Cape Town, 9 November 2009: Long standing member of the Protea Hotels team, Gary Koetser, has been appointed the position of General Manager of the iconic Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa that is opening at Century City in December 2009.

Gary will oversee the management of this 180-bedroomed hotel that has been designed with the exacting business traveler in mind. Prior to his appointment at Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, Gary has worked as General Manager in three Protea Hotel properties – Protea Hotel Seapoint, Protea Hotel Saldanah Bay and Protea Hotel Tygervalley. Gary is well known in the industry for his hands on service philosophy and his involvement in all aspects of the operation and management of the hotels he has worked in has added strength and vale to the service offering of these establishments.

“It is always an honour for any General Manager to be given the position of managing a 5-star establishment and having been given the opportunity to run a new hotel in Cape Town prior to the 2010 world cup football event is incredibly exciting and I am rearing to take on the challenge,” commented Gary.

Gary has gone through the Protea Hotels Diploma in Hospitality Service Management where he did his internship at a number of hotels in the Western Cape before holding various positions at the Protea Hotel Victoria Junction for 3 years. Gary’s commitment and passion for his career earned him no fewer than three accolades - Protea Hotels Graduate of the Year 2003, Protea Hotels Ambassador Award 2007, Protea Hotels Marketing Award 2008

Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa joins a number of new developments in South Africa in the expansion strategy of both Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels in the build up to and beyond, the FIFA World Cup 2010.

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