Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort Appoints Darrell Sheaffer As General Manager

Philip M. Barnes, Regional Vice President, Middle East for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce the appointment of Darrell Sheaffer as General Manager, Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort.

‘We are delighted to have Darrell at the helm of this new iconic property on the Palm Jumeriah at a time when our brand is enjoying growing momentum in the region,’ said Barnes.

Barnes added.

In this new role, Sheaffer’s responsibilities will include overseeing the scheduled 2009 opening of the Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort, located on the main truck of the Palm Jumeirah. The complex will encompass a 377-room luxury hotel with 588 vacation ownership residences. The resort will offer extensive meeting space, outdoor leisure facilities including a beach club and restaurant, a pool complex and children’s activity center, as well as a variety of internationally themed dining facilities featuring sea, garden or pool views and a Willow Stream Spa.

A seasoned hotelier, Sheaffer brings a wealth of international experience to his position with a career spanning over 30 years in four continents where he has held executive positions in several leading hotel companies including Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental. It is at the former where he devoted over 15 years in a variety of locations in North America and in the Middle East, including the Ritz Carlton in Doha, Qatar.

Sheaffer first joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2006 as General Manager for the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club. It was here he was responsible for overseeing a $100m plus renovation and relaunch of the renowned south Florida resort, effectively repositioning the property as one of the top resorts in the southeast United States.

Sheaffer holds an Associate Degree in Business with a specialization in Hospitality management from Lansing College in Michigan, United States. He is married to Elaine, with two children, and shares a passion for golf, cycling and travel.

A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels, which includes iconic landmarks like the Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Switzerland and New York’s The Plaza.

Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont’s portfolio includes 56 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Anguilla.

Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with 90 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties.