SIMON McGrath and Tane Picken have been appointed as general manager and director of business development respectively for DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Phuket – Surin Beach, Thailand.
“Opening our first DoubleTree by Hilton property in Thailand is an exciting development for us at Hilton Worldwide as we continue to expand our presence here,” said Dirk de Cuyper, regional general manager for Thailand, Hilton Worldwide.
McGrath has over 30 years of experience in hospitality and was most recently the director of business development with the Hilton Adelaide in Australia. He began his career at a suburban hotel in Sydney, Australia in 1985 and has taken on a variety of senior management positions at hotels and resorts in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Based in Bangkok, Picken is responsible for overall sales and marketing operations at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Phuket – Surin Beach, a role he also undertakes for the Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa.
Originally from South Africa, Picken has been with Hilton Worldwide since 2001, where he started as a food and beverage supervisor with the Hilton Durban in South Africa. Over the past 10 years, he has served in a variety of senior management roles at several properties within the Hilton Worldwide group.
