Tag Archives: COO

Onur Dedeköylü, who has been working as Senior Vice President for Marketing at Pegasus Airlines since 2010 and has made significant contributions to the company’s ancillary product management, digital transformation and to building the Pegasus brand, has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer. Onur Dedeköylü will manage the Commercial division, consisting of the sales, network planning, marketing, revenue management and pricing, guest experience and cargo departments. Onur Dedeköylü is a graduate of Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University and holds an MBA degree in marketing and finance from Georgia State University in Atlanta. He began his career at Gillette working in the fields of sales and marketing. After working at the global headquarters of Kimberly Clark’s health products division in Atlanta, USA, he continued his career in the UK. He worked in the fields of market research, product development and brand management at Hasbro’s European headquarters in the UK. He continued his career at the Coca-Cola Company, managing the Coca-Cola brand in Turkey. In 2010, Onur Dedeköylü joined Pegasus Airlines as Senior Vice President. In this role, he was responsible for brand management, ancillary product development and management, digital channels management, data analytics and loyalty management functions. Onur Dedeköylü started his role as Chief Commercial Officer on 13 May 2022.

Citymax Hotels launched its new brand identity that is being rolled out in phases across the group’s portfolio of hotels. All operating hotels will be renovated to provide guests with a more contemporary experience while leveraging the brand value of Citymax Hotels. Russel Sharpe, COO, Citymax Hotels, stated, “Citymax Hotels is being revitalised through a series of marketing and product design improvements to meet our guests’ expectations and strengthen our market positioning. Everyone loves something extra- be it extra space, extra comfort, extra connectivity or extra value and that’s exactly what Citymax has to offer.” The first hotel to implement the new brand identity along with product enhancement is Citymax Hotel Al Barsha. The hotel has renovated its reception, lobby, corridors and guestrooms along with bathrooms on first, second and third floors with an imaginative design concept. Other facilities, including the dining outlets, will also be enhanced over the next few months.

The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), an environmental tourism developer in the Middle East, will announce exclusive updates regarding its business management and project expansion during World Travel Market London 2017 to be held from November 6-8. Shurooq will reveal its latest property management appointments, updates on its project phases and partnerships with new tour operators. Figures released by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority in August showed that the emirate’s hospitality sector is currently worth AED 372 million (USD 101 million) per annum, following an increase in revenue of 7.8 per cent in the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period last year. Ahmad Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Shurooq, said, “It’s an exciting time for Shurooq as we begin new partnerships and complete new phases across our portfolio. The level of tourism investment that Sharjah is attracting continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. World Travel Market London is an ideal opportunity for us to share our news with all those involved in the hospitality industry as well as fellow developers and foreign investors.”

The fourth annual Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) concluded recently with 174 sellers from around Indonesia representing the tourism and hospitality industry, from tour operators to chain hotels and resorts as well as provincial tourism offices, along with 264 buyers from 54 countries. Co-hosted by South Sumatra Province, the fourth annual travel fair also organised several pre-tour programmes, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, to several destinations, including Mount Bromo and Labuan Bajo. MichiDe International, the Dubai-based luxury travel expert, gave an opportunity to the media from the Middle East to be a part of this event. For the fourth Bali & Beyond Travel Fair, the committee collaborated with MichiDe International. By collaborating with MichiDe, the committee aimed to bring in key international buyers and high-profile media from the Middle East region to Bali and expand the success of the travel fair beyond the boundaries of Indonesia. MichiDe’s Chief Executive Officer Gessy Gitapuri remains dedicated to position Bali as the leading destination in South East Asia for the elite travellers from the Middle East.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) is all set to become a smart airport. Every step of the on-boarding process at HIA, from check-in to boarding, will be self-service-enabled to significantly improve efficiency and reduce wastage of time, facilitating fast and seamless experience for the travellers. It will soon be introducing its next-generation self-service check-in and bag drop services, which will enable passengers to check in themselves, print their boarding passes and baggage tags, tag their bags and simply drop them off at the custom-designed bag-drop system. COO of Hamad International Airport, Badr Al–Meer, stated, “We want to be different and ensure that our passengers can self-check-in, drop the baggage and go right up to the aircraft without any human interaction. This would be phase 1 in reaching the Smart Airport standard. Phase 2 of our expansion plans includes a new terminal, the same size as that of the current airport.”

Ferghal Purcell, COO, Hospitality Management Holding (HMH), welcomed Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, the new General Manager of Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD), at Bahi Ajman Palace Hotel. During his visit,  Geziry met the various team members as well as saw the fabulous facilities at the hotel. Congratulating Saleh Al Geziry on his new role, Purcell said, “It is an enormous privilege to welcome Mr. Saleh Al Geziry at Bahi Ajman Palace Hotel. Over the years we have enjoyed working closely with Ajman Tourism Development Department and are eager to continue our collaboration. In keeping with the vision of the authorities, Mr. Saleh Al Geziry has got exciting plans for promoting Ajman that will further accelerate the demand for this superb destination.  We are thrilled to be part of it and delighted to extend our full support.”