| By Cedrina Norlaila
A. Clark
From left, Mr Timothy Ong, Datin Hajah Zainah Bujang, Mr Paul
and Lucy Richardson posing at the Sheraton Utama Hotel function.
Photos: Cedrina Norlaila A. Clark
Mr Timothy Ong presenting a souvenir to Mr Paul Richardson.
Sheraton Utama Hotel in the
Brunei capital hosted a function on Wednesday to bid farewell to
outgoing General Manager, Mr. Paul Richardson, and to introduce
Datin Hajah Zainah Bujang as the hotel's new General Manager.
After two and a half years at
Sheraton Utama Hotel, Brunei, Mr. Richardson will be transferred
to Sheraton Taipei in Taiwan where he will be appointed General
Manager.
Mr. Richardson has successfully
directed Sheraton Utama through several international events
hosted in Brunei, including the ASEAN Tourism Forum and the Asia
Pacific Economic Conference or APEC.
Overseeing the recent $4
million renovation of Sheraton Utama, he provided guidance and
support, praising all associates who had worked under
construction-like environment and personally ensured that all
associates were as comfortable as can be.
Taking over from him is Datin
Hajah Zainah, the former Resident Manager of Sheraton Utama
Hotel. She has been an employee of Sheraton Utama for over 20
years.
With her appointment as General
Manager, Datin Hajah Zainah becomes the second female General
Manager in Asia Pacific Region and the first female General
Manager in Asia under the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc. brand
umbrella.
Yesterday's function was held
at the Mutiara Ballroom and among the distinguished guests were
foreign diplomats in Brunei Darussalam, senior government
officials and representatives from the private sector.
Also present were Minister of
Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Dato (Dr) Haji Awang Hussain
and Mr. Timothy Ong, Chairman of Hotel Associates Sdn Bhd.
Datin Hajah Zainah was
accompanied to the function by her husband, Dato Paduka Hj
Kifrawi bin Dato Paduka Hj Kifli, Attorney General and Public
Prosecutor.
In her speech, Datin Hajah
Zainah said, "Paul is moving on to bigger challenges as
General Manager of Sheraton Taipei Hotel, a 700-room and
14-restaurant property."
She spoke of the hotel's $4
million renovation which began in November 2001 and was
completed in May 2002. "What you see now is the result of
Paul's and our own company's efforts in transforming a
21-year-old hotel into a new contemporary hotel with 21 years of
distinguished service to the community."
A souvenir was presented to Mr.
Richardson by Mr. Timothy Ong after the speech.
|
