IHG Hotels & Resorts, a global hospitality company,  has announced the appointment of veteran hotelier Sayed Tayoun as General Manager of Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park.

With more than twenty years’ experience in hospitality operations & commercial leadership in the region, Sayed has been leading and inspiring teams across different IHG brands to excel in operational standards & achieve rooms, F&B & other revenues streams at optimum profitability. A Graduate with BA in Hospitality Management from Notre Dame University in Lebanon, an achiever in online career enhancement programs from Cornell University and Harvard Business School.

Most recently, he was named the Cluster Hotel Manager of the InterContinental Hotels at Dubai Festival City, where he led operations for the multi-branded complex of over 1,598 rooms, 10,000 square meters of events space, and 11 award-winning F&B outlets; introduced new F&B concepts in the business; and initiated more than 20 key projects to enhance the guest experience and drive revenues.

Together with his leadership team, Sayed is pouring his considerable energies towards bringing IHG Hotels & Resorts’ “Journey to Sustainability” to life in Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park through a variety of channels such as a no single-use plastic policy, an in-house water bottling plant, and digital amenities to reduce the use of paper in all the guest rooms, suites and apartments.

Built inside the hotel, the water bottling plant, for example, reduces the consumption of at least 1,500 plastic bottles a day by producing glass bottled water instead. The bottling plant has a 3,400-liter capacity, generating 80 litres per hour of cold still water, ambient still water, and sparkling water.

“With travel bouncing back, it’s important that people have options for accommodations that help them reduce their carbon footprint,” Sayed said.

“Many hotels have already begun by limiting the use of single-use plastics, and our hotel in particular, has implemented the use of eco-friendly products from eco bags, plantable seed pens, pencils & notebooks and biodegradable vanity kits as a replacement to traditional plastic toiletries, but we want to go an even bigger step further with pioneering innovations like our water bottling plant. In this way, we provide our signature hospitality and service to our guests while being environmentally responsible.

“Our vision is for Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park is to become one of the city’s most vibrant communal hubs. It is important for our guests, both local and international, to feel a sense of place and familiarity when they stay with us. Our aim is to support the local community by providing a place where people come together for business, social or leisure. We also plan to offer unique experiences that encourage local exploration and support local businesses and attractions,” Sayed added.

Sayed has worked to champion diversity and inclusivity in the workplace including improving the hotel’s Emiratization program; implementing a flexible schedule for working mothers in the hotel; and ensuring gender equality amongst the employees of Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park, with a diverse number of nationalities, and is still opening its doors for more.

Holiday Inn & Suites will soon be opening its doors at the Dubai Science Park, a thriving community that fosters development in the medical, wellness, pharma, and technology sectors while being ideally located near Dubai’s beaches, golf courses and malls.

The hotel features a sleek and brand-transforming public space design which will allow the guests to meet, relax and socialize, as well as 324 guestrooms, suites and one-bedroom apartments conceptualized to optimize guest comfort. Integrating a modern approach, all hotel rooms, suites and apartments include features such as a Digital TouchPad panel and a Bluetooth speaker with wireless charging. Upper-scale one-bedroom suites will also be equipped with a built-in kitchenette, cookware and flatware, washer and dryer – facilities that are quintessential to long-staying guests.

The hotel also includes seven ultra-modern collapsible events and conference space and an extensive upper mid-scale ballroom, all equipped with modern technology, which can accommodate over 340 guests. For recreation, the hotel will have a fully equipped fitness centre, an outdoor pool and a sizeable activity space.

The hotel will have a sleek pool bar; Kitchen25, a restaurant serving international cuisine; and Café Verde, a café that will feature smart, communal working spaces, as well as McGettigan’s - the famous Irish pub. – TradeArabia News Service