Newly appointed GM Sayed Tayoun spearheads the Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park’s vision to becoming a community-centric hotel.
Dubai – IHG Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce 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.
His remarkable career in IHG began back in 2005 at InterContinental Doha, climbing up the ranks to become Director of Sales & Marketing in InterContinental Abu Dhabi in 2010, then leading the commercial functions for IHG Hotels in Abu Dhabi in 2012 and later with IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City in 2016.
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.
In his new position as General Manager of Holiday Inn & Suites at Dubai Science Park, Sayed is driven by his passion for people and support for the local community, as well as his ambition to successfully launch a pioneering green hotel that supports responsible hospitality. Together with his leadership team, he 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 liters 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. 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,” Sayed shared.
“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 adds.
Aside from championing responsible hospitality and supporting the community, Sayed is also a firm advocate of diversity and equality. A polyglot who can speak fluent Arabic, English and French, and with his passion for history and travel, Sayed believes that diversity enriches the workplace and helps to deliver true hospitality to guests of the hotel.
To this end, he 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
When it comes to food and beverage offerings, Holiday Inn & Suites at Dubai Science Park offers a variety of exciting choices to suit every taste. 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. This fulfills the hotel’s brand promise of providing a space to support startup companies, entrepreneurs and “digital nomads” or remote-working professionals. The hotel will also be home to McGettigan’s – the famous Irish pub, which is set to be the new hotspot in the neighborhood for dining and drinks, with its unrivalled Irish hospitality and entertainment and al fresco seating.
All this with the comfort and services they have come to know and love at Holiday Inn including the brand’s signature “Kids Stay and Eat Free” program. Complemented by memorable, warm and friendly service, Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Science Park will be the perfect destination for both business and leisure travelers, as well as residents within the community.