BELMOND PROMOTES COO TO CEO
Belmond has promoted Dan Ruff to CEO effective July 1. Ruff had been Belmond’s COO since 2018 and will succeed Roeland Vos.
Ruff will report to Stéphane Rinderknech, chairman and CEO of LVMH Hospitality Excellence. He will continue to be based in London, where he lives with his family.
“I’m truly honored to become CEO of this extraordinary company, with its passionate and genuine people and legendary properties. Together, we will continue to strive to offer incomparable travel experiences to our guests and become the world’s most desirable luxury travel brand,” Ruff said.
With 20 years of experience in the hospitality sector, Ruff has spearheaded Belmond’s strategic focus on operational, commercial and property excellence in the past five years. Before joining Belmond, Ruff held senior roles at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotel Group in operations, asset management and mergers and acquisitions. He also served on the supervisory board of Design Hotels AG.
NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR FUTURE CORINTHIA HOTELS
Corinthia Hotels has welcomed three new industry leaders to spearhead their hotel openings in 2024:
- Danilo Zucchetti will open the Corinthia Rome at Piazza del Parlamento, who most recently was Vice President Operations for Baglioni Hotels. Before that, he was managing director of the Villa d’Este on Lake Como, having worked for the group for almost two decades.
- Pradeep Raman will be responsible for opening Corinthia’s first US hotel in New York City’s Upper East Side at the former Surrey Hotel currently undergoing a comprehensive transformation. His career history began at the Taj Group in India, where he held various positions in operations and management. He held management positions at Ritz-Carlton in several properties in Asia and the United States. Most recently, Raman served as General Manager at the Baccarat Hotel & Residences in New York City.
- Edward Leenders brings over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry to Corinthia Brussels, which is opening at the former Grand Hotel Astoria, currently being completely rebuilt on Rue Royale. Leenders has previously held several leadership positions at luxury hotels and resorts globally: before joining Corinthia, he served as the managing director of Hotel De l’Europe in Amsterdam and worked for Rocco Forte Hotel Hotels for over a decade in London, Florence and Brussels.
MORE MOVES
Aimbridge Hospitality has appointed industry veteran Aly El-Bassuni as divisional president, enhanced select service. El-Bassuni brings more than 20 years of franchise and brand operations experience, innovation at scale and strong owner relations to Aimbridge Hospitality, having previously held senior leadership positions at Radisson and Wyndham.
El-Bassuni previously served as Vice President of Brand Operations at Wyndham Worldwide, leading the strategic direction, net unit and room growth, financial and operations management and brand positioning for several brands during his tenure.
Rosewood Hotel Group has appointed Kevin Yung as chief financial officer. With over 25 years of experience, Yung has spent the past two years at Rosewood Capital Ventures as managing partner. During this time, he also served as a strategic advisor to Rosewood Hotel Group, offering guidance and support across multiple areas of the business.
In his new role, Yung will oversee the financial operations of the Group’s global brands. He will retain his previous role as managing partner of Rosewood Capital Ventures. Before joining Rosewood, Yung held several senior positions in finance and investment. He previously served as chief executive officer of Chow Tai Fook Education Group (CTFEG) in Hong Kong.
Peachtree Hospitality Management announced the appointment of Caroline Royster to vice president of business development, responsible for growing its third-party management partnerships by leveraging industry relationships and identifying new management opportunities. She will report to Patrick Short, PHM’s president.
Royster has 15 years of hospitality experience, with a wide range of consulting, acquisition and development experience. She most recently served as vice president at R.M. Woodworth & Associates, a hotel advisory company. Before that, she was head of business development for Legacy Ventures, a hospitality developer, owner and operator responsible for identifying, underwriting and analyzing acquisition, ground-up development and third-party management opportunities. Royster has also held leadership positions with PKF Consulting USA/CBRE Hotels, TPG Hotels & Resorts and Goldman Sachs & Co.
Aman has appointed David Silva as the general manager of Amangani in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Silva joins the brand with almost 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having started his career in food and beverage.
Silva has worked for prestigious hotel brands across the US, beginning his hospitality career in 2004 with Marriott and working in management roles at The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and Fairmont San Francisco. Before joining Aman, he held positions as hotel manager at Pendry Park City and St. Regis Deer Valley, Utah, where he managed hotel and residence operations.