St. Regis Tianjin Appoints Opening Team

The St. Regis Tianjin has appointed the team that will prepare the hotel for its grand opening in October, 2011.

The team is led by veteran hotelier General Manager, Damon Page, who is supported by Joey Wu, Hotel Manager; Tiago Sarmento, Director of Sales and Marketing; Alexandre Usseglio, Director of Food and Beverage; Foster Yu, Chief Butler; and Cissy Chen Shu, Executive Pastry Chef.

“We are moving ahead full steam in preparation to welcome the world to The St. Regis Tianjin,” said General Manager, Damon Page. “Tianjin is an exciting, dynamic city that is rapidly growing and becoming more and more vital to businesses in the region and from around the world. We are thrilled to introduce visitors and locals to the unique sophistication and contemporary elegance of the St. Regis brand.”

General Manager Damon Page, has more than 25 years of experience in the hotel business, including some of the world’s most luxurious and prestigious brands. He is also skilled at opening new properties, having led the opening teams for the W Retreat & Spa Maldives and China’s first W hotel in Hong Kong.

An Australian native, Mr. Page began his career at the Regent Hotel in Sydney before becoming Food & Beverage Director at the Sydney Marriott. Mr. Page joined Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 1995 where he served as Hotel Manager or General Manager for Starwood brands in Guilin China, Moscow, Warsaw, Shanghai and others.

Hotel Manager Joey Wu, will be directly responsible for the hotel’s daily management, including budgeting and financial management, planning, organizing and directing all hotel services, including front office, food & beverage and housekeeping.

He has more than 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including working with the world’s most luxurious and prestigious brands like Le Meridien, Grand Hyatt and Hilton, he has gained valuable experience in opening new hotel properties. A Taipei native, Mr. Joey Wu began his career at the Grand Hyatt Taipei before joining Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2010 to serve as Hotel Manager for Le Meridien Taipei.

Supporting the team’s efforts will be Tiago Sarmento, Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Sarmento has a long and prolific sales career with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and has worked across four out of nine Starwood brands around the globe, including Sheraton, Westin, Luxury Collection and St. Regis.

He was the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Marques de Riscal, a Luxury Collection resort in Spain where he successfully positioned the resort as one of the world’s leading hotels for luxury dining and wine. Mr. Sarmento also has valuable opening experience having served as the Director of Sales and Marketing of The St. Regis Mexico City for nearly three years.

France native, Alexandre Usseglio, serves as the Director of Food and Beverage. Mr. Usseglio has more than a decade of experience managing food and beverage operations for five-star luxury hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants in France, the United States, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Mr. Usseglio comes to The St. Regis Tianjin from the impressive Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta, where he was the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage. Prior to that position, he managed restaurant operations for the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. He joined the Mandarin team at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii as the restaurants manager. Mr. Usseglio launched his career at several five-star hotels in Paris after graduating from the prestigious Hospitality Management School of Lausanne Switzerland.

St. Regis Tianjin

The 274-room St. Regis Tianjin is located in the Heping district along the Haihe River, considered the “Jin Men” or “Gateway” to Tianjin, home to some of Northern China’s most treasured cultural and natural attractions.

See recent travel news from: Travel News Asia, Starwood, St. Regis, Tianjin