Caption – Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa’s new executive appointments (l-r): Michael Bell, Director of Sales and Marketing; Alan Burrows, General Manager; Kerstin Willmes, Director of Rooms.
18 June 2014: Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa has announced three new key executive appointments to lead its hotel team, welcoming Alan Burrows as General Manager, Michael Bell as Director of Sales & Marketing, and Kerstin Willmes as Director of Rooms.
Alan Burrows continues his successful career with Accor at the Sofitel Fiji from Sydney where he was most recently General Manager of one of NSW’s most important conference and leisure hotels, the 296 room Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach.
Mr Burrows has relocated to Denarau Island to take on the role of leading Sofitel’s business and ambassador team in Fiji and brings with him great experience, having enjoyed an extensive hospitality career in Australia that includes General Manager positions at key Accor properties including the Novotel Perth Langley, Mercure Hotel Sydney Airport, Mercure Hotel Lawson and the Novotel Canberra.
Mr Burrows and his management teams are renown in the organisation for their many industry award wins, including Accor’s 2013 Best Restaurant accolade, and he has also served on several regional and national tourism association committees during his tenure with the region’s largest hotel group.
Mr Burrows is joined by Sofitel Fiji’s new Director of Sales & Marketing, Michael Bell, a resort specialist who arrives from the Loama Resort Maldives at Maamigili, a new luxury resort set in the Indian Ocean to open in late 2014, where he was Regional Director of Sales.
Prior to his role in the Maldives, Mr Bell held the position of Cluster Director of Sales for the Hilton brand in the Seychelles where he managed the sales and marketing team for two resorts. Before moving to the tropical warmer climates of the Maldives and Seychelles, he developed his career in hospitality sales and marketing through various roles at executive, management and regional leadership level for Hilton, Sheraton and many privately owned hotels and resorts both in the UK and Dubai.
Kerstin Willmes arrives at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa as Director of Rooms from the Ibis Sydney Darling Harbour where she was Rooms Division Manager for the busy 256 room hotel. Prior to Ibis, she completed a two year Accor Executive Leadership Development Program (an internal Accor managerial development course for potential hospitality leaders of the future). During this leadership program, Ms Willmes was placed at several Accor hotels including the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast, Novotel Langley Perth and the Novotel and Ibis hotels at Sydney Olympic Park.
On the new team arriving in Fiji Mr Burrows said, “We are very excited to be here in Fiji at this exciting time for the destination, and are looking forward to using our combined experience and knowledge to drive new business and maximise existing relationships to ensure the ongoing success of the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa.”
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