Jumeirah Group, a global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has appointed Nordine El Yafi as general manager of Jumeirah Royal Saray hotel in Bahrain.

Scheduled to open this month, the beachfront Jumeirah Royal Saray will offer two royal suites as well as luxury guest rooms and a variety of dining and recreational choices, including a state of the art health club and spa.

El Yafi joins Jumeirah with an established a career in hospitality, most recently as director of Hospitality Asset Management for Meraas, a Dubai-based holding company with investments in the property, hospitality, retail, healthcare, food and beverage, technology and leisure and entertainment sectors. El Yafi previously worked in Paris spending six years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where he held a number of managerial positions, and with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Revenue Management. He also worked in Malaysia with YTL Hotels in operations.

El Yafi said: "I am honoured to lead the team at Jumeirah Royal Saray and to be tasked with the responsibility of introducing Jumeirah's unique approach to luxury hospitality to Bahrain. We have already received an enthusiastic welcome from the community and I am looking forward to welcoming both Bahraini and international guests to Jumeirah Royal Saray to enjoy a truly Stay Different experience at this very special hotel."

Commenting on El Yafi's appointment, Marc Dardenne, Jumeirah Group's chief operating officer and Interim CEO, said: "We are delighted to welcome Nordine to the Jumeirah family and excited to be opening Jumeirah Royal Saray in February. We are proud to be starting 2018 with a fantastic new hotel, a great team and a landmark opening with our first hotel in Bahrain."

A French national, El Yafi holds a Certificate in Real Estate Finance and Hospitality Asset Management from Cornell University as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management from IEMI, in Paris. He is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. - TradeArabia News Service