Friday 19 May 2017

GHANA: Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast Accra And Villa Rosa Kempinski Get New General Managers

Villa Rosa Kempinski earlier today announced the appointment of hospitality guru, Mr. Kees Heuveling, as the new General Manager, replacing Mr. Manish Nambiar who moved to the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast Accra, Ghana.

Kees’s immediate former position was as a General manager of the luxurious Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square, Vilnius, Lithuania, for three years.

The career hotelier has over 30-year experience working with some of the world’s finest hotel brands spanning in three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa.

A Dutch national, Kees is fluent in four languages, English, German, French & Dutch. The globe-trotting hotelier has worked in Germany, France, Holland, Great Britain, China, South Korea, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Greece, Abu Dhabi, Lithuania and Chad where he worked as General Manager of the Kempinski N‘Djamena.

Kees is not new to the Kempinski brand. He has worked with the European luxury hospitality brand for 10 years in various positions, including top management.

He was the General Manager of Kempinski Hotel N’Djamena Chad for 3 years, Hotel Manager, Emirates Palace Hotel Abu Dhabi and The Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, Dead Sea, Jordan.

He also has a decade experience working with Intercontinental Group of Hotels (IGH).

Keen, who describes himself as a lover of modern art, hiking, sailing, reading and music, said I am delighted to be in Kenya and in charge of Kempinski flagship in East Africa and one of a kind tented camp in Masai Mara.

Meanwhile, As part of Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra’s recent re-certification by Green Globe, it has for the first time published their environmental initiatives on their global website, along with other Mövenpick hotels in Africa.

Through the concerted efforts of management and staff, The Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra has been awarded Green Globe Gold Membership.

Gold Membership is in commemoration of five successive years of compliance to the Green Globe Standard, a worldwide certification program, developed specifically for the travel and tourism industry to assess sustainability performances.

As part of the hotel’s recent re-certification, Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra has for the first time published their environmental initiatives on their global website, along with other Mövenpick hotels in Africa.

This initiative transparently shares the hotel’s sustainability actions and demonstrates the continuous improvement on previous performances. Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra’s Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management Plan can be accessed from this link with details on reductions in energy and water consumption, and also improvements on the amount of waste recycled.

Community development initiatives conducted by Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra include a blood donation campaign to help replenish bloodstock in the National Blood Transfusion Service.

In total, 22 employees successfully donated blood to support the cause. To further encourage the spirit of giving among hotel employees, an auction was held earlier this year by staff to raise much need funds for selected organizations.

During the year, the hotel also reached out to the local community with an invitation to children from the Woodfield Manor Special Needs School, bringing children with autism to join in Christmas celebrations and a hosted dinner with gifts.

An educational partnership with the Accra Polytechnic was also be established, which has helped to improve the college’s Hospitality Management Curriculum and develop professional capacity for the future.

Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra is a proud sponsor of events that benefit their destination. The Ghana Wildlife Society’s Corporate Partners Lunch was fully supported by the hotel as part of their Biodiversity Conservation initiative.

Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra also provided room night as a co-sponsor of the 2016 Accra Millennium Marathon, held in September to promote good health, tourism and trade.

The annual Hotel Optimizer Report, compiled by Green Globe Preferred Partner FARNEK Middle East, showed the hotel has made more than 5% genuine savings (accounting for all variables impacting in its energy consumption) compared to the base year, 2014. Specifically, the hotel recorded a 2.48% reduction in electricity consumption and a 12.93% reduction in fuel consumption.

Total CO2 emissions consequently reduced by 3.5% compared to the previous year resulting to 250t CO2e not being released. This saving is the equivalent of a Boeing 747 flying for 8 hours non-stop and is reflected in an energy cost reduction of over USD$82,000.

To further improve on these gains, a Management Energy Committee has been set up to review initiatives from Heads of Departments on how energy consumption can be further reduced. The hotel is also in the process of conducting an energy audit to identify opportunities to optimize its equipment and plan the required investments required over the next 5 years to reduce its impact.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an international upscale hotel management company with over 16,000 staff members, is represented in 24 countries with 83 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation. Around 20 properties are planned or under construction, including those in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Bali (Indonesia) and Marrakech (Morocco).

Focusing on expanding within its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts specializes in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts, all reflecting a sense of place and respect for their local communities.

Of Swiss heritage and with headquarters in central Switzerland (Baar), Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about delivering premium service and culinary enjoyment – all with a personal touch. Committed to supporting sustainable environments, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has become the most Green Globe-certified hotel company in the world.

The hotel company is owned by Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%). For more information, please visit movenpick.com

Green Globe is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries.

Green Globe is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). For information, please visit greenglobe.com

Green Globe is a member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

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