A former architecture student, with diplomas in hotel and restaurant management as well as marketing, Dangel trained in Switzerland and Mexico, and began his hotel career with the Bellevue Palace and Best Western Swiss Hotels before moving to South America.

After a spell as director of sales and marketing at the Swissotel in Lima, he moved to the Chalet Maya in Cancun, Mexico, where he was hotel manager, before returning to Switzerland to the prestigious Dolder Grand.

Multi-lingual in German, English, Spanish, French and Italian, Dangel expects his experience in Europe and America to prove an asset in positioning the Al Raha Beach Hotel as a unique boutique resort.

�With just 110 deluxe rooms, as well as private chalets, the resort offers a very different experience for both leisure and business travellers, and I expect this to attract sophisticated travellers from both the region and overseas,� he said.

�Personalised service, comfort and elegance are hallmarks of the Al Raha Beach Hotel, and these have universal appeal.�

The property is located on the Al Raha corniche close to Abu Dhabi International Airport and the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Facilities include six restaurants and lounges - with more to open in the next few months � as well as a private health club with swimming pool, sauna and steam room and on-demand spa facilities, tennis and squash courts, plus meeting rooms and ballroom venues for events. Al Raha Beach Hotel is operated by Danat Hotels & Resorts, the umbrella brand for the hotel division of National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels (NCT&H).