The awards - which are open to any five-star hotel in the region - are sponsored by hotel design and construction specialists Depa Hotel Interiors, and celebrate the achievements of the Middle East�s dynamic hospitality industry.

The judging panel comprises: 

• Stephen Head (Lausanne Hospitality Consulting, Switzerland); 
• Mohamed Buzizi (Bahrain Hotels Company, Manama); 
• Russell Kett (HVS International, London); 
• Stuart Scher (Taylor Nelson Sofres Hospitality & Leisure, London); 
• Daniel During (Thomas Klein International, Dubai); 
• Denis Johnson (Six Continents Hotels, Cairo); 
• Samir Daqqaq (Marriott International, Dubai); 
• Jean-Paul Herzog (Hilton International, Cairo); 
• Tony Chi (Tony Chi & Associates, New York); 
• Tarek Mansour (PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cairo); and 
• Michael Herriot (Virgin Hotels, London). 

Over 200 entries are expected for the awards across fifteen categories, which include best new hotel, best design project, most progressive employer, and top business, leisure and conference hotels. The deadline for entries is 31st January, with the panel then meeting in Cairo in mid-February to assess the entries and draw up a shortlist of nominations.

The Depa Middle East Hotel Awards were launched in April 2001 in Dubai, and are now recognised as one of the leading events in the international hotel industry calendar. Winners in 2001 included the Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai, the Grand Hyatt Amman and the Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheikh.