QT Perth names Steven James as GM
QT Hotels and Resorts has appointed Steven James as General Manager of QT Perth.
James brings over 14 years of hospitality experience, starting out at Rydges South Bank in 2008 where he worked across various departments over the next eight years.
From there, he travelled the country with EVT, working across five other hotels, and holding the General Manager at three of these properties. He joins QT Perth from the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges.
“I am thrilled to be leading the team as the General Manager of QT Perth, one of the state’s top hotels,” James said.
“It’s an exciting new chapter for me professionally, and I look forward leading such a talented team and delivering our highly individualised signature service and QT quirk, unique to QT Perth.”
Holiday Inn Express Hotel Managers appointed
Pro-invest Hotels has announced two key appointments within its Sydney hotel network.
Tejas Amin has been promoted to the role of Hotel Manager at Holiday Inn Express Sydney Macquarie Park, while Daniel Pearce has been appointed Hotel Manager at Holiday Inn Express Sydney Airport.
Tejas has almost a decade of experience working for luxury hotels in India including Taj Hotels, Leela Palaces and Movenpick. After relocating to Australia in 2017, Tejas worked as a F&B attendant at Holiday Inn Express Adelaide and has worked his way up the ranks over the last five years.
Pearce was responsible for managing hotel operations at Holiday Inn Express Macquarie Park for the past year. He brings more than 17 years hospitality experience having worked at a number of Sydney properties including Little National Hotel Sydney, Meriton Suites Sydney, Adina Apartment Hotels, Travelodge, Medina and Vibe Hotel North Sydney.
“It’s been a busy year for us with continued growth in key cities across Australia and New Zealand and we’re excited to have both Tejas and Daniel in the business,” said Pro-invest Hotels Head of Operations, Shantha de Silva.
“It’s been wonderful to watch Tejas’ growth in the business as well as seeing Daniel’s management experience advance further. Their recent appointments are a testament to their incredible talent and hard work, and I know they will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Top chefs take the helm at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne
Michael Greenlaw and Mark Best will lead The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne’s culinary offering when the hotel opens in March 2023.
Greenlaw, who takes up the position of Executive Chef, has spent over 15 years working in five-star hotels and Michelin-starred and hatted restaurants, including Bibendum in London, Gilt in New York and Melbourne’s Vue de Monde.
He partners with Best who will serve as Culinary Advisor. Best is described as “an icon of the new Australian Cuisine”. He opened his first restaurant Peninsula Bistro in 1990, and second restaurant Marque in 1999, which has scored three Australian Chef Hats in its time.
“Our vision for the dining experience at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is driven by a quest for the unusual, the hard to find and the hyper-seasonal,” said Greenlaw.
“It’s this quest that shapes the way we source our produce, informs our menus and inspires the culinary experiences we create for diners. We want Melbournians as well as guests to adopt our restaurant as their own.”
Best described Greenlaw as “one of the quiet heroes of the Australian culinary scene”.
“His food is thoughtful but also unexpected, beautiful but never stuffy,” he said.
“The experience will be all about what is on the plate, and Michael and I just love the fact that you can look out the windows and see where the food on your plate is sourced; from the Macedon Ranges in the west to the Dandenongs to the east, and Port Philip Bay stretching out in front of you. It gives a deep sense of connection and that sense of place that sits at the heart of what The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is all about.”