A British national, with over 24 years’ experience in the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industry, David Hill joins Bintan Lagoon Resort from Vietnam where he was General Manager for WMC Property Management Group from 2011 until November 2013.
He was responsible for successfully opening in January 2013, a 40-floor mixed use tower in Saigon which included grade A office and retail space, a Leading Hotel of the World property and residences. David also implemented extensive renovations of the existing property portfolio and oversaw new construction projects with over 1,000 rooms in development.
Prior to Vietnam, David worked for 10 years with Marriott International in Africa and the Middle East in a variety of Executive Committee Roles as Director of Leisure, Country/Area Director – Loss Prevention, Director of Rooms Operations/Resident Manager and acting General Manager. David worked with all Marriott Brands, but specifically the JW Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott, where he resided in Libya, Egypt, Kuwait and Dubai. David conducted training and audits; and assisted new openings across all countries of the Middle East and North Africa during these 10 years.
Prior to Marriott, David worked as Director – Sales & Marketing based in the City of London and Turkey overseeing large sales operations for two years before joining Marriott in the summer of 2001.
David’s first foray in the hospitality industry was in 1998 when he took up the role of General Manager at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai and the pre- opening of the Wild Wadi Water theme park.
Prior to Dubai, David worked with Rank Entertainment Group where he was Deputy General Manager of a water theme park for over six years. David was also part of the pre-opening teams conducting pre/post opening for the group’s new business units which included leisure worlds, nightclubs, sport bars, cinemas and family entertainment centres.
Along with growing the business and developing the brand, David is a firm believer in developing quality and excellence in product and service delivery for guests and employees. David is a passionate advocate in career development for employees and mentor to employees from many nationalities.
In addition to being General Manager, David is also responsible for reorganizing the management company, Mozaic Hotels & Resorts’ sales and revenue management teams. The Mozaic Ferry Lines which operates the daily high speed service from Singapore directly to the resort in less than 75 minutes comes under his charge as well.
A BA (Honours) graduate in Leisure Studies in 1989 at Leeds Polytechnic – Carnegie campus, David completed his Master’s Degree in the same field at the University of Oregon USA in the summer of 1991 with a MSC Leisure Studies and a 3.41 GPA.
Despite a busy work schedule, David is an avid sportsman, having competed at national championships in swimming, running and was a five times British Champion in Modern Biathlon. He also represented his country in Modern Pentathlon.
A lifelong active participant in voluntary work and organization starting with children summer camps in the UK and special needs groups, David also supports underprivileged children in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam by providing tuition grants/scholarships for children at a local school. He is currently supporting one student attending a higher education college in Ho Chi Min City.
David was Deputy Chairman of the Kuwait Chapter of the Over Seas Advisory Council (OSAC) Chapter, and the Treasurer (five years). He was also a founding member of the Kuwait Chapter of the United States Army supporting coalition troops in an active theatre of conflict.
