SHANGHAI, June 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Keith Hardie has been appointed General Manager of 770-room Le Royal Meridien Shanghai, effective June 2008, announced Qian Jin, Senior Vice President for Operations, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, China.
In his new role, Mr. Hardie will be responsible for all aspects of Le Royal Meridien Shanghai operations, enhancing employee development, guest satisfaction, strategic planning and brand recognition.
A 31-year hotel industry veteran, Keith Hardie has been with Starwood Hotels & Resorts for 14 years, most recently at The Westin Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok as General Manager. In this capacity, he administered all areas directly under his supervision to ensure that every aspect of the Hotel met Westin brand standards. The Hotel won numerous Best in Class awards and Mr. Hardie was also awarded by his industry peers. Previously, Mr. Hardie was General Manager of El Gezirah Sheraton Hotel, Towers & Casino Cairo.
Prior to Mr. Hardie's career with Starwood, he held management positions at Muscat Inter-Continental Hotel, Shangri-la's Fijian Resort, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Manila and The London Marriott Hotel at Grosvenor Square.
A British citizen, Mr. Hardie was educated in the UK from where he procured tertiary-level qualifications from both Newport College of Arts and Technology and Ealing College. He began his career as a Graduate Management trainee with Trust House Forte in 1977 and received his first overseas posting to Dubai 29 years ago. Mr. Hardie and his wife Olivia have been married 25 years and have three boys each born in different countries. Apart from the commitment to family, Keith's additional interests include golf, sailing and rugby.
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Caption: Mr. keith Hardie's Apointment photo
Note to Editors:
Le Royal Meridien Shanghai
Located in 789 Nanjing Road East, Le Royal Meridien is in the centre of Shanghai. The tallest landmark building in Shanghai Puxi with an ultra modern design, the location of Le Royal Meridien is second to none. Stylish and sophisticated, the five-star deluxe Le Royal Meridien Shanghai has the best facilities in Shanghai. 770 luxurious guest rooms and suites that showcase views of the mighty Huangpu River, People's Square, or the Shanghai skyline. With 10 exciting restaurants and bars, 2,000 square meters of meeting space, two naturally lit Grand Ballrooms and numerous breakout rooms; the hotel offers facilities unmatched by any other.
Le Meridien
Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, with its portfolio of more than 120 luxury and upscale hotels in 52 countries worldwide, is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. The majority of Le Meridien properties are located in the world's top cities and resorts throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. In the 2005 Luxury Brand Status Index survey Le Meridien was recognised as one of the top 15 luxury hotel brands. For more information, please visit http://www.lemeridien.com .
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, W(R), Le Meridien(R) and the recently announced AloftSM and ElementSM Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit http://www.starwoodhotels.com/pressclub
