Newly appointed Rania Bawalsa now sits at the helm of Mövenpick Resort Petra as the property’s new hotel manager.

Bawalsa’s career in the hospitality industry began two decades ago in 1996 as a housekeeping coordinator for Le Méridien Amman Hotel where she later moved on to join Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts as executive secretary for the general manager’s office at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, where she honed her pre-opening and development skills.

Her career then took her to Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel and Towers, where she was eventually promoted to food and beverage manager.

In 2010, she accepted the role of communications manager and personal assistant to the hotel manager of Mövenpick Resort Petra and Mövenpick Nabatean Castle Hotel.

Commenting on her new appointment, she said: “It has always been a dream of mine to run a hotel and I plan to take this exciting challenge very seriously.

“It is an incredible honour for me to be Jordan’s first woman to hold such a senior position in our beautiful country.

“Setting an example for aspiring young females in the Kingdom will be part of my mission.”