelier of the Year” Award, which recognises one individual from any department within the corporate office. This year’s winner was Dr. Jennifer Cronin, President, Marco Polo Hotels; she explains her delight in winning this prestigious accolade. “This is an incredible event and a new concept that I think we, as a community, need to take even further. Let’s support one another to grow, develop and keep learning so we can show the world that this is a fantastic industry to be a part of.”
Co-Founder, Stephane de Montgros, noted on the night that “The platform has developed tremendously over the past three years, from celebrating brilliance amongst the hoteliers in Greater China, to now recognising a wider audience, by including the ASEAN region and with a mission to start developing the younger generation. We are thrilled with the way The BMW Hotelier Awards has been received in ASEAN, and tonight shows how wonderful it is to be able to spread the word and highlight these outstanding individuals.”
The hotel industry is the ultimate people business and The BMW Hotelier Awards will continue to draw attention to these exceptional professionals, giving them the recognition and praise that they deserve. To further develop this and to ensure that we help to nurture the younger generation, The BMW Hotelier Awards is proud to announce that it will introduce a new Award in 2017; “The Rising Star” Award.
By partnering with the top 10 Universities in Asia that offer a bachelor degree in Hotel Management, students will be given the opportunity to submit an application. These candidates will go through a rigorous two-step judging process. The winner will then be granted an internship program at one of the top five-star hotels worldwide of their choosing.
In addition to this, The BMW Hotelier Awards is delighted to expand its scope in 2017 to include another race for North Asia, including South Korea and Japan. There will be three races culminating in one big event, which will be held in the center of the region – Macao. Join us in December 2017 for a spectacular event that will be recognising a plethora of outstanding hoteliers and broadening horizons for the young millennials that are entering into the wonderful world of hospitality.
The APAC Corporate Hotelier of the Year is:
Dr. Jennifer Cronin, President – Marco Polo Hotels.
The BMW Hotelier Awards 2016 winners for Greater China are:
General Manager of the Year
Torsten van Dullemen, General Manager - The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Hotel Manager of the Year
Robert Blackborough, Hotel Manager – The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai
Food & Beverage Hotelier of the Year
Ksenia Novikova, Assistant Director of Food & Beverage – The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing
Marketing & Communications Hotelier of the Year
Michelle Tan-Staples, Director of Public Relations – The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong
Sales Hotelier of the Year
Simon Wang, Director of Sales & Marketing – Niccolo Chengdu
Human Resources Hotelier of the Year
Theresa Sham, Director of Human Resources – Rosewood Beijing
Finance Hotelier of the Year
Cherrie Mok, Director of Finance – Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong
Chef Hotelier of the Year
Kenneth Law, Executive Chef – Studio City Macau
Front Office Hotelier of the Year
Aris Azhar, Front Office Manager – The St. Regis Macao
House-Keeping Hotelier of the Year
Chan Shuk Yee, Assistant Vice President of Environmental Services - Galaxy Macau
Wellness & Spa Hotelier of the Year
Connie Pong Sau Chung, Senior Manager Spa & Leisure – Crown Towers, City of Dreams,Macau
Information Technology Hotelier of the Year
Lawrence Bow, Director of IT– InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong
Concierge Hotelier of the Year
Thitsar Ma Khin, Chief Concierge – Altira Macau
CSR Hotelier of the Year
Rolf Jaeggi, Executive Chef – Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel
Engineering Hotelier of the Year
Michael Zhou, Director of Engineering – The Royal Begonia, A Luxury Collection Resort, Sanya & Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay.
Owner Representative of the Year
Norma Yan, Owner Representative & Deputy General Manager – Marco Polo Shenzhen
Unsung Hero of the Year
Li Hui Ling, Laundry Manager – Mandarin Oriental Taipei
Most Popular Hotelier of the Year
Jeffrey Liu, Resident Manager – Sanya Marriott Hotel Dadonghai Bay
The BMW Hotelier Awards 2016 winners for ASEAN are:
General Manager of the Year
Frank Reichenbach, General Manager - Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
Food & Beverage Hotelier of the Year
Nguyen Thi Minh Hang, Food & Beverage Manager - Hôtel des Arts Saigon, MGallery Collection
Marketing & Communications Hotelier of the Year
Khemwanta Tangon, Marketing Communications Manager - Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
Sales Hotelier of the Year
Rene Mayer, Director of Sales & Marketing - Fairmont Sanur Beach resort
Human Resources Hotelier of the Year
Lynn Monares, Learning & Development Manager - Mövenpick Hotel Sukhumvit 15 Bangkok
Finance Hotelier of the Year
Rajesh Dewan, Director of Finance - Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
Chef Hotelier of the Year
I Gusti Agung Gede Agung, Executive Chef - The St.Regis Bali Resort
Front Office Hotelier of the Year
Endre Kiss, Assistant Front Office Manager - Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok Golf Resort and Spa
House-Keeping Hotelier of the Year
I Wayan Mara, Executive Housekeeper - Alila Solo
Wellness & Spa Hotelier of the Year
Sofyan Kadarisman, Director of Spa - The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
Concierge Hotelier of the Year
I Putu Agus Anuarta, Chief Concierge - The St.Regis Bali Resort
CSR Hotelier of the Year
Xuwat Wongchotewattana, Area Director of HR of Thailand, Cambodia and Maldives - Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
Engineering Hotelier of the Year
Domingo L. Belocura, Chief Engineer - Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu
Unsung Hero of the Year
Chotichat Tiangwatana, Airport Representative Supervisor - The Peninsula Bangkok
Most Popular Hotelier of the Year
Nun Sida, Front Office Manager - Sokha Angkor Resort