26 July 2015
Doha - 'Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara', the luxury brand's first resort in Qatar, developed by Al Rayyan Hospitality, has recently appointed Mr. Thomas Fehlbier as its new General Manager.

Prior to joining Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara, Thomas Fehlbier served as General Manager of Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa in Thailand. Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Fehlbier said, "I am very excited to be a part of this amazing property and it's truly my honor to have the opportunity to lead an exceptional team. I look forward to driving its next wave of transformation and will strive to further strengthen its position as a leading brand in the region. Our aim is to reinforce Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara's vision of offering an unparalleled stay experience and will always look for new ways to make our guests' stay more memorable than ever before."

Fehlbier brings with him a wealth of experience within the luxury hospitality business with over 25 years of experience in managing leisure resorts and global hotel chains across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He has previously held senior management positions with AVANI Sepang GoldCoast Resort & Spa in Malaysia, Intercontinental Hotel Group Europe, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in the UAE amongst others.

Fehlbier started his hospitality career as a professional Chef with a Michelin star restaurant in a boutique hotel in Germany in 1989, and slowly grew the ranks within the industry having worked across several key departments such as Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Food & Beverage, Process Renovation Management, Revenue and Finance. 

Born and brought up in Germany, Mr. Fehlbier holds the German citizenship and is an IHF Certified Convention Manager. 

For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment and extend a welcome to the passing traveller.  Anantara is taken from an ancient Sanskrit word that means 'without end', symbolising this sharing of water and the heartfelt hospitality that lies at the core of every Anantara experience.

From lush jungles to pristine beaches and legendary deserts to cosmopolitan cities, Anantara currently boasts over 30 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Mozambique and Zambia; with future properties to open Sri Lanka, China, Oman, Mauritius, Laos, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Morocco. 

For more information on Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, please visit www.anantara.com

Follow us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/anantara and Twitter: Anantara_Hotels

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About Global Hotel Alliance
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world´s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. GHA currently includes 32 brands such as Anantara, AVANI, PER AQUUM, Tivoli, Alila, Art Series, Atura, Corinthia, First, GLO Hotels, Grace Hotels, Individual Collection, Kempinski, Lungarno Collection, Marco Polo, Meritage Collection, Meydan, Mokara, Niccolo, Nuo, Omni, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL,QT, Rixos, Rydges, Shaza, Tangram, The Doyle Collection, The Leela, Thon, UltraTravel Collection, and Viceroy encompassing over 500 upscale and luxury hotels with over 100,000 rooms in 76 different countries. www.gha.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Bryony Gammon
Director of Public Relations & Communications
Minor Hotel Group
Email: bgammon@minor.com

Hiba Qalyoubi
Marketing Communications Manager
Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara
Telephone: +974 4040 5050
Mobile: +974 6632 8114
Email: hqalyoubi@anantara.com 

© Press Release 2015