With an increasing demand for luxury and a taste for the finest quality, the hospitality industry faces an ever-growing challenge in a highly competitive market.


The Forum at Downtown Design, d3 waterfront, Dubai Design District (d3)

Free to attend- Pre-register HERE for entry

With an increasing demand for luxury and a taste for the finest quality, the hospitality industry faces an ever-growing challenge in a highly competitive market. Industry professionals will discuss the science behind how hospitality brands inform their identity through interior design and architectural elements; additionally they will provide insider insight on the process of forming distinctive design languages and then translating this language into actuality.

About Celine Salman:

Celine Salman is the Design Director at Paramount Hotels & Resorts, a luxury lifestyle hotel brand originating from Paramount Pictures film studio in California. Celine helps lead the design management and development of the properties, integrating the brand DNA of California Lifestyle and Hollywood Glamour with technical and operational requirements into innovative and engaging hospitality experiences. Having worked on several sides of the industry – as owner, operator and designer – Celine brings a unique perspective to each project. Paired with an MBA from IE Business School, her philosophy is to pay attention to the details while keeping the big picture in mind.

About George Fleck:

George Fleck is the Vice President of Global Brand Marketing and Management for Le Méridien, Renaissance and Westin, three of Marriott’s Premium Distinctive brands. In his role, German-born Fleck combines more than 20 years of hotel operations, sales and marketing expertise with brand management experience to align the global strategies of these three dynamic brands. Fleck’s extensive work experience with Marriott International and Starwood span across Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, Africa and the Middle East, enabling him to apply a truly global perspective to the approach for Le Méridien, Renaissance and Westin brands.

About Hanna Azzi:

Hanna Azzi is the resort operations manager at Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai, bringing more than 10 years of luxury lifestyle hotel experience to the property. With extensive experience in pre-openings for major hotel groups in Dubai, Hanna’s GCC and Canadian background includes properties such as The Address Downtown Dubai, Shangri-La Dubai, Raffles Dubai, St. Regis Doha, Four Seasons Toronto, and Four Seasons Whistler. He believes in building synergies while attracting associates with unique personalities and investing continuously in mentoring them to create a benchmark for excellence in the industry.

About Inge Moore:

Inge Moore is the co-founder of Muza Lab, a boutique interior design studio based in London which specialises in the international hospitality sector. Moore likes to start her work with a story that draws on the history of each building and the natural world of its location, developing a construct to inspire the team and help shape the design down to every last detail. Inge’s projects have won many awards and she herself was recognised as Gold Key Designer of the Year in 2013. Her recent projects include: Belmond Mount Nelson in Cape Town; Belmond Andean Explorer train; Belmond Eagle Island Lodge in Botswana; Kanuhura Resort in the Maldives; Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London; Waldorf Astoria Ras al-Khaimah; Hotel Alfonso Xlll, a Luxury Collection hotel in Seville and Maria Cristina, also a Luxury Collection hotel, in San Sebastien.

About Maliha Nishat:

Dubai-based interior designer, Maliha Nishat, has joined Marriott’s Global Design team as its new director of interior design to overlook projects for the MENA region from concept to completion. Maliha Nishat, previously Design Director at dwp | design worldwide partnership and HBA | Hirsch Bedner Associates is an award winning designer with international experience working in Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Nishat is a sophisticated and passionate interior designer with strong conceptual design, planning and presentation skills. She is highly experienced in hospitality design and an influencer in the Middle East hospitality design market. Nishat handles independent design, initiation and coordination of directed design, delivers large scale, high profile projects from inception to completion. In 2015 she was awarded the Best MENA Interior Designer of the Year at the Commercial Interior Design Awards.

About David Lessard:

David Lessard is Director of Hospitality at Perkins+Will Dubai . With over a decade of experience in the design, management and execution of innovative hotel & lifestyle projects David has actively contributed to the realization of several award winning works with ongoing projects in Morocco, Oman and Seychelles.