Senior Appointments at HMH - Hospitality Management Holdings

HMH - Hospitality Management Holdings has appointed Abdullah Melhem as Director of Operations, Cristina Polo as Director of Business Development and Akber Bana as Manager - Revenue & Distribution.

Abdullah Melhem has been appointed Director of Operations. He spent 14 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and 15 years with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. During his last posting at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, he served as the Area Manager for Makkah and Madina as well as the General Manager of Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers. Abdullah is an Associate in Arts - Civil Engineering, BS in Management and Master of Business Administration. In his new role Abdullah will be responsible for all operational issues of HMH portfolio and will also be in charge of all pre-openings.

Cristina Polo takes over as Director of Business Development. Having worked with leading international brands like Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Le Meridien Hotels, Forte Grand, Rezidor, Radisson Hotels, Country Inn & Suites, Cristina has over 15 years of strong experience in the field. Her last position was with Rezidor in Dubai as Director of Revenue Optimization Middle East (Arabic Peninsula, Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia). She was in charge of maximizing revenue growth of 30 multi-brand hotels in the region. Cristina has a Post Graduate Degree from Dess International Trade, Masters Degree in International Economics, Bi Deug in Economic Science & Spanish, and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. In her new role Cristina will be responsible for all sales and revenue generation. She will also oversee marketing.

Akber Bana joins HMH as Manager - Revenue & Distribution. He holds more than 10 years of experience working with Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa - Dubai, Sheraton Karachi, Marriott Karachi. Prior to joining HMH, he served as Manager Revenue, Marketing and Loyalty Programs with Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa - Dubai. Bana has a Masters Degree in Computer Sciences, B.SC Hon in Software Development, Specialization in Relational Database Management System and Diploma in Computer Science. In his new role Bana will be responsible for all revenue and distribution including e-commerce, social media and loyalty programs.

Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO, HMH, said, “I am truly delighted to welcome our new team members. We have got five new properties opening this year that will boost our existing portfolio of hotels by 25%. It is therefore imperative to strengthen the management team who will play an instrumental in success of HMH while executing our strategic vision. All three executives have exceptional expertise and experience having worked with leading international brands. Their strong background in hospitality, e-commerce and business development skills, and outstanding operating experience will provide us with the right blend of expertise needed to navigate through the challenges and opportunities ahead. Our goal remains to continually achieve operational excellence and deliver superior service and results to both our owners and customers.”