Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach appoints new executive sous chef, Jeremy Degras joins after working with Marriott International

Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach has announced the appointment of Jeremy Degras as its new executive sous chef. He will be part of the team responsible for exploring new menu options, while maintaining the resort’s ‘island-inspired cuisine’. Degras will spend most of his time at the flagship Shore House restaurant, using a range of locally-sourced seafood in his dishes.

Degras has previously held culinary positions in a number of hotels and restaurants globally including; Scape Lounge Restaurant & Terrace in the Burj Al Arab, Restaurant Le Quartier Gourmand, a Michelin-starred venue in Tournus, France and the two-starred restaurant, Monte-Carlo-Bay Hotel in Monaco. He leaves his previous position in Marriott International’s Grosvenor House Luxury Collection’s Siddharta Lounge.

“We are delighted to welcome chef Jeremy Degras to our team. He will be leading a vibrant culinary team and working with them to enhance the property’s dining portfolio to create memorable dining experiences for our valued guests”, said Tracey Oliver, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach.

German hospitality industry still far below pre-crisis revenues

The German hotel and restaurant industry in July further recovered from its slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but sales were still down more than a quarter when compared to pre-crisis levels, the statistics office said on Tuesday.

Revenues were up 21.9% month-on-month in real terms when adjusted for seasonal effects and declined by 26.8% versus July 2019, the office said in a statement.

Catering companies were hardest hit with a decline of 41.9% on the year.

The sector was essentially shut down in March as Germany’s 16 states introduced wide-ranging distancing measures to slow the spread of the pandemic.

Some restaurants temporarily closed while others switched to take-away services to stay afloat. Hotels were hit by a slump in leisure travel and cancelled trade fairs and congresses.

Reporting by Thomas Seythal; Editing by Andrew Heavens

The Portfolio Club locks in £76.5m deal to develop new lifestyle brand hotel concept in London

The Portfolio Club is to develop a new lifestyle hotel concept in central London after acquiring an expansive block in Covent Garden for £76.5m.

The Portfolio Club is a joint venture between pension fund APG and real estate investment advisory London Central Portfolio, which was launched last year to create the new hospitality brand in prime central London locations.

The deal to acquire the freehold island site Wellington block on the south east corner of Covent Garden from Capital & Counties Properties PLC, is the second step towards this ambition for The Portfolio Club.

Lebanese American chef launches Dubai cloud kitchen | Dayma by Bethany Kehdy features dishes from her best-selling cookbooks

The vegetarian-friendly menu will focus on seasonal and sustainable ingredients and is available on all major food delivery apps across the emirate.

Lebanese American chef Bethany Kehdy has launched a new Levantine cookhouse for delivery-only in Dubai.

The cloud-based kitchen service, Dayma, will be offering up a range of Kehdy’s signature dishes from the bestselling cookbooks including Kalbid’s rice kibbeh, aubergine, sfiha stars, prawn sambusek, carrot mutabal, and more.

Kehdy is known as the author of The Jewelled Table and The Jewelled Kitchen cookbooks, and was the founder of Taste Lebanon.

Kasra Moshkani Named Head of Business At OYO Hotels & Homes, USA

OYO Hotels, one of the world's leading hotel chains, today announced that Kasra Moshkani has been named as its head of business in the United States. Moshkani, who has overseen OYO's Eastern US business as Region Head since October 2019, will lead the US business, with support from Abhinav Sinha, who will focus more on his role as Global COO of OYO Hotels & Homes. Kasra took on this new role starting September 1, 2020.

An entrepreneur at heart, Kasra holds over 15 years of experience in building companies centered around innovative ideas and has market expertise in general management, operations, strategic planning, corporate finance, and investing. He has an analytical approach toward problem-solving which is also embedded in OYO's DNA as the company offers tech-driven solutions to transform the global hospitality space. His past tenures include Uber Technologies, Grail Partners & Advisors, and MyClean. He also co-founded HireBrite, an HR-tech startup. A native of Miami, Kasra is an alumnus of Harvard University and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Minor Hotels signs for new Thai wellness retreat

Minor Hotels has signed a partnership with M.K. Real Estate Development to launch RAKxa Fully Integrative Wellness and Medical Retreat.

It is hoped the ground-breaking development that will cement Thailand’s position as a world-class medical wellness destination.

VitalLife Scientific Wellness Centre, a subsidiary of Bumrungrad International Hospital, is a third partner on the deal.

Launching in December, RAKxa was conceived as a fully sustainable medical wellness retreat within Bang Krachao on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok.

The concept, at the crossroads of science and tradition, aims to deliver bespoke healthcare in a relaxing environment.

Dubai Tourism closes four establishments over health and safety violations

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has closed four establishments, suspended the permits of 14 others and issued warnings to 19 more companies for failing to enact proper COVID-19 precautionary measures.

