Friday 2 October 2026 – Trinity Bridge Friday news briefing
We hope you have had a great week. Here’s our roundup of senior people moves across the hotel sector to keep you informed and up to date.
** A round-up of this week’s people moves in the hospitality sector
Marta Barcelo has been appointed as Vice President for EMEA at Barcelo Hotel Group. She will combine her new role with her current position as President of Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the group’s North American hotel management subsidiary. The Barcelo group currently operates nearly 300 hotels across 30 countries.
Tom Chalmers has joined Starwood Hotels as Senior Vice President of Design & Architecture. He brings over 20 years of experience in hospitality design, development and brand strategy, most recently serving as Head of Design for Mohari Hospitality.
Brian Regula has been announced as the new Chief Financial Officer for Outrigger Hospitality Group. He joins from Pyramid Global Hospitality where he served as Senior Vice President of Finance Operations.
Oetker Collection have announced several key promotions amongst their leadership team including; Duarte Bon de Sousa to the role of Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as Vice President, Operations. Virginie Saint-Laurent as Chief People & Culture Officer from her prior role as Senior Vice President of People & Culture. And Oliver Bihel as Senior Vice President, Design & Project Development from his previous role as Vice President, Project Development.
Kempinski Group has announced the promotion of Noel Attard to the position of Chief Development Officer. He has been with the group for 20 years, previously holding the role of Chief Transformation Officer.
Accor has announced the promotion of Fadeel Wehbe to Managing Director for Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGalley and Emblems across Saudi Arabia – expanding his existing role as Managing Director of Sofitel Riyadh Hotel & Convention Centre which he has held since 2025.
Hyatt has announced that Amar Lalvani has been appointed to the newly created role of Chief Creative Officer. He takes on this expanded role alongside his current position as President & Creative Director of Hyatt’s Lifestyle Group which he has held since joined the group in 2024, following the acquisition of Standard International.
Hilton has announced the promotion of Jacob Purackal to the role of Vice President for Development for South Asia from his previous position as Senior Director of Development for India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan which he has held since 2022.
Primestar Group has announced the expansion of its leadership team with two key appointments; Martin Gotschewski has been promoted to Prokurist and Head of Operations after three years with the group. Bjorn Wilkens has been appointed as Managing Director, Development & Asset Management. He joins from real estate development firm Becken.
Royal Orchid Hotels has announced several key appointments to strengthen their leadership team: Deep Jain has been appointed as Associate Director, Business Development, South, joining from Treebo Hospitality where he served as Director, Development. Yash Poorjari has joined as Business Development Manager, West from his previous role with The Park Hotels. And Rahul Zetshi has been named as Vice President, Sales, most recently holding the role of General Manager, Sales at Lemon Tree Hotels Corporate Office.
Minor Hotels has named Marco Ercolano as the pre-opening General Manager for The WestDill Mayfair Hotel, London, Colbert Collection, the first property from the collection in the UK and a second global flagship property for the group. Marco’s experience includes prior senior roles with St Ermin’s Hotel, Autograph Collection by Marriott and The Ritz, London.
Ewan Taylor has been appointed as the pre-opening General Manager for Wildhive Eshott Hall due to open in December of this year. He relocates to the UK from Oriental Residence, Bangkok where he was General Manager.
Minor Hotels has named Patrick Manthe as the new General Manager for Avani+ Luang Prabang in Laos. He joins from Amari Pattaya in Thailand where he held the role of General Manager.
Marla Banshaw has been appointed as Commercial Director for Four Seasons Resort, Whistler. Before taking her new role, Marla served as Director of Sales at Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica.
The Cove Rotana Resort in Ras Al Khaimah has announced the appointment of Karim El Ghandour as the new Director of Human Resources. His previous experience includes over 15 years with IHG Hotels & Resorts, most recently serving as Cluster Director of Human Resources in Kuwait.
Ferne Yap has taken the role of Director of Marketing Communications for Conrad Singapore Orchard. She most recently held the role of Regional Director of Marketing at Amara Hotels & Resorts.
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