Jeddah, 27 September 2023 – Shangri-La Jeddah announces the appointment of Philma Gomes-Ellis as Director of Sales and Marketing. With 28 years of progressive experience in luxury hospitality sales & marketing across South Africa, Kenya, Jordan and Kuwait, her appointment aligns seamlessly with Shangri-La Jeddah’s overarching vision of fostering an inclusive and diverse global community. 

Philma Gomes-Ellis is a valued addition to the hotel's already distinguished team, which boasts a commitment to diversity and inclusivity, with over 25% of the current team members female, and this number is steadily growing. Philma's extensive expertise and leadership will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in maintaining and further enhancing the hotel's reputation for excellence.

A seasoned and accomplished hotelier, Philma hails from South Africa where she garnered over a  decade worth of sales & marketing proficiency in the ultra-high-end hospitality sector. She has held senior leadership roles at landmark properties based in Cape Town, Amman, and most recently Kuwait, where she successfully led the pre-opening teams of Grand Hyatt Kuwait, developed robust sales and positioning strategies along with managing key stakeholder relationships across multiple disciplines.

With over two decades of leadership and operational experience in luxury hospitality management, Philma aims to further elevate the hotel’s positioning in the rapidly growing Saudi market, she said: “What particularly excites me about moving to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the extremely positive outlook for the tourism and hospitality industry in the country. This is further amplified by the vast outlook on diversification strongly supported by government-led investments in infrastructure, coupled by the creation of progressive social reforms in the entertainment, sports, and tourism sectors.”  
She will spearhead Shangri-La Jeddah’s sales and marketing initiatives while implementing strategic plans to drive commercial efficiency and augment the hotel’s dynamic and alluring reputation. 

Commenting further on her appointment, the new Director of Sales and Marketing said: “I am attracted by the Shangri-La brand’s laser focus on aspirational luxury and the property's flagship status in the region.  

As the newest and most prominent landmark in Jeddah, and in addition to having already garnered a string of awards and accolades over such a short period of time (since opening early 2022), the hotel has also set the benchmark for embracing the Saudi Vision 2030 in an exemplary manner. My focus will be aimed at sustaining the exceptional results achieved for the long run, and ensuring that the team is nurtured and developed as the criteria by which commercially driven teams in the country are measured by.  Differentiation is everything to me.”