Hospitality
DAMAC HOSPITALITY CAPS A MILESTONE YEAR WITH MORE THAN 30 INDUSTRY AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
DAMAC Hospitality continues to strengthen its position as leaders in luxury, lifestyle and experience-led hospitality, driven by consistent industry recognition across their growing portfolio.
DAMAC Hospitality, which includes DAMAC Hotels & Resorts, secured over 30 prestigious accolades across some of the region’s most respected hospitality platforms, reflecting excellence in hotel performance, brand innovation, wellness, leadership, sustainability, dining and nightlife. These recognitions underscore the group’s commitment to creating immersive, design-led and emotionally engaging hospitality experiences.
The portfolio has been recognised across leading industry platforms including the Hotel & Catering Big Nightlife Awards, Leaders in Hospitality Awards, Hotelier Middle East, Arabia Travel Awards, Zenith Awards, DET and the Hozpitality Excellence Awards. The accolades celebrate achievements spanning guest experience, operational excellence, innovation, team performance and sustainability.
Paramount Hotel Dubai, Paramount Hotel Midtown, DAMAC Maison Aykon City, alongside the brand’s legacy DAMAC Maison properties, have all been honoured, reinforcing their growing influence within Dubai’s lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality landscape. Each recognition reflects not only operational success, but the emotional connection these hotels create through storytelling, design and elevated guest engagement.
Leadership recognition has been a defining pillar across the portfolio, with senior executives acknowledged at platforms such as the Fluxx Awards ME for excellence in leadership, culture and innovation. Members of the DAMAC Hospitality leadership team continue to feature among the industry’s most influential figures, shaping the future direction of hospitality in the region and beyond.
“These recognitions are a powerful reflection of the people behind the brand their creativity, resilience and unwavering commitment to excellence,” said Dean Rossilli, Senior Vice President of DAMAC Hospitality. “Each award reinforces our belief in building hospitality experiences that are not only commercially successful but culturally relevant and emotionally engaging for our guests.”
With continued investment in leadership, lifestyle concepts and immersive storytelling, DAMAC Hospitality remain focused on redefining modern hospitality, setting new benchmarks across the region and expanding their influence within the global hospitality narrative.
Notable recognitions and awards received in 2025 include:
- DET Sustainability Awards 2025 – Winner – Dubai Sustainable Tourism Gold Stamp, Paramount Hotel Midtown
- Professional Beauty Awards 2025 – Winner – City Spa of the Year & Marketing Campaign of the Year , PAUSE Spa, Paramount Hotel Midtown
- Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2025 – Winner – Rising Star of the Industry, Owen Mbabvu, Paramount Hotel Dubai
- Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2025 – Top 10% Worldwide, Paramount Hotel Dubai
- Big Nightlife Awards 2025 – Winner – Best Off-Beat Nightlife Venue, Flashback Speakeasy
- Middle East Awards 2025 – Nicholas Chalmers, GM of the Year (City Hotel), Finalist, Paramount Hotel Dubai
- Hozpitality Chef Excellence Awards 2025 – Commended Female Chef of the Year – Aye Ngon Phu,
- Hozpitality Chef Excellence Awards 2025 – Head Chef of the Year, Htet Naing Aung
- Hotel & Catering Big Nightlife Awards 2025 – Bar Team of the Year, Malibu Sky Lounge
- Hotelier Middle East Awards 2025 – Best Security Person of the Year, Amgad Youssef
- Fluxx Awards ME 2025 – Strategic Growth Leader of the Year, Dean Rossilli, SVP DAMAC Hospitality
- Hotel & Catering | Leaders in Hospitality Awards 2025 – Hospitality Real Estate Pioneers, DAMAC Hotels and Resorts
- DET Digital Reputation Awards 2025 – Top Performer in Digital Reputation, DAMAC MAISON Cour Jardin
- Hozpitality Middle East Excellence Awards 2025 – Best 5-Star Hotel Apartments of the Year, DAMAC Maison Aykon City
- Hozpitality Excellence Awards 2025 – Best Boutique Hotel, DAMAC Maison Mall Street
Hospitality
Qatar Airways Unveils Onboard Signature Music Created in Partnership with Award-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer
Qatar Airways today unveiled its new onboard signature music, created in partnership with world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer.
Inspired by Qatar and its culture, Qatar Airways’ new onboard music brings a distinctive sound identity to the passenger experience through its collaboration with the iconic composition of Hans Zimmer. The music is also featured on the ‘Burgundy Symphony’ album, a bespoke five-track album that encapsulates the airline’s wider sound identity and signature sound elements.
The collaboration brings together Zimmer’s acclaimed cinematic storytelling and Qatar Airways’ commitment to delivering memorable experiences, creating a recognisable sound that reflects the emotions, moments and memories that define travel.
