Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has made four new general manager appointments at resorts in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Qatar and the UAE.
Erik Billgren is now the general manager at Anantara Mui Ne Resort in Vietnam. The Swedish national brings with him over a decade of hospitality experience and property management of luxury hotels, resorts and residences in Vietnam.
He began his career in 2005 as International management trainee – assistant F&B manager for Life Heritage Resort, and Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sands Resort in Hoi An, Vietnam. Between 2006 and 2010, he was promoted to F&B manager, then assistant resort manager, and ultimately general manager for Life Heritage Resort, Hoi An, which is now known as Anantara Hoi An Resort.
Staying in Vietnam, in 2012 he joined The Ocean Resort, VinaCapital, Da Nang, as general manager/property manager. Between 2010 and 2020, he was also the owner/director of Waterfront Restaurant & Bar in Da Nang. Prior to joining Anantara, Billgren worked as hotel manager, New World Hoiana Hotel & Residences, Hoi An.
Over in Sri Lanka, João Corte-Real joins as cluster general manager overseeing Anantara Kalutara Resort and its neighbouring and sister property Avani Kalutara Resort.
The seasoned hotelier started his career in hospitality in 1996 with ENATUR – Pousadas de Portugal, a government enterprise for small luxury, traditional or historical hotels, and has since held senior management positions with Lisboa Regency Chiado Hotel and Tróia Resort in Portugal, as well as Hotel Timor in Dili, the capital of East Timor.
Corte-Real then joined Anantara in 2015 as general manager at Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort in Thailand. Prior to that, he was based in his native Portugal working with sister brand Tivoli Hotels & Resorts, where he was cluster general manager at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais and Tivoli Sintra Hotel. In May 2018, he moved to Brazil as general manager, Tivoli Mofarrej São Paulo Hotel.
Over in the Middle East, Gauderic Harang rejoins Anantara – from Six Senses Zighy Bay Oman – to oversee the three Anantara Sir Bani Yas Resorts in the UAE as the new general manager.
Harang’s career began in France at Plaza Athénée Paris, followed by several other positions in his native France. In 2013 he relocated to Thailand to join Swissôtel Resort Phuket, before moving to Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Canada, both positions as director of operations.
In 2016, he joined Anantara taking the position of resident manager for Anantara Dhigu, Anantara Veli and Naladhu Private Island in the Maldives, stepping up as acting general manager before moving back to Thailand as resort manager at Anantara Golden Triangle.
Lastly, Mohammed Wazir has been appointed as General Manager at Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara. Bringing over 17 years of hospitality experience to the role, Mohammed moves to Qatar from his most recent position as general manager at Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara in Oman.
His hospitality experience began in the UK with Millennium Hotels before he moved to Malta with Corinthia Hotels. With Corinthia Hotels, Wazir spent time working in properties in Russia, North Africa, the UK and Eastern Europe.
Wazir’s journey with Anantara began in 2015 at this same island property in Doha where he held the position of hotel manager. He then moved to Thailand as Hotel Manager at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.
