Jumeirah appoints new General Managers in Baku, Guangzhou and Kuwait

Christophe Mousset will join Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel in Baku, Mete Atakuman will lead the pre-opening at Jumeirah Guangzhou in China and Hakan Petek has been appointed at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait.

Christophe, a French national, has an impressive career in the luxury hotel industry with over 20 years’ experience in Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, Central America and Asia. During his career he has driven Food and Beverage operations across luxury hotels such as Mandarin Oriental, Le Meridien, Four Seasons, The Savoy and Jumeirah. Previously, Christophe was the Hotel Manager of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray where he joined in 2011 for the pre-opening phase.

He spent three years running the day-to-day.operations and played an integral role in establishing Jumeirah Zabeel Saray as one of the most luxurious destinations on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
In his new role, Christophe will be responsible for the overall strategic direction and daily activities as the hotel enters the upcoming summer season. The current General Manager of Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel, Mete Atakuman, has moved on to lead the pre-opening phase of Jumeirah Guangzhou in China.

An Australian Turkish citizen, Mete Atakuman has over 20 years of luxury hospitality experience across high-profile resorts in Australia, Turkey and Azerbaijan including Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts and Hilton International. Mete joined Jumeirah Group in May 2011 and led the pre-opening phase of Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel, Baku which welcomed its first guests during the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2012. He ensured the property delivered quality service and helped to establish the hotel as the number one choice in the CIS region for local guests, leisure travellers and business groups from across the world.

Mete is now tasked with leading the pre-opening team of Jumeirah Guangzhou located in the centre of New Pearl City Tian He District, Guangzhou’s premier and rapidly growing commercial city centre. The property comprises a 207-room luxury hotel, 167-luxury Serviced Apartments and extensive food, beverage and meeting facilities.

Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait has welcomed Hakan Petek as the new General Manager. A Turkish British national, Hakan joined Jumeirah in June 2010 as Executive Assistant Manager, Rooms. He was a key player in the pre-opening period of the hotel as well as a member of the Executive Committee.

Hakan was formally promoted to his new post after successfully managing the operations of the hotel and constantly building its business since his role as Acting General Manager in December 2013.

Hakan has over 24 years’ experience in the hotel industry and his career highlights include eight hotel openings across several five-star luxury brand properties in Turkey: Dedeman and the Sheraton in Antalya, Conrad in Istanbul, Swissotel in Istanbul and Izmir, as well as Raffles Browns and Guoman Hotel both in London. In his new role, he will lead the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa team in building on the success of the property since its opening in 2013.