Stelliers, formally known as The Hotelier Awards, shortlists hospitality professionals for their excellence.
Bangkok, Thailand – The Stelliers, formally known as The Hotelier Awards announced over 160 finalists for the 2019 Asia & South Asia region. “Stelliers” was officially unveiled as the new identity for the Awards earlier this year, as it perfectly represents the leading “stars” of the hospitality world.
Moving into its celebrated sixth edition, the platform remains the only Award recognition of its kind in Asia. 2019 marked the expansion into yet another region, South Asia. For the first time ever, applicants were welcomed from all seven countries in South Asia, which as a result saw the largest number of overall entries ever received.
This year’s Awards include entries from a total of 19 countries. Applicants from these regions have been divided into two competitions with Asia consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, and South Asia consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Ahead of the Grand Awards Ceremony in May, an intimate cocktail reception was held last night at The Waldorf Astoria in Bangkok where an average of 5 finalists for each category were announced by the judges, who flew in from around the world to finalise their selection. The evening welcomed a wide community of hospitality professionals, gathered in celebration at the newly opened hotel property.
The Stelliers Finalist Announcement shone the light on a wide spread of hoteliers across all departments of a hotel, from the Unsung Heroes, to Housekeeping and Front office, right through to the General Manager and Corporate hoteliers.
Corporate hoteliers from APAC celebrated their success after being shortlisted to the finals, these included, Markus Engel, Co-Founder and CEO of Urban Resort Concepts (URC), Shanghai, Man-Ho Seung, CEO of Seoul Dragon City, Philip Wei, Managing Director of BTL Hospitality, Beijing and Tony Chisholm, Chief Operating Officer of GCP Hospitality, Bangkok.
Hoteliers recognised for their humble dedication to their work were honoured under the Unsung Hero category. The top five nominees for the South Asia Unsung Hero category included Parmod Kumar, Carpenter at The Westin Mumbai Garden City, India, Shekhar Dashrath Pawase, Food & Beverage Executive at Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan, India, Omkar Desai, Horticultrist at Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, India, Aarti Dhutre, Security Attendant at The Westin Mumbai garden City, India and Manoj Chiller, Chauffeur at The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi, India. Unsung Hero finalists for the the Asia competition included Sam Van, Director of Engineering at Rosewood Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sokuntheary Ros, Chief Accountant at The Plantation – Urban Resort & Spa, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Ramesh Pillai, Security Manager of Capella Singapore, Cirilo Alerta, Landscape Manager at City Of Dreams Manila, Philippines, and Kim Sung Wong, Director, Public Area Department of Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
The platform boasts a panel of renowned professionals, each with a plethora of industry expertise. This high-ranking jury includes Julia Monk, Senior Principal & Director of Hospitality Design, HOK, Christine Gamarra, Senior Operations Lead for LRA by Deloitte, Jenny Soo, Regional Director & Head of Workplace Experience Corporate Solutions Asia Pacific at JLL – Jones Lang LaSalle, Christophe Laurent Values Ambassador at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and Guy Heywood, Former Chief Operating Officer Asia of Two Roads Hospitality Regional Office.
Stelliers prides itself on providing true recognition to the most talented and hardworking professionals that breathe life into a hotel, whilst also inspiring the younger generation to join this ever-growing industry.
The newly presented identity builds upon this mission and paves the way for the industry’s future leading lights. The name Stelliers derives from the Latin word Stella Polaris, which is the brightest star in its constellation, and is often referred to as the pointer of the sky, representing each individual hotelier. The Awards will continue to shine a light on these exceptional professionals in years to come, giving them the recognition and praise that they deserve.
All winners for Asia & South Asia 2019 will be announced and celebrated during a spectacular Awards ceremony on the 28th May 2019 in Singapore. The prestigious evening will be full of celebratory cheer, welcoming industry professionals from across Asia to support the finalists as the winners are revealed.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
