InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has appointed Marvin Alballi as the new Director of Restaurants and Bars for India, the Middle East and Africa.
Alballi studied in Europe, graduating with a degree in hotel and catering management. He spent over a decade working in the Middle East, including senior roles in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Dubai. He has led multiple regional franchises including Chili’s, Caribou Coffee, Fuddrucker’s and Applebee’s.
World Leisure Holidays recently appointed Elaine Durr as its new Operations Director.
Durr has been promoted from her previous role as the company’s Reservation Manager, and has been part of the business for 21 years.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has appointed Gloria Guevara Manzo as its new CEO and President.
Guevara previously served as Secretary of Tourism for Mexico and CEO of the Mexican Tourism Board from 2010 until 2012, as well as Minister in the Cabinet of President Felipe Calderón.
Prior to that, she worked for global distribution system Sabre, where she was most recently CEO for Sabre Mexico.
Guevara is currently Special Adviser on government affairs for the Centre of Health and the Global Environment at the School of Public Health, Harvard.
Faircity Hotels has appointed Tristan Latouf as Executive Chef of the two restaurants at the Faircity Falstaff Hotel and the Faircity Quatermain Hotel in Gauteng.
Le Petit Sel and Sel et Poivre were formerly run by Burundian Chef, Coco Reinarhz. The two restaurants have recently been rebranded to Falstaff Bistro and Quatermain Bistro respectively.
Latouf started washing dishes at an Italian restaurant over weekends for extra money, one day unexpectedly filling in for the Salad Chef, and the rest was history.
One of his career highlights was working with Antonio Carluccio, a well-respected Italian cookery writer, cook, restaurateur and food expert, who now has 96 restaurants across London. Latouf worked in his flagship restaurant as Sous Chef.
Latouf came second in the Carluccio’s Italian Cook’s Competition, receiving the Escoffier Society Award, winning the tender for the launch of Lamborghini’s Aventador, and being a finalist in the International Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition.
