Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has honoured its top performing employees and hotels in Asia-Pacific.
The awards ceremony was held at the group’s annual Asia Pacific General Managers Conference 2013 at Radisson Blu Cebu, witnessed by more than 150 general managers and senior executives from Asia Pacific, US and Europe.
“Congratulations to all award winners, whose achievements will inspire us to give our best in whatever we do,” said Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s President of Asia Pacific, Simon C. Barlow.
“With over 170 hotels in operation and under development in Asia Pacific by the end of 2013, our people are the bedrock of our continued success. We have in place an effective HR strategy in hiring, growing and retaining talent which is showing much success. We will continue to invest in our people and build capability within the organization with a culture of innovation and collaboration.
“The newly launched employment value proposition serves to crystallize what current and potential employees will benefit from their professional and personal development at Carlson Rezidor.
“Our goal is to be the number one company to work for and be the bright spot for guests, customers and business partners,” Barlow said.
Topping the list of honours was the President’s Award presented in recognition of a senior executive or a leader who has demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment in an extraordinarily challenging situation. This year, the highly coveted award was presented to K.B. Kachru, chairman, South Asia, who has been the engine behind growing the group’s portfolio of hotels in India. With a record of 32 hotel openings in the last two years alone, his contribution has ensured that Carlson Rezidor is the number one International hotel operator in India today by both number of hotels and number of rooms.
The Employee of the Year award acknowledging an extraordinary employee who has contributed to the guest experience and exemplified Carlson Rezidor’s collaborative culture was presented to Kartik Sahoo, human resources executive at Radisson Blu Nagpur (Managed Hotels) for his willingness to go beyond the call of duty and Sarayu Shayana, sales and marketing at Radisson Blu GRT Chennai (Franchised Hotels) for her exceptional sales performance.
The Asia Pacific Golden Rose award recognizing a Regional Office employee who has contributed to Carlson Rezidor’s Ambition 2015 strategy over the last year was awarded to Michael Lorrigan, senior manager, hotel systems and support services, Asia Pacific, for consistently going beyond his call of duty. His dedication to his work and the exemplary support he provides for his colleagues makes him a deserving winner.
The much sought-after Hotel of the Year awards for Managed and Franchised Hotels, were presented to Radisson Blu Plaza Tianjin and Radisson Blu MBD Noida respectively. Both hotels have achieved their Year-To-Date RevPar and Guest Satisfaction Index (GSI) targets, whilst also improving their employee engagement scores.
The Rising Star of the Year award recognized Park Inn by Radisson Davao – the first of seven Park Inn by Radisson hotels to be opened in Asia Pacific. The hotel has performed exceptionally since its launch in March 2013, securing the ranking of seventh best hotel in the city on TripAdvisor within weeks of opening and running at 85% occupancy in its first month of operation, a tremendous result for a new hotel.
Radisson Blu Hotel Sydney’s financial controller, Jeffrey Wong, was named Finance Leader of the Year. Jeffrey demonstrated an extraordinary ability to form strong working relationships with his team members, with most of them having worked in the department for at least five years. He was also credited with developing talent regionally by taking on the responsibility of mentoring other financial controllers in other Carlson Rezidor hotels in Asia Pacific. In addition, he has also successfully built a solid relationship with his hotel’s owners.
With responsible business at the heart of the group, Carlson Rezidor recognized the hotel that has demonstrated the most success in ongoing community development, particularly its commitment to the Children at Risk initiative. In 2013, the Responsible Business Hotel of the Year award was deservedly presented to Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island, which raised over $50,000 to support eight schools. A Special Commendation Responsible Business Award was also presented to Radisson Blu Plaza Hyderabad Banjara Hills. The team was recognized for its innovative introduction of Sustainability Credit for guests and its commitment to helping the local community by providing medical treatment for over 500 people, including 65 expectant women and 45 children under the age of 10.
List of Award Winners 2013:
Individual Awards
1) President’s Award: K.B. Kachru, chairman, South Asia
2) Employee of the Year (Managed Hotels): Kartik Sahoo, human resources executive of Radisson Blu Nagpur
3) Employee of the Year (Franchised Hotels): Sarayu Shayana, sales & marketing of Radisson Blu GRT Chennai
4) Asia Pacific Golden Rose: Michael Lorrigan, senior manager, hotel systems & support services, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Asia Pacific
5) Rooms Division Leader of the Year: Paul Halford, hotel manager of Radisson Blu Fiji Denarau
6) F&B Leader of the Year: Sharon Chen, food and beverage director of Radisson Blu Plaza Xing Guo Shanghai
7) HR Leader of the Year: Mamta Sharma, human resources manager of Radisson Blu Nagpur
8) Finance Leader of the Year: Jeffrey Wong, financial controller of Radisson Blu Plaza Sydney
9) Sales & Marketing Leader of the Year: Saeed Ahmed, director of sales & marketing, Radisson Blu Water Garden Dhaka
Hotel Awards
1) Rising Star of the Year: Park Inn by Radisson Davao
2) Hotel of the Year (Managed Hotels): Radisson Blu Plaza Tianjin
3) Hotel of the Year (Franchised Hotels): Radisson Blu MBD Noida
4) Country Inns & Suites Hotel of the Year: Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Jaipur
5) Responsible Business Hotel of the Year: Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island
6) Responsible Business Hotel of the Year – Special Commendations: Radisson Blu Hyderabad Banjara Hills