Bill Dowling Named DOS & Conference Services for Oasis Hotel
Awarding Winning Hospitality Professional to Market VictoryLand Lodging Property to Corporate and Le
MONTGOMERY, AL, August 13, 2009 - Bill Dowling, Alabama's 2008 Hospitality Department Manager of the Year, has been named director of sales and conference services for the soon-to-open Oasis Hotel at VictoryLand Greyhound Park in Shorter, Ala.
Dowling most recently served as the director of catering for the Wynfrey Hotel at Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, Ala. In his new role, he will oversee the sales and marketing efforts for the upscale corporate and leisure travel property. The Oasis, which opens Nov. 1, will feature 300 luxury guest rooms and suites, a fine-dining restaurant called Whitfield's Steakhouse, O's Lobby Bar, and the O Brew cafe' offering Starbuck's coffees. An 80,000-square-foot conference center for groups of all kinds will open in late 2010.
"I'm thrilled to join the Oasis Hotel team as the director of sales and conference services," said Dowling, who received top honors from the Alabama Restaurant Association and the Alabama Hospitality Association in the 2008 Restaurant & Hospitality Stars of Alabama competition. "It's wonderful watching everything come together -- from the selection of fine-dining ware to guest amenities. The project will provide much-needed jobs and tourism for the central Alabama region."
Dowling began his career as a banquet manager, executive steward, food and beverage cost controller, and convention services manager for Houston's Adams Mark Hotel in 1983. He served as director of convention services and later director of catering for the Wynfrey Hotel from 1988-91; the director of catering for the Charleston Place Hotel in South Carolina from 1991-93; and the director of catering for the Wynfrey Hotel from 1993-2009.
A native of St. Louis, he earned a bachelor's degree in hotel restaurant management from the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Dowling, who has been described as "every event planner's dream", received an engraved award plaque on Oct. 27, 2008 during the ninth annual Stars of the Industry Dinner in Auburn, Ala. The event drew more than 250 hospitality and restaurant executives from across the state. In literature distributed to awards dinner attendees, the two organizations praised Dowling as "a leader, teacher and team player who has had a positive influence on the industry."
"Bill is an outstanding professional who has been recognized by his peers for major contributions to Alabama's hospitality and tourism industries," said hotel general manager Rusti Price. "We are delighted to have him join the Oasis to lead the hotel's sales and marketing efforts. Under his leadership, the hotel is certain to be one of the top properties in the Southeast for corporate meetings and leisure travel."
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