Carlson Asia Pacific Gala Awards Winners - EDITED

Carlson Rezidor has celebrated the achievements of its 2014 top-performing Asia Pacific employees and hotels at a gala awards dinner.

Attended by hotel owners, senior executives and general managers, the event was one of the highlights of Carlson Rezidor’s annual Asia Pacific Business Conference, held at Radisson Blu Plaza Chongqing.

“I congratulate all the winners and applaud them for their inspiring achievements. Our people are the backbone of our business,” said Carlson Rezidor Asia-Pacific President, Thorsten Kirschke.

“They bring our brands to life, shape the guest experience and deliver on our promise. I am proud of our team, whose capability and commitment to excellence put us in a strong position as we continue to grow and advance towards our 2020 goal of having 200 hotels in operation across Asia Pacific,” he said.

The General Manager of the Year award recognizes a role model who provides excellent leadership and demonstrates the ability to drive performance and guest satisfaction. The award was won by Nishan Silva of Radisson Blu Cebu who has strengthened the positioning of the hotel and its revenue performance. He has been the driving force behind creative marketing concepts, increased brand awareness and business wins involving some of the leading MICE conferences in Asia Pacific. He has also delivered on talent development, actively supported Responsible Business activities and worked hand in hand with the tourism council to promote Cebu.

This year’s Employee of the Year award, which recognizes the employee who sets an extraordinary example and demonstrates an exceptional attitude, was presented to Zeba Razmi, front office executive, Radisson Blu Pune Karadi. Zeba is a dedicated team player who lives the Yes I Can! service philosophy and has distinguished herself by always going the extra mile to make guests happy. In recognition of her work ethic, efficiency and productivity, Zeba was previously also awarded several accolades, including Superstar of the Month, by her hotel.

The Hotel of the Year award honors the Asia Pacific hotel that has delivered great results, across key metrics including guest satisfaction, service performance and brand standards. The award went to Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World. The team has demonstrated great resolve and resourcefulness, and achieved excellent results in spite of a challenging and competitive operating environment. By committing to people development, innovation and collaboration, as well as working closely with the regional team to fully leverage Carlson Rezidor’s revenue optimization tools, the team exceeded its revenue and profit targets to deliver exceptional value to the owners.

List of award winners:
-General Manager of the Year: Nishan Silva, Radisson Blu Cebu
-Employee of the Year: Zeba Razmi, front office executive, Radisson Blu Pune Kharadi
-Hotel of the Year: Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World
-Country Inns & Suites Hotel of the Year: Country Inns & Suites Goa Candolim
-New Hotel of the Year: Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok
-President’s Award: Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar
-Golden Rose Award: Valerie Cheng, manager, Hotel Finance, Asia Pacific
-Sales Team of the Year: Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit
-Responsible Business Hotel of the Year: Radisson Blu Nagpur
-Yes I Can! Award: Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management