DTCM said the establishments and companies did not put measures in place across all tourism touchpoints, though left out the names of those penalised.

The department stressed that its list of precautionary measures are needed as part of the emirate’s strategy to restart various sectors in a phased manner and eventually bring back normalcy. It added that its recent Safe Travels stamp given by the World Travel & Tourism Council reinforces the importance of these efforts.

The news comes days after DTCM announced that 90 percent of the emirate’s hotels have been awarded the Dubai Assured hygiene stamp. Launched in collaboration with Dubai Tourism, the Department of Economic Development (DED) and Dubai Municipality, the stamp was rolled out in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The stamp is based on the preventive protocols issued by Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management.

The H Dubai’s Mandara Spa wins Travel and Hospitality award

Mandara Spa has been named the UAE’s Luxury Spa of the Year 2020 at this year’s Travel and Hospitality Awards.

The Travel & Hospitality awards is a global recognition programme for the travel industry recognising the best hotels, tour operators, experience providers, spa & wellness facilities, restaurants, and technology and innovation companies for long-standing customer satisfaction.

Sophie Blondel, General Manager of The H Dubai says: “This award is a remarkable achievement and is a recognition of the dedication of our team of highly trained therapists. We are very encouraged by the award and will continue to deliver outstanding service that enables our guests to stay relaxed and rejuvenated.”

Mandara Spa at The H Dubai has 10 treatment rooms including two couple suites, steam rooms, sauna chambers, experiential rain forest showers, whirlpools, relaxation lounges, fully equipped changing areas with private changing rooms, and a dedicated retail area.

Costa Coffee UAE to offer AED 1 pastries with any drink ordered

As a way of thanking its customers, Costa Coffee UAE has launched an offer which includes a pastry for AED 1 with any drink.

From donuts to mini cheesecakes, the offer will run from September 13 until 24, and can be availed at any Costa store across the UAE.

Costa was founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971 and now represents the second largest international coffee shop operator. At present, the company has more than 3,000 stores across 25 international markets.

Costa Coffee opened its first store outside of the UK in 1999, at Dubai’s Aviation Club. Today, there are over 150 Costa outlets in the UAE. Costa in the UAE is wholly owned by Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR), a world class food and beverage outlet provider, a subsidiary of the Emirates Group.

Two young Deira-based chefs win US Beef Virtual Cooking Competition

The Emirates Culinary Guild and US Beef Export Federation have announced the results of their first GCC Virtual Online Competition.

Both Amateur classes were won by female chefs, Alisa Belousova won the Best Recipe with Picture Competition. The Video Class was won by Badya Sallam Khaireddin. The winners used prime US Beef Tenderloin for their recipes.

The Professional categories were won by two young chefs working in Deira Dubai, Kanishka Dilhan Kulasekara from Radisson Blu Hotel DDC won the Best Recipe Category. Leon Robin Rozario from Jumeirah Creekside Hotel won the Best Video Recipe.

Andrew Cuthbert, Chairman of the Emirates Culinary Guild highlighted that the competitors came from different GCC countries. Properties on the winners’ include Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, Caesars Bluewaters Hotel, Zero Gravity, The Emirates Academy & Hospitality Management, and Jumeirah Royal Bahrain.

The best 10 in each category will be awarded prizes, cash money, trophies and knives.

Olga Zielinski Appointed General Manager At Steigenberger Hotel Stadt Lörrach, Germany

Olga Zielinski will take charge of the hotel with effect from 18 September 2020, when she takes over as General Manager from Sascha Nemeth. Ms. Zielinski has been working for RIMC for several years and has recently completed a highly successful stint as Director of the hotel the YARD in Berlin.

CDC Study Suggests Dining at Restaurants Poses Greater COVID-19 Risk

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a study of COVID-19 patients and the activities they participated in and the interactions they had in the two weeks before they tested positive for the respiratory illness.

Eating at a restaurant also seemed to be a bigger determining factor for a positive test than a number of other activities, including going to an office, visiting a hair salon, going to a gym, riding on public transportation, or attending a religious service.

www.foodandwine.com/news/cdc-covid-study-restaurants-dining-out

Dennis Gordienko Appointed General Manager At Avani Doc Let Resort in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Thailand's Minor Hotels Group has appointed Dennis Gordienko as General Manager of the Avani Doc Let Resort in Vietnam, slated to open early 2021.

Dennis' hospitality career started as a Food & Beverage intern in Antalya, Turkey, with Sheraton Hotels & Resorts in 2003.

Since then he has worked in London and also his native Ukraine within F&B and Rooms departments with international brands such as Radisson, IHG, and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

His first role as GM was with the Gaya Island Resort in Borneo, which was followed by the Vistana Penang Bukit Jambul, both of which are part of YTL hotels.

Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay Resort to Open December 2020 in China

Accor announces its first Fairmont Resort in Greater China, in partnership with Hainan Keenwin Holdings. The newly refurbished Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay is set to open in December 2020 following extensive renovations to the property.

Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay is situated along the beautiful golden coastline of Haitang Bay. With views towards the diver's paradise of Wuzhizhou Island and Yajia Daling Mountains, the resort has the best Feng Shui to bring harmony between travellers and nature.

Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay features a team of star designers and architects, which includes world-renowned interior designer Nick Winai Suansalee from Leo Design Group as well as landscape architecture by Francis Leung, the former Design Director of Belt Collins. The resort has the formal symmetry often found in imperial palaces, and offers a number of exquisite architectural gems that are destinations in their own right. In accordance with ancient Chinese architectural principles, a pair of Watchtowers forms the portal to the resort. Covered Lounge Bridges made from stone arches act as pathways to the lobby pavilion, providing rest, shelter and vistas of intricate cornices against the green surrounds. Within the lobby, precious detailed wood carvings on walls and ceiling friezes took more than two years to complete and demonstrate a sense of grandeur and profoundness. Its unique 1,200-meter long river is the world's first sea water canal running within a hotel. Guests can take a dragon boat ride to reach guestrooms and all other hotel facilities whilst enjoying the ever-changing scenery and amazing landscapes. For those who wish to learn more about the resort's relics, the Wood Art Gallery is a courtyard house boasting fine furnishings and artefacts from both the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.

Soneva Fushi unveils world’s largest one- and two-bedroom overwater villas

Soneva Fushi’s new Water Retreats are soon to be ready to welcome guests, adding yet another facet to the original barefoot luxury resort.

Guests can expect innovative designs and some new changes to the iconic Water Retreat designs that can be found at Soneva Jani.

Soneva’s floating villa concept, Soneva in Aqua, is a luxury two-cabin yacht that sets sail from Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.

There is a multi-purpose facility that encompasses the Maldives’ only hot glass studio, the glass gallery, and boutique where guests can learn the art of glassblowing.

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Nathalie Debonnet Appointed Commercial Director At Conrad Bora Bora Nui, French Polynesia

Boasting 20 years of experience in hospitality, Nathalie is seasoned veteran with a proven track record in sales and marketing, specializing in the luxury sector. Most recently, Nathalie served for five years as Cluster Director of Sales & Marketing for the St. Regis Bora Bora and Le Meridien Bora Bora. Prior, Nathalie served as the Regional Director of Leisure Sales West Coast for the Leading Hotels of the World, accounting for the overall management of both the west coast travel industry sales and the regional sales office. Born in France, Nathalie is now based in Santa Monica where she has spent the last 12 years.

Gulfood Manufacturing exhibition postponed to 2021

Foodservice, machinery and ingredient supplier exhibition Gulfood Manufacturing has been postponed this year, moving the event to 2021 due to COVID-19.

The event will now take place from November 7 to November 9 2021.

Though physical events across the region have been resuming, with others supplemented with digital events, Gulfood Manufacturing organisers said they could not deliver the event with many of their partners and exporters landlocked by travel restrictions.

In a statement, organisers said: “Whilst this decision will disappoint many who have come to rely upon the event as an important showcase of the latest manufacturing business improvement tools, the forward planning and advance logistics necessary to deliver an international event of such scale is not possible for many partners and exporters given current uncertainty surrounding travel and quarantine restrictions.

“This has particular impact upon food producers and manufacturers as they tackle the challenges around food security and safety.”

What started as an offshoot of the established Gulfood trade show, Gulfood Manufacturing has steadily become an industry-leading event in its own right. In 2019, the exhibition covered 19 halls, with 1,500+ companies showcasing their products to more than 35,000 international visitors.

Dubai crowned best medical tourism destination in the region

The emirate of Dubai has maintained its position as the Arab region’s top medical tourism destination for the second year in a row.

That is according to the Global Medical Tourism Index released by International Healthcare Research Centre (IHRC) Worldwide, which ranks international cities on their healthcare services to foreign travellers.

The emirate was scored against three criteria, where it ranked fifth in quality and services facilities; seventh for its environmental offerings and 13th for its medical tourism industry. Altogether Dubai was ranked sixth for its medical tourism offerings out of a cohort of 46 international destinations.

The achievement is thanks to the efforts of the Dubai Government, represented by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), to strengthen the medical tourism sector in the emirate and boost overall economic diversification.

Rose Rayhaan by Rotana appoints general manager

Rotana has appointed Mamdouh Ali as general manager for Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai.

Ali has been associated with Rotana for over seveb years. With more than 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ali progressively occupied more responsible positions at major hotels in Egypt including resort destinations at Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, before moving to the UAE in 2012 and taking on the role of Deputy General Manager of Pegas Touristic.

In 2013, Ali joined Rotana Hotel Management Corporation as Head of Sales – Travel Trade and in 2017 was promoted as General Manager, Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana in Riyadh.