Marco Polo Plaza Cebu: Introduces Key Executives

General Manager

Hans Hauri has been appointed General Manager of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu that is scheduled to open in April 2006. A Swiss national and a seasoned hotelier, Hauri is a graduate of the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lausanne, has worked in Asia's hospitality industry for 25 years, and is fluent in English, German and French. He was General Manager for numerous hotels of the Hilton, The Peninsula, Shangri-la and Meritus. Prior to joining Marco Polo Hotels, Hauri was General Manager of JC Mandarin Shanghai, flagship hotel of Meritus Hotels and Resorts.

Executive Chef

Canadian-born Luke J. Gagnon is Marco Polo Plaza's Executive Chef. Joining the hotel industry shortly after obtaining his degree at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, in June 1983, Gagnon has since won numerous awards in food preparation, gastronomic competitions and ice sculpting. With over two decades of culinary experience in prominent establishments such as The Four Seasons Hotel, The Sutton Place Hotel, The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Excelsior Hotel and the Shangri-la Hotel, Gagnon is thrilled at this new challenge. His enthusiasm is apparent as he establishes the Marco Polo Plaza Culinary Team philosophy: Management through inspection, not by expectation. Chef Luke's energy transcends high-spiritedness and efficiency to all associates. "As a team, we treat others with respect and dignity, and never jeopardize our team's integrity," he avers.