As hotel competition intensifies on the UAE’s East Coast, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, the award-winning East Coast luxury property, is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Recreation and Animation Manager, Mr. Hans-Joachim Buttkus-Hitscher (Achim), in a move aimed at augmenting its existing recreation and leisure offerings.
“It is essential for Le Méridien Al Aqah to continue to attract high-caliber management who will help shape and execute our vision for the next few years, focused on maintaining our leadership position,” said Mr. Patrick Antaki, General Manager. “A passion for the industry, good knowledge of health and fitness, and experience in developing sales and marketing initiatives is what we look for in new management,” he continued.
Mr. Achim Buttkus has been hired as the new Recreation and Animation Manager, with responsibilities in looking after the smooth running of the hotel’s superb facilities, including a wellness center, state-of-the-art gym and the region’s largest swimming pool. Achim has been working in the field of animation and recreation in the tourism sector for over 10 years, where 6 of those years included prior experience with the Starwood Group.
Before joining Le Méridien Al Aqah, Achim had undertaken a wide variety of marketing and advertising managerial positions in Germany, and had later decided to expand on his international experience by taking on the role of Entertainment Manager for a tour operator in Portugal. His move to the UAE – especially Fujairah – is due to his confidence in the growth of the tourism market in this region and willingness to contribute to its success.
“To have the opportunity to apply my expertise at a resort with the extensive facilities, diverse programmes and exclusive setting that Le Méridien Al Aqah offers is very exciting and I am up to the task at hand,” said Mr. Buttkus, commenting on his new role.
About Le Méridien
Le Méridien brand, currently represented by approximately 120 properties in 52 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in November 2005. With close to 70 percent of its properties located in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, Le Méridien provides a strong international complement to Starwood’s primarily North American holdings. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Méridien-branded hotels within the next five years, concentrating in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as India, Thailand and China. For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 890 properties in more than 100 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/pressclub
