Dubai: 12th August 2013 -Jean-Francois Laurent has been appointed General Manager of Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa which will open its doors on 15th September 2013. He has been brought in to lead the team of 500 associates and oversee the launch of the Thai Hospitality group's first property in the emirate of Dubai.
With more than thirty years' experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Laurent brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in Europe, the Indian Ocean as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Jean-Francois' hospitality credentials span the UAE, KSA and Mauritius. His work in the Middle East began in 2001 as the General Manager at the Court of the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia, with intrigue and curiosity to learn more about the Middle East and its thriving hospitality industry. He held the GM position for three years, a position which provided invaluable insights and market intelligence into one of the region's largest hospitality markets.
The French native was most recently employed at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where he was General Manager from late 2010. The property received an impressive number of industry accolades including World Travel Awards in 2012 for Saudi Arabia's Leading Business Hotel and Saudi Arabia's Leading Luxury Hotel.
As well as experience operating in larger scale hotels, Laurent also worked at boutique hotels as well as being a trained chef in a variety of two and three Michelin star restaurants such as Maison Trois Gros and Le Pres D'Eugenie by Michel Guerard in France.
Jean-Francois is a French national, fluent in both French and English and understands spoken Arabic.
Located on the eastern crescent of Dubai's Palm Jumeirah, this world famous landmark is located just one kilometre from Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai's main arterial route.
For bookings and further information, please visit: dubai-palm.anantara.com/
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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 23 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Bali, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and China; with future properties to open in Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Laos, UAE, Qatar and Oman.
For more information on Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, please visit www.anantara.com.
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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 brands such as Anantara, Art Series, Doyle Collection, First, Kempinski, Individual Collection, Leela, Lungarno Collection, Marco Polo, Mokara, Omni, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL, QT, Rixos, Rydges, Shaza, Tangram and Tivoli encompassing over 345 upscale and luxury hotels with over 85,000 rooms in 61 different countries. www.gha.com
For media enquiries contact:
Niamh Keohan
Director of Marketing & Communications
Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa
Tel: +971 4 567 8016
Email: nkeohan@anantara.com
© Press Release 2013
