HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST | August 2019 | Volume 18 Issue 08HOTELIER MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 201917
PHILIPPE
VERCRUYSSE
Philippe Vercruysse is
a senior consultant at
TR I Consulting, one
of the region’s leading
management consultancy
firms specialised in the
field of hotels, leisure,
and real estate. In his
professional capacity,
Philippe advises clients on
hotel developments, tourism
destination development
and master planning,
hotel operator selections,
management agreement
negotiations and other
bespoke assignments across
the Middle East and North
Africa. Prior to joining TR I,
Vercruysse held a number of
operational roles at leading
hotel properties in Europe
and Asia. He is a graduate
of Glion Institute of Higher
Education in Switzerland,
where he studied hospitality
management, specialising
in finance, real estate and
revenue management.
MICHELLE KARAM
Michelle Karam began her hospitality career in events and PR 17 years ago. Seven years ago,
she launched Travel Junkie Diary (TJD) which has two arms - TJD Consultancy, which
revolves around working with hotels on marketing strategies and events and Travel with
TJD, an experiential adventure movement. Since 2013, TJD has been taking guests on group
trips to remote destinations with journeys designed to broaden horizons through meaningful
and adventurous experiences. Karam has also worked with many NGOs around the world in
order to create T4AP (Travel For A Purpose), a platform which helps match volunteers with
the right NGO or humanitarian programme.TALAL AL RASHED
Talal al Rashed is a Kuwaiti
luxury travel and hospitality
expert who has been living
in Dubai since 2013. He is
the region’s leading reviewer
of hotels and fine dining
establishments and runs
his own luxury hospitality
consulting firm, The
Contourage. Al Rasheed
attended the Glion Institute
of Higher Education in
Montreux, Switzerland,
and has worked in hotels in
Switzerland, Turkey, KSA
and the UAE.RABIH FEGHALI
Born and raised in Abu
Dhabi, Rabih Feghali is a
third-generation hotelier
and a graduate of the
Les Roches Hotel School
in Switzerland and the
University of Nevada Las
Vegas. He spent the first
decade of his career in
New York City working
at properties including
The New York Palace and
The Plaza. Feghali then
returned to the Middle East
assuming the role of general
manager at a boutique hotel
in Abu Dhabi and director
of hospitality development
at a financial institution
in Beirut. He then spent
six years at hospitality
consulting powerhouse
Ròya International, before
joining The Red Sea
Development Company as
director of hospitality.NAIM MADAAD
With more than 38 years
in the hospitality world
across Australia, Asia and
the Middle East in various
senior management roles,
Naim Madaad has launched
and operated renowned
hotels, resorts, spas and
F&B concepts. In 2010,
Madaad established Gates
Hospitality, a hospitality
company representing
home-grown brands
including Ultra Brasserie,
Reform Social & Grill, Folly
by Nick & Scott, Publique,
Bistro Des Arts, Six Senses
Zighy Bay, Stokehouse and
Verve at the newly opened
Grand Plaza Mövenpick in
Dubai ’s Media City.