The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre StrengthensLeadership Team.The Luxury Hotel in the Middle East Appoints Four New Ladies and Gentlemen to Senior Management Positions

　　The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre is furtherstrengthening its leadership team, with the appointment of four newLadies and Gentlemen to senior management positions. As the five starhotel nears the end of its second successful year in operation, thenew team members will be integral to the hotel"s ongoing success andto cementing its positioning as a leading luxury hotel in the MiddleEast, and internationally.

　　General Manager, Lothar Quarz comments: "As we head towards the startof our third year in operations, we are looking to take the hotel tothe next level in terms of guest engagement and experience. OurLadies & Gentlemen are fundamental to achieving this and bystrengthening the senior management team with four new members, I amconfident and excited that we have the best people in place, tofurther establish the hotel as a leader in the luxury hotel market."

　　Rania J. Keedy, Director of Sales & Marketing Rania Keedy joins TheRitz-Carlton, DIFC with 12 years of Sales & Marketing experience fromInterContinental Hotels Group. Before joining The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC,Rania was Director of Sales & Marketing for InterContinental Doha TheCity, Qatar, where she was part of the pre-opening team, responsiblefor the commercial and strategic development of the property. Priorto this, Rania spent five years with Crown Plaza Dubai, starting in2006 as Director of Sales, before progressing to DOSM in January2008, where she held the position until March 2011. Rania also spentsix years in sales management positions at InterContinental PhoeniciaBeirut, Lebanon.

　　Lorenzo Maraviglia, Director of Food & Beverage Following threeyears as Director of Food & Beverage at Armani Hotel, Dubai(2009-2012), Lorenzo Maraviglia joins The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC withextensive experience in the luxury food and beverage market. Part ofthe pre-opening team and responsible for six restaurants and twolounges at Armani, Lorenzo successfully helped create the conceptsand launch the hotel"s food and beverage outlets. Prior to Armani,Lorenzo first joined The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, as Food &Beverage Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street, andalso worked at The Dorchester Milan and Le Cirque Restaurant, NewYork City.

　　Benny Darsana, Director of Human Resources Few people can claim theexperience of Benny Darsana, who brings nearly 30 years ofhospitality experience to The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, including 18 hotelopenings across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Benny rejoins TheRitz-Carlton, DIFC as Director of Human Resources, following asecondment to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in a regional capacity,as Area Director of Human Resources for BVLGARI & EDITION, Europe,Middle East & Africa. Prior to this, Benny was with The Ritz-Carlton,DIFC for five months and has been with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Companyfor 16 years, having first joined in 1996, as Front of House Managerfor The Ritz-Carlton, Bali. He has since held positions in fourfurther Ritz-Carlton properties, including Jakarta, Doha, Sharm ElSheikh and Seoul. Immediately prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton,DIFC, Benny was with The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta for six years asDirector of Human Resources.

　　Hannah George, Director of Public Relations Hannah George joins TheRitz-Carlton, DIFC with nearly 10 years of PR & Marketing experiencein the UK and the Middle East. From an agency background, Hannah waspreviously Account Director for leading Dubai-based agency DABO & CO,where she headed-up the Consumer PR Division, delivering strategiccommunications campaigns for luxury and hospitality brands includingHilton Worldwide, Anantara and Vertu. Hannah also spent many years asa PR professional in London, including three years with freudcommunications, managing integrated communications campaigns for avariety of global brands.