More than 500 top hospitality leaders from the Gulf region attended the third Middle East Hospitality Excellence Awards which was held at the newly opened Rixos Premium hotel in Dubai last month.

The glamorous evening included a reception, a great meal and excellent entertainment, in addition to the actual awards ceremony which was presented by Tom Urquhart and Laura Buckwell.

Cris Newman, CEO, Emaar Hospitality won the Hotelier of the Year Award while Cenk Unverdi, general manager of Rixos Palm Dubai walked away with “General Manager of the Year” title.

Among the other prominent winners were:-

Emirati/Arab Hotelier of the year;- Mohammed Khoori, general manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments Dubai
Entrepreneur of the year:- Kulwant Singh, CEO, Lama Group Dubai
Hotel of the year (five star):- Rixos The Palm Dubai
Hotel of the year (Best Weekend Getaway):- Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah
Hotel of the year (Best Heritage Resort):- Palma Beach Resort and Spa, Umm Al Quwain, UAE
Hotel of the year (Best Boutique Hotel):- Armani Hotel Dubai
Car Rental of the year:- Thrifty Car Rental UAE
Best Travel Company of the year:- Dnata Dubai
Hotel Team of the year:- Dusit Thani Dubai
Celebrity Chef of the Year:- Chef Atul Kochhar
Excellence in Customer Service:- Five Palm Jumeirah
Visionary Leader of the Year:- Khalil Al Sayegh, chairman, Roda Hotels & Resorts
 
"We received an amazing response to online voting for the third Middle East Hospitality Excellence Awards 2017 with over 107,600 votes for various categories. The awards were presented to recognise top industry organisations which have shown skill, creativity, ingenuity and success in the Middle East & North Africa’s growing hospitality industry, said Raj Bhatt, CEO, Hozpitality Group.

"We are happy to have the consistent support from our sponsors from the beginning, Delta Foods, Danube Home, Karcher ME, TTN, Thrifty  Car Rental and many others," Bhatt added.

Hozpitality Group also announced the exclusive awards for Chefs in the Middle East and Africa. “Chef Excellence Awards” will take place on May 2, 2018 at the luxurious Five Palm Jumeirah.

"We are partnering with Emirates Culinary Guild and ICCA and are looking for a great event together," said Bhatt. - TradeArabia News Service