SHANGRI-LA’S TANJUNG ARU RESORT AND SPA, KOTA KINABALU ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS

Andrew Steele, general manager of Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sandie Johannessen as CHI The Spa manager, Eri Takekabu as Japanese sales manager, Jeff Lu as sales manager for the Australian and Russian market and Debbie Ng as sales manager for the Chinese market.  

(from left- Jeff Lu, Eri Takekabu,Debbie and Sandie)

Ms Johannessen will be responsible for coordinating sales and promotional ideas for CHI, training, monitoring and evaluating staff performance, developing and understanding needs of the local market and maintaining guest relationships.  She started her career as a Yoga instructor before expanding her talents into the spa industry as a therapist and wellness instructor. Her last posting was with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Maldives as the assistant spa manager.

The responsibilities of the new Japanese sales manager, Ms. Takekabu, include meeting overall sales targets and objectives, maintaining customer relations with the Japanese market, identifying new business opportunities in Japan and developing new marketing strategies to boost revenue and team performance. Ms. Takekabu’s professional experience includes working at Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong and Pudong, Shangri-La, Shanghai.

As the sales manager for the Australian and Russian market, Mr. Lu will be accountable for liaising with counterparts in Australia and Russia, meeting sales targets, generating revenue for the resort, motivating and training the sales team, maintaining detailed knowledge of the company’s products and services and keeping abreast with the competition.  He possesses a Bachelors Degree in Business and International Trading from Victoria College, Canberra, Australia. His professional experience includes working for a 5-star luxury resort in Kota Kinabalu and Malaysia Airlines. 

Similarly, Ms. Ng will also be responsible for developing revenue generated from the Chinese market, preparing business plans and sales strategies for the market, maximizing company revenue and profitability and monitoring the performance and development of the sales team. Ms. Ng’s professional experience includes working for a travel agent and luxury 5-star resort in Kota Kinabalu. She possesses a diploma in tourism management from a local institution.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 66 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands with a rooms inventory of over 30,000.  Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services.  Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.  The group has over 40 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Mongolia, Russia, Qatar, Seychelles, Turkey and United Kingdom.  For more information or reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

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PRESS CONTACT:        Tulip Noorazyze
Director of Communications
Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu
Tel: (60 88) 327 880
Fax: (60 88) 244 871
                Website: www.shangri-la.com