Cairo<.> has been chosen as the venue for the second annual Depa Middle East Hotel Awards, which will take place at an Oscars style gala ceremony at the Semiramis Inter-Continental Hotel on 18th April 2002.

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 growing hospitality industry. They will be judged by an international panel of hoteliers, designers, consultants and restaurateurs, including Stephen Head (Lausanne Hotel School), Mohamed Buzizi (Bahrain Hotels Company), Russell Kett (HVS Hospitality) and Stuart Scher (Taylor Nelson Sofres).

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, conference and environmentally-friendly hotels. A special award will also be given to the Middle East hotelier of the year, selected from the region`s leading general managers.

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.