PALM BEACH, ARUBA (OCTOBER, 2009) – The Aruba Marriott properties held a farewell party in the Grand Ballroom, thanking their Vice President and General Manager of 6 years, Richard S. Zeolla for his guidance and support. On December 7th, Zeolla’s 24-year Marriott career continued in Cairo, Egypt where he will take the position of General Manager of the Cairo Marriott Hotel and Omar Khayyam Casino, the largest hotel in Marriott’s International hotel portfolio.
In his most recent role Zeolla was responsible for the operations of four different business units under the Marriott flag: Stellaris Casino, the Aruba Marriott Resort and both Aruba MVCI properties- Ocean Club and Surf Club. A rare find within the Marriott, this unique complex encompasses 24 acres, with over 1,600 rooms, and employs over 1,200 associates.
Zeolla’s major accomplishments in Aruba included the 2004 opening of an 11,000 sq ft grand ballroom; expansion of the Stellaris Casino into the largest gaming facility on the island; a 2-year $50 million overhaul to the Resort, re-positioning this beachfront property into the Aruba playground for all generations and the opening of a 3-building, 900-rooms MVCI property: Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club.
Zeolla started at the Aruba Marriott in the summer of 2003. Prior to that he was the first General Manager of the Bucharest Marriott Grand Hotel, which opened its doors in 2000. During his tenure in Bucharest, he received the “Leadership Award 2002” as well as the award for Special “General Manager of the Year” due to his active role in the community.
Zeolla`s successful career with Marriott began at the Oklahoma City Marriott Hotel in 1985. Subsequently, he held various positions in the Finance discipline in the United States, Bermuda, and Europe before his promotion to Resident Manager of the Warsaw Marriott Hotel in 1999.
Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino boasts 411 fully renovated guestrooms – the most spacious on the island – each with large, private balconies overlooking the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea. On property, seven restaurants and cafes provide fare from light to elegant, while the largest casino in Aruba, a 6,500 square-foot spa, free-form swimming pool with cascading waterfalls and high-energy health club offer entertaining diversions. To obtain more information call the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino at 888-PARADISE or visit www.arubamarriott.com.
Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts is comprised of ten resorts in seven of the top tropical destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico – Aruba, Cancun, Curaçao, Grand Cayman, Puerto Vallarta, St. Kitts and St. Thomas. To experience these resorts and learn about special promotions, please visit the new www.ParadiseByMarriott.com.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,100 lodging properties in 66 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club,The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA and had approximately 146,000 employees at 2008 year-end. It is recognized by BusinessWeek as one of the 100 best global brands, by FORTUNE® as one of the best companies to work for, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2008, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $13 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.
