Director of Operations & Support Middle East & Africa
Wyndham Hotel Group
Total years of experience :11 years, 2 Months
In charge of Operations Support for 45 franchised hotels of the Wyndham Hotel Group (representing 7 brands present or opening in the region: RAMADA, RAMADA ENCORE, HOWARD JOHNSON, DAYS INN, HAWTHORN SUITES, TRYP BY WYNDHAM, SUPER 8)
- Managed all operating brand standards compliance by all franchised hotels in MEA, including coordination of all Quality Assurance processes, communication and follow-up with Head Office
- Central point of contact for all WHG tools & systems provided within the MYPORTAL platform to all hotels
- Worked with the GM and HQ to prepare every new opening hotel, including setting them up in all channels
- Delivered Welcome Trainings to every new hotel teams on all aspects of the operation
- Drove distribution optimisation of hotels on Direct Connect channels (brand web, GDS, OTAs, Voice)
Project manager - Front Office Reservations Support Rollout (new position)
In charge of training, preparing & coordinating rollout of all new Web tools of Accor CRS (TARS) including Resa Web, data Web, etc to FO & Reservations teams across the Middle east Accor hotels (44 hotels including Egypt)
Responsible for pre-opening Support (10 new Accor hotels to open until mid 2013) in terms of distribution setup/training in entire ME & Egypt region based in Dubai Regional office.
In charge of Distribution & Revenue Management for Accor hotel brands (Pullman, Novotel, Mercure, M’Gallery,
Suite Novotel, Ibis, Adagio City) in the Middle East (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman & Yemen)
Responsible for communication and implementation of all relevant chain, brand & regional agreements & plans
Driving the rollout of Direct Connectivity for leading OLTA such as booking.com & Expedia, Lastminute/Travelocity on all 31 hotels open & driving RevPAR performance; developing Agoda, WOTIF etc.
Driving the pricing policy for every brand & involved in Budget preparations for 2011 in a depressed economic outlook
Pre Opening Support (Pullman Mall of the Emirates, Ibis Seef, Ibis Sharq Kuwait, Novotel Adagio Abu Dhabi Barsha…) in terms of CRS setup, content optimization on all relevant sites & platforms, Pay per click, SEO etc
Involved in Forecast Accuracy improvement for all hotels, including E-Distribution optimization & objectives setting
Pushed electronic channel delivery to 25% for the region YTD 2010 (peak hotel 50%)
Reporting to the Director of Business Development, dotted line responsibility to the General Manager
In charge of Revenue strategy & implementation, responsible for Room Revenue (113M AED ’07, 125M‘08)&seg. mix
Responsible for Reservations Dept. (17 persons inc. Res. Mgr, Assistant Revenue Manager)
Chairing the weekly Yield Meeting with DBD, GM, controlling rate/availability, applying yield restrictions CRS (TARS)
In charge of daily management & maintenance of Revenue Management System (Accor RMS)
Preparing segmentation analyses, setting ideal segment mix, pricing policy & supervising all groups quotation (Sales)
Monitoring need/hot dates, Event calendar, identifying exceptional booking pickup and Revenue trends & adapting pricing strategy where appropriate and communicating with Sales & Reservations teams
Managing all Electronic Distribution Channels (CRS, Accorhotels.com & brand Websites, GDS & extranets), using Travelclick tools including successful GDS advertising targeted on our Need periods (Summer/Ramadan, Winter)
In charge of the reservations Expansion project with Res. Manager (recruitment of 8 additional agents, equipment…)
Involved in monthly Rooms Forecasting & 2007-2009 Budget preparation for Accor’s 2 flagship ME properties
In charge of FIT Reservations department (less than 10 guestrooms), recruitment & appraisal - 6 agents & 1 Assistant
Reporting to the Director of Business Development of the chain’s 3rd largest Hilton hotel operation in Europe & Africa (2004 Room Revenue: 880 M CZK, Total Rev: 1393 M CZK)
In charge of daily operation & maintenance of IDEAS e-Yield Revenue Management Optimization Software
Chaired the weekly Availability Meeting, in which team (Sales, Groups & Conventions) reviews hot/need dates, discusses and implements strategies to maximize Room revenue; identifies exceptional pickup and Revenue trends & adapts pricing strategy accordingly
Monitored TravelCLICK Rate View, FuturePace, Hotelligence competitor analysis reports & took action if needed
Controlled rate/availability in Hilton CRS (Hilstar) through ONQ Rate & Inventory tool
Implemented HI pricing policy as per Area standards, drove the 2006 Seamless Rate Entry project (Corporate/Non Corporate rate submission), created & communicated packages, optimized GDS / Web channel visibility, improved CRS productivity through individual conversion
Involved in monthly Rooms Forecasting preparation & 2006 Revenue Proposal (Budget preparation)
MBA in International Hospitality Management (AACSB-accredited) A joint graduate program of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (USA) and ESSEC French Graduate School of Management Exchange student in Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
Double major in Marketing Management, Management & Organizational Behaviour