Doha - W Doha, a new Starwood Hotels & Resorts property, has announced the appointment of Despina Gezerli as Manager of the hotel's Spice Market restaurant, a creation of the world-renowned chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten (JGV). In her new position Ms. Gezerli will be responsible for all operational aspects of Spice Market at W Doha. She will report to Janin Smollny, Director of Beverage and Food of the W Doha Hotel & Residences.
Ms Gezerli comes to W Doha with over eleven years of expansive and varied experience in the restaurant industry including management, marketing and public relations skills. She has spent most of this time in the fast-paced and trendsetting restaurant culture of New York including positions in Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Soho and Midtown Manhattan restaurants among her many credits.
Speaking of her appointment at the first W Hotel and Residences in the Middle East, Ms. Gezerli said, "It is such a great opportunity to be a part of this W endeavor in Doha. As Qatar is setting new standards in the world regarding business, Jean-George Vongerichten is doing the same in the culinary world. I believe Spice Market will be a huge success here in Qatar, as it is something completely new and different to the area."
Most recently as owner of a New York City restaurant, Ms. Gezerli brings comprehensive restaurant management experience to Spice Market, emphasizing her expertise in guest services, marketing and development and staff management. Ms. Gezerli holds a Master of Arts degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Jordan, Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Psychology from New York University and a diploma in Computer Science from the Hellenic-American College in Athens.
Spice Market is one of two JGV concept restaurants in the W Doha Hotel and Residences slated to open early in the new year. Spice Market will feature Asian street food inspired by JGVs over 20 years of work and travel in Vietnam, Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The menu will feature exotic and adventurous fish and seafood dishes, dumplings, spring rolls, salads and soups.
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About W Hotels Worldwide
W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 21 properties in the most vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging its guests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signature restaurants, bars and destination spas, W has become the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world. Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design, comfort, and cultural influences from fashion to music to art and everything in between. W's first residential property, W Dallas-Victory, opened in June of 2006, and soon thereafter was named a Forbes Magazine "Top Business Hotel." W Residences, offering the W lifestyle at home, have been announced for Scottsdale (2008), Midtown Atlanta (2008), Fort Lauderdale (2008), Buckhead (2008), Hoboken (2008), Downtown Atlanta (2009), Downtown New York (2009), South Beach (2009), Phoenix (2009), Hollywood (2009), Philadelphia (2009), and Austin (2010). Internationally, W has announced plans for hotels in Istanbul (2008), Doha (2008), Hong Kong (2008), St. Petersburg (2008), Athens (2008), Santiago (2008), Milan (2008), Dubai-Festival City (2008), Shanghai (2009), Barcelona (2009), W Macao Studio City (2009), Guangzhou (2010), and Dubai-The Palm (2010). W's first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened in September of 2006 and in March of 2007, received the prestigious Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Resort. W has plans to open Retreat & Spa hotels in Vieques (2008), Koh Samui (2008), and Verbier (2010), the latter of which will serve as W's first ski retreat. For more information, visit www.whotels.com.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced AloftSM and ElementSM Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com/pressclub
For more information, please contact:
Elise Zwein
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© Press Release 2008
