Northstar

PEOPLE www.travelweeklyweb.com PATA'S Face of the Future 2012: Justin Malcolm Justin Malcolm, general manager of Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort,has been given the Pacifi c Asia Travel Association (PATA) Face of the Future 2012 award. He is also chairman of the PATA Chiang Rai Chapter, Thailand. Malcolm is to receive the award at opening ceremony of PATA Annual Conference at the Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur on April 21. A native of Australia now based in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Malcolm has extensive experience over his 17-year career with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific. He has worked for world class award winning hotels & resorts in Australia, Malaysia, Maldives and Thailand. Charlie Zha - Hotel Manager The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai has appointed Charlie Zha as its new hotel manager, Zha, a Shanghainese, started his career in Geneva, Switzerland as a trainee for Movenpick Restaurant Fusterie in 1994. He fi rst joined the Ritz-Carlton family for the fi rst time in 1996 as banquet server. He has risen through the ranks through management trainee, lobby lounge ,manager and stewarding manager at The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, Florida from 1999. In 2002, he was transferred to Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Ray in California and in 2005, he worked at Ritz-Carlton Naples Beach Resort, Florida. He became executive assistant manager for Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Florida in 2007. In 2010, he was promoted to director of hotel operations for two years till his return to his homeland, Shanghai. In 2009, he was awarded Starwood Hotels & Resorts 'Inspiring Leader in South Asia' for his efforts in rebranding Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa at the height of the global economic crisis. At Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, he has been instrumental in the resort being awarded TripAdvisor's 2012 Travelers' Choice – Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Thailand, and achieving the highest guest satisfaction rating amongst Le Meridien Resorts in Asia Pacifi c. He is the first Chairman of the newly-established PATA Chiang Rai Chapter in 2011 – working with the government and private sector in Chiang Rai to promote the province as a destination. Sofi tel Legend Metropole's Kai Speth is area general manager Sofitel has promoted the current general manager of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Kai Speth, to a new position as area general manager for Vietnam. His new role includes oversight responsibilities for Sofitel Plaza Hanoi and Sofi tel Saigon Plaza. Speth has been general manager at the Metropole since 2008, and during his tenure, he has worked on an extensive $30 million renovation project since its rebirth as a contemporary property in 1990. With the renovations complete, Sofi tel relaunched the Metropole as the brand's fi rst Legend hotel. Previously, Speth managed Hyatt properties in Korea, Los Angeles and Colorado. He worked for much of the 1990s in New York City after graduating from Heidelberg's Hotel Management School in his native Germany in 1989. Opened in 1901, the 364-room Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is one of Southeast Asia's most iconic hotels. It reigns as the Grande Dame of Vietnamese hospitality and in 2009, the hotel became the fi rst in the Sofi tel portfolio to acquire Accor's Legend brand distinction. Amadeus: Best IT company, 2012 Air Transport News award Madrid – Amadeus was given the 2012 Air Transport News award as Best IT Company of the year at the offi cial ceremony held in Athens recently. Amadeus, a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry, was voted in by the publication's readers. Its voters assessed the contribution of organisations to the air transport sector. Based on the votes and the verdict of a jury of internationally known industry experts, Amadeus won the 2012 ATN Award for IT Company of the Year. Other category winners included: Star Alliance (Airline Alliance of the Year), Singapore's Changi Airport (Airport of the Year) and Emirates (Airline of the Year). www.travelweeklyweb.com Ahmed Youssef (right), Regional Director Marketing and Operations, Amadeus MENA, received the trophy from Dr Kostas Iatrou, Managing Director of Air Transport News. 20 MARCH 2012 | TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA ■ | 7

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