Michael P Wale has been named the new chief executive officer of Kerzner International Holdings. Wale’s successful career, to date, was with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide that spanned almost 40 years, most recently as President for Europe, Africa & Middle East.

Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski in Riyadh has appointed Christian Ruge as its new general manager. Ruge, who graduated in 2003 from Cornell University, US, began his career with InterContinental Frankfurt in Germany. He brings 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry with him into his new position.

Wyndham Hotel Group has named Dimitris Manikis as the president and managing director for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA). He will be based at the company’s London offices. A 27-year veteran of RCI, Manikis possesses deep knowledge of the hospitality industry.

Hilton has strengthened its senior leadership team in the Middle East Region by appointingd William Costley as the new vice president operations for the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. Ben Bengougam, senior vice president human resources, for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), has also moved from the Europe Regional Office to be based out of the Middle East & Africa Regional (MEA) Office in Dubai. Costley comes from the APAC region where he served as VP for South-East Asia and India, overseeing 35 hotels across 11 countries.

Hilton has strengthened its senior leadership team in the Middle East Region by appointingd William Costley as the new vice president operations for the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. Ben Bengougam, senior vice president human resources, for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), has also moved from the Europe Regional Office to be based out of the Middle East & Africa Regional (MEA) Office in Dubai. Costley comes from the APAC region where he served as VP for South-East Asia and India, overseeing 35 hotels across 11 countries.

Sandra Simone Leibrock has joined Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts as director of sales & marketing overseeing Muscat’s Shangri-La Al Husn Resort & Spa and Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa. With over 20 years’ experience, Leibrock has worked in diverse markets across the world.

General Hotel Management (GHM) has named Patrick Moukarzel as general manager of the Al Bait Sharjah, a 53-key hotel scheduled to open later this year. He earlier worked as a food and beverage manager at The Chedi Muscat and as general manager at the group’s properties in Thailand and China.

Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana, Abu Dhabi, has appointed Michael Tiberghien as director of food and beverage. Tiberghien, is a veteran of the hospitality industry, joins from the Sheraton Colombo, Sri Lanka.