Written by Dubai, UAE December 2021 A victorious moment for Marriott International team as they bagged the major awards from the recently concluded 7thMiddle East Hospitality Excellence Awards, held at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club Dubai,last 8thof December.
Marriott International won the Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence Best Hospitality Employer of the Year and another Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence Best Hospitality Management Company of the Year. While Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer (Middle East) of Marriott International also took home the Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence Hotelier of the Year.
Marriott International is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging including hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company was founded by J. Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott.
Marriott began as a nine-seat AW root beer stand. Today, the company is recognized as a top employer and for its superior business operations. Its conduct is based on five core values: put people first, pursue excellence, embrace change, act with integrity, and serve the world.
In the Middle East, Marriott International is spearheaded by a seasoned hospitality professional, Sandeep Walia as Chief Operating Officer. Sandeep is currently responsible for the operations of Marriotts properties in the Middle East (including Egypt and Turkey) which features over 190 operational properties and more than 100 properties in its pipeline.
Sandeep is a prominent hotelier with strategic business acumen driven to deliver operational and financial excellence to create market-leading returns and establish mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships with stakeholders. A dynamic and result-oriented leader, he is adept at building and nurturing high-performance teams guiding and motivating them towards setting and achieving visionary goals by effectively aligning company values with key business initiatives and brand experiences.
Sandeep Walia said:”It was a pleasure to attend the Hozpitality Group’s 7th Middle East Hospitality Excellence Awards last week, wherein Marriott International received a total of 11 fantastic awards including’Best Hospitality Management Company of The Year and Best Hospitality Employer of the Year’. I was also very honored to receive the’Hotelier of the Year’ award and would like to dedicate it to the great teams I work with every day who make our industry so special. I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations again to all of the winners and thank you to Raj Bhatt and the team for a wonderful event!”
Here is the list of awards for Marriott International:
- Sandeep Walia, COO, Middle East at Marriott International
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Hotelier of the Year - Marriott International
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Best Hospitality Employer of the Year - Marriott International
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Best Hospitality Management Company of the Year - Kumaran Vilvanathan, Asst. Chief Engineer, Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Engineering - Pascal Tepper French Bakery, Sheikh Zayed Road –
Silver Award for Hospitality Excellence – Restaurant of the Year (Others) - Level 43 Sky Lounge Dubai
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Restaurant of the Year (Lounge/Night Club) - Mohamed El Aghoury, Cluster GM, Sheraton JBR and Aloft Palm –
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – General Manager of the Year - The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert
Silver Award for Hospitality Excellence – Hotel of the Year (5 star) - The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Hotel of the Year (Best Weekend Getaway) - The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert
Gold Award for Hospitality Excellence – Hotel of the Year (Best Heritage Resort) - The Ritz Carlton Dubai
Silver Award for Hospitality Excellence – Banquet Venue of the Year - Ajmal Salim, GM, Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Sharjah
Judges Choice Award – Commended GM of the Year
The full list of all the award winners can be seen at https://www.hozpitality.com/awards