Rotana has made two key appointments to its executive team in the UAE and Southern Oman.
David Prince has been appointed area vice president, Dubai and Northern Emirates. Previously area general manager for Rotana in Dubai and Northern Emirates, Prince joined the company in April 2015 after spending more than 20 years at Hilton Hotels, where he held a variety of senior positions in diverse geographic markets including the United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, China, and Thailand.
As area vice president, Prince will oversee operations of 17 Rotana hotels in Dubai and Northern Emirates, and will be responsible for setting and implementing strategic plans to boost business growth and provide brand support for all hotels, while ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and standards.
The second key appointment named Christian Baudat as the area general manager for Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Salalah. Baudat joins Rotana with an extensive background in hotel operations, development and management, having spent nearly two decades with Hilton Hotels, mainly in Japan and Switzerland.
In his new role, Baudat will drive Rotana’s strategic agenda for the Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Salalah markets. He will be responsible for creating an operating environment that assures consistent guest satisfaction across all hotels, developing accurate long- and short-range financial objectives consistent with the company’s mission statement, as well as implementing and maintaining an effective open-door communication system that crosses departmental lines to reach all colleagues.
Commenting on the appointments, Guy Hutchinson, chief operating officer, Rotana, said: “Both David and Christian bring a wealth of experience and knowledge. Involving them closely in key business and operational decisions will help Rotana more fully leverage the growth opportunities in the all-important market of UAE.”
“For Rotana, having a long-term strategic focus and a set of clearly defined priorities are essential to staying on top of an ever-changing market landscape. We believe the combined experience and expertise of David and Christian will help us move towards greater innovation and business expansion in our home market of UAE, where we currently manage 35 hotels in the UAE, with 4 more hotels set to open by the end of 2017,” he added.
