Stephane de Montgros, Co-Founder, The Hotelier Awards (Left) & Matthew Cooper, General Manager, JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square (Right)

May 24, 2018 – Singapore – The fifth annual Hotelier Awards held a spectacular event on 23rd May 2018, at the Sofitel Singapore City Centre to recognise outstanding individuals’ professional excellence across the hospitality sector in Asia. As a benchmark for professional excellence in Asia, the awards have grown in prominence over the years to become an unmissable event in the industry calendar. The celebration brought together over 350 hoteliers and industry professionals, who gathered for the fifth edition to await the announcement of this year’s award winners.
2018 saw a 117% increase in applications, from over 100 properties across 12 different countries. Winners of each category were decided by the expert judging panel through a two-round process and based on a combination of facts presented in the applications, interviews, and testimonials. The 17 award winners were presented with their prestigious trophies by one of the five judges alongside a representative from the partnering companies. This year’s partners included Nespresso who were supporting the platform for the fourth year running, as well as Pernod Ricard, BMW, Hertz and The Show company. The judging panel was comprised of experts who, between them, hold a significant amount of industry specific skills and knowledge. Those judges were, Alison Gilmore, Portfolio Director of International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), Christophe Laurent, Values Ambassador of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Jenny Soo, Head of Workplace Experience APAC, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants Pte, Christine Gamarra, Senior Operations Lead for LRA by Deloitte and Michel Lamunière, Chairman & CEO, Edipresse Asia.
Taking home the “ General Manager of the Year” Award for Asia was Matthew Cooper, General ManagerJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square. “Wow what a surprise! On behalf of the associates at Dongdaemun Square, it is not my awards, these guys that I work with are simply stars, they are my family. Tonight I am super proud to work with Marriott International. Everyone thinks it’s this big monster company, but deep down we are all about our associates and our families and looking after each other. I would like to shout out to the associates at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square, they are everything to me. Thank you very much.”
2018 also marked the debut of The Hotelier Awards Asia hosting its awards ceremony in Singapore. The evening was as dazzling as one could expect from the newly opened hosting venue - Sofitel Singapore City Centre, providing an exquisite fine dining menu created by Executive Head Chef Jean-Charles Dubois and paired with fine wines.Co-Founder, Stephane de Montgros, (pictured above) shared his inspiring opening notes “Five years ago, we founded the platform with one objective: to show appreciation to the most dedicated hoteliers across the region. Hoteliers, who are contributing to creating the most meaningful experiences for their guests. Hoteliers, who are delivering the best financial results for their owners. And maybe most importantly, hoteliers, who are making a positive impact on the lives of their team members and the communities around them.”

The Hotelier Awards prides itself on providing true recognition to the most talented and hardworking professionals that breathe life into a hotel, whilst also inspiring the younger generation to join this ever-growing industry. The awards will continue to draw attention to these exceptional professionals in years to come, giving them the recognition and praise that they deserve. To further develop this, and to ensure that the spotlight lands on as many people as possible, The Hotelier Awards is proud to announce that in 2019, the platform will move into India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, opening up the opportunity to a greater number of hotelier heroes.

Hoteliers from around Asia are kindly welcomed to participate in next year’s exciting Awards.

Visit www.hotelierawards.com for information on application openings for 2019.

The Hotelier Awards Asia 2018 winners are:

General Manager of the Year Matthew Cooper - General Manager- JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square

Chef Hotelier of the Year Azizskandar Awang, Executive Chef- Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort

Concierge Hotelier of the Year Robert Viana, Executive Floor Butler- Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Engineering Hotelier of the Year Jeffrey Adlawan, Chief Engineer- Marco Polo Davao

Finance Hotelier of the Year Peter Toi Huat Heng, Director of Finance- Conrad Centennial Singapore

Food & Beverage Hotelier of the Year Ngakan Made Artana Yasa, Dava Restaurant Manager- Ayana Resort And Spa, Bali

Front Office Hotelier of the Year Ni Nyoman Rekayanti, Director of Rooms- Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton

Reserve Hotel Manager/Resident Manager Kristanti Tannady, Hotel Manager – Sheraton Bali Kuta

Resort House Keeping Hotelier Susan Lam, Director of Housekeeping- The St. Regis Singapore

Human Resources Hotelier of the Year Larsey Guieb, Learning and Development Manager- Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Information Technology Hotelier of the Year Danny Lim, Director of IT- The Fullerton Hotel and The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore

Marketing and Communications Hotelier of the Year Yasmine Hidalgo, PR Director- Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

Owner Representative of the Year Francis R. Ledesma, Owner- Marco Polo Davao Sales Hotelier of the Year Lillian Tan,

Director of Sales and Marketing- Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort

Sommelier Hotelier of the Year Satoru Mori, Executive Sommelier- Conrad Tokyo

The Unsung Hero of the Year I Wayan Dyana Antara "Smiley", Recreation Supervisor- Le Méridien Bali Jimbaran

Wellness & Spa Hotelier of the Year Elva Zhao, Spa Manager- Swissôtel  Merchant Court Singapore