Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Meridien Al Aqah, was named ‘Hotel Manager of The Year’ last night at a glittering gala dinner held to announce this year’s highly coveted DEPA Middle East Hotel Awards 2007.
Antaki, a winner of the same of the category at the Hotelier Awards 2006, was recognized for his creativity, passion and commitment to the hotel, its employees and guests. A Le Meridien veteran, he joined Al Aqah in August 2002, four months before the hotel was officially opened. With the charismatic Antaki at its helm, this landmark project has gone from strength to strength and firmly established itself as one of the most prominent leisure and business destinations in the region.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my team so this is a significant win for all the staff at Le Meridien Al Aqah, where we pride ourselves on not only the superb facilities of our resort, but also on our unprecedented levels of service and hospitality. These awards serve as a testament to the professionalism and tireless dedication of every employee and also act as a catalyst for us to continue to strive to be the best,” said Antaki after his win.
Attended by the who’s who of the regional hospitality industry, this year’s awards were determined by an innovative voting system. Guests were able to use the latest, interactive and most innovative real-time technology to anonymously vote to collectively determine the winner in each category.
Now in its 6th year, the DEPA Middle East Hotel Awards continue to celebrate the extraordinary development and achievements of the Middle East & North Africa hotel industry. Designed to recognize and reward outstanding service, performance and creativity by hotels and hoteliers in a variety of carefully selected award categories, the awards aim to provide an unbiased and international standard of excellence for hotels in the Middle East and North Africa regions.
About Le Méridien
Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, with its portfolio of more than 130 luxury and upscale hotels in 53 countries worldwide, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The majority of Le Méridien properties are located in the world's top cities and resorts throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. In the 2005 Luxury Brand Status Index survey Le Méridien was recognised as one of the top 15 luxury hotel brands. For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com.
About Starwood
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 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.
