Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives Boosts Sales & Marketing with New Appointments

With a number of appointments, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives has bolstered its Sales & Marketing section to support the resort's renewed emphasis on India, Europe/UK, the United States, China, and Middle Eastern target markets.

Following Covid-19, we, like many other resorts throughout the world, have closely examined our business, where it comes from, and which geographic markets require additional attention. The modifications we have made to improve customer service and revenue, said Mark Eletr, general manager of the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives.

Each member of our team actively contributes in their area of speciality. We do well working cooperatively to strike a balance between the strong personalities' particular viewpoints and tactical decision-making. Our revenue meetings are a lot of fun, let me just say that," he continued.

With Inad Ibrahim's approaching departure from the position—which she held for a number of years—Mike Tan Yan, who has just been named Director of Sales & Marketing and is headquartered on the island, will assume overall leadership on May 1.

Dhawal Vyas began working as the Director of Sales for India in April. Dhawal is widely renowned in his industry and spends time on the island as well as driving leisure business there.

Simona Dobre, who has over 25 years of experience in senior-level sales and marketing roles, most recently in the UAE, has joined as Director of Sales - Europe/USA. She has a network of international operators, travel agencies, and DMCs. Simona, a specialist in the wholesale and leisure industries, divides her time between Miami, Florida, and Romania.

Sharon Garrett, a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience, oversees marketing remotely from New Zealand. She is in charge of marketing, communications, partnerships, public relations, and product development and has a wealth of expertise working with well-known businesses in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

As the resort's new marketing communications manager, Priyanka Sarkar will place a strong emphasis on influencer visits and new media. The brains behind operations and marketing are united by Priyanka. It's her first acting position in the Maldives.

The team that supports the property's social media activities on-property creative development has recently marked the one-year anniversary of working with experienced graphic designer Shaimaa Shebl from Egypt.

A crucial team member in charge of eCommerce and overseeing the on-site bookings staff is Maldivian Fahud Ali. Fahud completes the team despite not being a recent hire; he has spent more than 11 years working his way up at IHG. With a strong focus on OTAs and direct bookings, he plays a key role in helping the resort achieve its objectives.

Justine Thomas, Director of Revenue headquartered in Bangkok, who joined the team at the end of 2022, keeps this group of driven individuals focused on financial objectives and revenue. Justine adds to the team years of revenue experience working with well-known businesses.

Ying Wang, a Chinese national who has been appointed Sales Executive with responsibility for the China market, and a soon-to-be-announced island-based Sales Manager to support the leisure sales directors have also been appointed by the property. Worldwide, specialised agencies have been hired to provide assistance in important target areas and specialised fields.

"Remote and flexible working are now more widely accepted in our modern environment. We could seek to people with the experience we need without them having to actually reside on the island where we have limited housing thanks to that and the technology and resources to make it a success. I believe it to be a win-win situation, but only time will tell if the plan produces the results we are looking for. Mark added.

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We have exciting plans for the future as a four-star resort catering to the mid-market in what is considered a premium destination, and we are thrilled to have put together a strong and experienced team to drive those ambitions forward from a Sales & Marketing standpoint. Our budgets just couldn't have allowed for this level of experience if we had attempted to hire according to the standard hiring approach. We can control payroll and payroll-related expenditures and recruit top employees by utilising remote working. Just changing the perspective and framing the situation is all that is required.

On the Visit Maldives booth at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai from May 1–4, 2023, General Manager Mark Eletr will be joined by Mike Tan Yan, the newly appointed Director of Sales & Marketing.