Hotel executive moves: BWH Hotels, JLL, L+R Hotels, Noble Investment

Here is a compilation of the most important executive moves of the past week in the hotel investment world alphabetically (by company):

Accor names new VP. Accor has named Katell Bourgeois as vice president of development for France, effective September 2. She has nearly two decades of expertise in the hospitality real estate sector, primarily with global organizations. Before joining Accor, Bourgeois headed the French division of Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality since 2019 and spent almost 15 years in various significant roles at JLL Hotels, including senior vice president of corporate transactions.

New COO for Aethos Hotels. Milan, Italy-based Aethos Hotels has named Christophe Thomas as its new COO, effective immediately. In his new role, Thomas will report directly to Benjamin Habbel, CEO and co-founder of Aethos. Before joining Aethos, Thomas served as GM of several prestigious properties across the United States, including the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. Most recently, Thomas was GM of Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris.

New CEO for Amsa Hospitality. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Amsa Hospitality has named Muin Serhan as its new CEO. He will report to Mohammad Alathel, the founder and managing director of the brand. Serhan has 24 years of international experience in the hospitality industry and was previously GM for the Riyadh Marriott Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments. He also worked for Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Tamani Hotel Marina, Rezidor SAS Hospitality and IHG.

BWH names new China CEO. BWH Hotels has named Harry Dong as the new president and CEO of BWH Hotels China. Dong has been with BWH for over 16 years and previously managed procurement, quality analysis, and project development for hotels in the region. His father, William Dong, previously held this role. With 10 hotels in the region and a growing pipeline of properties, Dong will be responsible for the development strategy for new properties and supporting the already established hotels in his region.

New execs at Collective Hospitality. Auckland, New Zealand-based Collective Hospitality has named several new executives to help lead the newly acquired Selina Hospitality. Anne Laeremans has stepped into the role of global director of central reservations office at Selina, bringing over 20 years of experience in sales effectiveness, brand relationships, and hotel management from her tenure at Aimbridge Hospitality and Marriott International. Yves Pouliot has been appointed vice president of distribution, revenue management and strategic partnerships. With two decades of experience across key tourism sectors, Pouliot previously served as a global key account manager for major chains at Booking.com and held leadership roles with Marriott and boutique hotels. Mario Fernando, who joined Selina in September 2024, is now the vice president of brand experience. He has over 20 years of international expertise across various regions, including the U.K., Qatar, and Thailand and he was most recently chief development officer at Outpost. Gloy Netnapa has been appointed head of legal at Selina and Collective Hospitality. With a strong background in hospitality law, Netnapa has been instrumental in various hotel acquisitions and sales. 

New VP for EOS Hospitality. New York City-based EOS Hospitality has named Nicole Di Maio-Kennedy as vice president of revenue maximization. She has more than two decades of experience in the industry and was previously vice president of revenue management at Pyramid Global Hospitality.

New president of HQ Hotels. HQ Hotels & Residences, the newly launched lifestyle hospitality brand spearheaded by sbe chairman and CEO, Sam Nazarian, has appointed Mike Metcalf as president of HQ Hotels. Metcalf has over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry and was previously at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, where he served as COO, executive vice president, senior vice president of operations and vice president of business development for over 18 years. He also worked at Delta Orlando, the PGA National Resort & Spa and the ITT Sheraton.

Hospitality veteran Peek joins JLL. JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality group announced that Daniel Peek has joined the firm as president of JLL Americas region. Over the course of his career, Peek has completed nearly $60 billion in investment sales, debt and structured finance transactions. He will be based out of JLL’s Tampa office and will report to Americas Capital Markets CEO, Mark Gibson, partnering with Kevin Davis, Americas CEO for JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality. Before joining JLL, Peek served as president and COO at Hodges Ward Elliott, where he led a global team responsible for executing institutional-grade commercial real estate transactions. He also worked for HFF and co-founded the boutique firm Regent Street, an affiliate of The Plasencia Group.

New CCO for Kempinski. Geneva-based Kempinski Hotels has named Massimo Brancaleoni its new chief commercial officer, effective November 1. Brancaleoni joins Kempinski from Silversea Cruises, where he served as senior vice president of global sales and revenue following a 20-year career at Italian cruise line Costa Crociere where he held various roles.

New CEO for L+R Hotels. Former Starwood Capital leader in Europe, Cody Bradshaw, is set to join L+R Hotels as group CEO, effective October 1. With 25 years of hospitality real estate investing experience, including a significant acquisitions and asset management track record spanning five continents, Bradshaw most recently spent more than 13 years at Starwood Capital Group, where he served on the firm’s Investment Committee and was instrumental in leading the global hotel team and business for the firm. Before joining Starwood Capital in 2011, Bradshaw played a key role in Pebblebrook Hotel Trust following its “blind pool” IPO in 2009. Earlier in his career, he served as the first employee of the San Francisco-based Chartres Lodging Group, participating in seven years of rapid expansion. He began his career at Hyatt Hotels Corp. after graduating from Cornell University.

Noble names new VP. Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group has named Áine Cronin as vice president of investor relations. Cronin has over 15 years of experience developing and advancing relationships with institutional, ultra-high-net-worth, RIA, and family office investors. She joins Noble from Rockbridge, where she had responsibility for capital raising and investor relations. She also held leadership roles at Perspecta Trust and Denham Capital and began her career with King Street Europe and the Baupost Group.

New VP sales for Omni. Annette Bales has been named vice president of sales at Dallas-based Omni Hotels & Resorts. She brings over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Before joining Omni, she served as executive director of sales, service and experience at Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. She also held various leadership roles during her 15-year tenure at Marriott International.

New exec for Rotana. Abu Dhabi-based Rotana has named Karim El Horr, as the corporate director of operations. El Horr has over two decades of experience in hospitality operations, covering property level and corporate management. Most recently, El Horr served as director of asset management and special projects at Roya International Hospitality & Leisure Consultants. He has also held several senior management posts at Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont, and IHG.

SH Hotels adds new VP. Coconut Grove, Florida-based SH Hotels & Resorts has named Shadi Omeish vice president of operations in North America. He has over two decades of international experience, and since joining the company in 2016, he has served as general manager at 1 Hotel South Beach and 1 Hotel West Hollywood and was area managing director on the West Coast and, most recently, regional vice president of West Coast.