A distinguished international line-up of hoteliers, designers, consultants and restaurateurs will form the judging panel for the second Depa<.> Middle East Hotel Awards, which will take place at an Oscars style gala ceremony at the Semiramis Inter-Continental Hotel in Cairo 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 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). PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cairo will also act as adjudicators.

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 22nd 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.