Oliver Bonke is joining Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts as president and chief operating officer. He’ll start his new position, at the company’s headquarters in Hong Kong, on September 1.
Bonke is departing Loews as chief commercial officer a week after the company announced a new national advertising campaign and a rebranding, to Loews Hotel & Co., at New York University’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
In his new role, Bonke will report to Shangri-La Asia Limited CEO Lim Beng Chee and oversee the group’s EVPs responsible for regional hotel operations, as well as the operational division heads of food & beverage, sales, marketing, rooms, engineering, security and quality improvement.
“We are delighted to welcome Oliver and look forward to his arrival as the new president and COO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts,” said Lim. “With his proven strong leadership and operational experience globally, I am confident Oliver will drive excellence and lead Shangri-La through the next phase of the group’s development and strategy.”
Previous to Loews, Bonke was chief commercial officer for InterContinental Hotels Group in the Americas. He also worked at Starwood, as a senior vice president, sales and marketing for Starwood, covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and before in the same role in Asia Pacific.
“It is an honor to join this dynamic company to help develop strategy and support the future growth of its exceptional portfolio of properties,” Bonke said. “On a more personal note, I look forward to returning to Asia, which feels like a homecoming.”
Shangri-La operates over 95 hotels in 22 countries under the Shangri-La, Kerry, Hotel Jen and Traders brands.