The launch was celebrated at Hans Zimmer’s highly-anticipated concert in Doha on 6 November, where audiences were given an exclusive first look at the story behind the collaboration through a specially created film on the creative process and inspiration behind Burgundy Symphony, alongside a preview of the music. Qatar Airways passengers can experience the new composition onboard from today.
The Burgundy Symphony album captures the rhythm of travel through five original tracks, each reflecting a different stage of the journey:
Dawn opens the collection with a sense of anticipation and possibility experienced when stepping beyond the daily routine and discovering new horizons.
Dusk reflects the tranquillity of flight as daylight fades and travellers are carried above the clouds beneath a sky illuminated by stars.
The Orchard introduces a restorative pause, inspired by moments of calm and reflection amidst the pace of everyday life. The inspiration for the composition is drawn from the sense of escape offered by the ORCHARD – one of Hamad International Airport’s most distinctive passenger experiences.
Homecoming reflects the quiet gift of returning home and the small but lasting ways travel enriches life. The track encapsulates the adventure continues beyond touchdown, with memories of places and skies keeping moments of wonder alive long after the journey ends.
An Ode to Qatar, concludes the album with a tribute to the nation’s rich heritage and forward-looking vision. The piece brings together a sense of history, culture, and ambition, reflecting a country where tradition and progress exist in harmony.
Following the unveiling, Burgundy Symphony is now available on the Qatar Airways YouTube channel, inviting audiences around the world to experience Hans Zimmer’s original compositions inspired by the journey of travel and the spirit of Qatar Airways.
Hospitality
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah Wins Sustain Sharjah Award for Second Year Running
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah has won the Sustain Sharjah award for Hotel Properties at the Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum 2026, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). This marks the resort’s second consecutive recognition under the initiative.
The accolade acknowledges the property’s progress at Level 2 of the programme’s Explorers journey, structured around four core pillars: Guest, Experience, Local, and Story. Across each pillar, the resort has prioritised measurable, practical measures that engage guests, support the surrounding community, and ensure transparent sustainability reporting.
Central to this achievement are three primary operational initiatives:
- Onsite water bottling plant: Replaces single-use plastics with reusable glass bottles, eliminating approximately 300,672 plastic bottles annually.
- Winnow AI food-waste system: Weighs and monitors kitchen waste in real time, enabling culinary teams to curb excess directly at source.
- Onsite biodigester: Installed in 2026, making the property the first hotel in Sharjah to process organic waste entirely on site.
Commenting on the achievement, Iftikhar Hamdani, Area General Manager of Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, said: “Securing the Sustain Sharjah award for the second consecutive year is an honour for our entire team. Initiatives such as our water bottling plant, AI-driven waste monitoring, and onsite biodigester reflect our daily operational commitment—one shared with our guests, partners, and the local community. We thank the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority for this recognition and for their steady leadership in advancing sustainable tourism across the emirate.”
Coral Beach Resort Sharjah is a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and continues to align its operations with broader international climate targets.
Hospitality
Qatar Airways Connects Doha to Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogotá, Colombia with First Flight
Qatar Airways has inaugurated its new twice-weekly service connecting Doha with Caracas and Bogotá. The service represents a significant milestone for the airline, as Qatar Airways becomes the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela, and the first airline to operate nonstop services from the Middle East to both Bogotá and Caracas. The new route underscores the airline’s commitment to strengthening global connectivity for the region and is operated on Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.
Qatar Airways flights to Caracas (CCS) and Bogotá (BOG)
Qatar Airways’ flight schedule has been designed to provide smooth onward connections through Hamad International Airport to key markets including Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. This offers passengers greater flexibility and seamless transfer options across Qatar Airways’ global network of over 170 destinations.
Departing every Wednesday and Sunday:
Doha (DOH) to Bogotá (BOG) – Flight QR783: Departure 07:35; Arrival 16:25
Bogotá (BOG) to Caracas (CCS) – Flight QR783: Departure 17:55; Arrival 21:00
Caracas (CCS) to Doha (DOH) – Flight QR783: Departure 23:30; Arrival 20:35
The addition of Caracas and Bogotá marks the 16th and 17th destinations in the Americas served by Qatar Airways. The airline began serving South America in 2010 with its inaugural flight to Brazil’s São Paulo.
The airline has recently expanded its partnership with LATAM to include LATAM Airlines Colombia, offering travellers greater access to the region. Qatar Airways will place its code on LATAM-operated flights between Bogotá and key domestic destinations including Cartagena, Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Leticia, Medellín, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Pasto, Riohacha, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, and Yopal.
Qatar Airways continues to strengthen global connectivity, serving more than 170 destinations this winter. Bookings can be made at qatarairways.com or through the airline’s mobile app.
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