Nominations

🏨 Gabriele Seidel appointed as Vice-President Operations & Commercial for Lindner Hotel Group, starting April 1, 2025. Responsible for Lindner Hotels & Resorts, Me and All Hotels, L-Collection, and 7Pines Hotels & Resorts, Seidel brings expertise from leadership roles in international hotel chains, including H-Hotels Group and Novum Hospitality, overseeing 126 hotels. Frank Lindner, President of Lindner Hotels AG, anticipates her strategic and operational experience to enhance customer experience and market positioning.

🎓 Hoda Tahoun appointed Chief Talent Officer at Kempinski, bringing over 27 years of talent management and HR experience. Tahoun's role involves enhancing global HR strategy, focusing on executive recruitment, talent development, and succession planning. She previously served as Global Leader of the Leisure & Hospitality Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, with expertise in C-level recruitment for hospitality, travel, and leisure sectors. Her career also includes positions at SHUAA Capital, American Express, Bank of America, and Citi. She holds a finance degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

🏨 Soumitra Saha promoted to CFO of UAE-based TIME Hotels, set to oversee financial operations, strategic analysis, and risk assessment. Formerly Vice President of Finance after joining in 2022, with over 35 years of industry experience, including work with Oberoi, Leela, Hyatt, and Mövenpick, Saha contributed to TIME Hotels' impressive revenue and operational profitability. TIME Hotels plans to expand by adding 12 new properties by the first quarter of 2026 to its current 17 hotels, totaling over 3,000 keys, across Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Morocco, and the Indian Ocean.

📝 Goran Stojkovic has been appointed as General Manager of SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences, succeeding Spencer Wadama who now manages W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island. Stojkovic is a seasoned professional with nearly 20 years in luxury hospitality, much of it in Dubai. Since 2015, he has climbed the ranks within Marriott, working at The St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, and Renaissance Hotels, and was instrumental in the transformation of Grand Millennium Business Bay. Despite leaving Marriott, Stojkovic will continue to call Dubai "home" and aims to evolve the lifestyle experience.

🏢 Pedro Novo, an expert in financing, export, and high-impact project development, has taken on a panafrican real estate strategy for Axian. Led by Hassanein Hiridjee, Axian was founded 30 years ago in Madagascar and is now a strong panafrican presence in telecoms, energy, finance, and fintech. The real estate sector, previously modest, boasts about 200,000 m² of diversified assets including offices, retail, housing, and hospitality, aiming to transform urban landscapes and address economic and climate challenges across 17 African countries.

🏡 Fabrice Colomba started as the head of Cap Hornu hotel-restaurant in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme since April 1, 2025. The property boasts 90 rooms, a bistronomic restaurant, seminar rooms with views of the Baie de Somme, a heated outdoor pool, a boulodrome, bike rentals, and a 15-hectare park. At 57, Colomba, with extensive industry experience, plans to modernize the offerings. The site is managed by Syndicat mixte Baie de Somme – Grand Littoral Picard, encompassing eighteen Picard coastal towns.

🍴 Meliá Hotels International expands in Asia, opening Meliá Pattaya with 234 rooms. Peter Laird, with over 20 years of high-level hospitality experience in Europe and Asia, including Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort and Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, is appointed F&B Director to enhance culinary offerings. With expertise in both Western and Asian cultures, Laird aims to bolster the hotel's attractiveness through exceptional operational excellence and multicultural cuisine creation.

💸 Omni Hotels & Resorts appointed Adam Hayashi as Chief Revenue Officer, responsible for revenue optimization and market positioning. Hayashi, with over 20 years in the hospitality sector, previously served as Accor's Global VP of Revenue Management, Distribution, and Business Intelligence, managing over 120 Fairmont and Raffles establishments. He's recognized for developing strategic intelligence tools and enhancing distribution systems, and will report directly to Omni's Chief Commercial Officer, Jeff Doane.

🏨 Ruby Group appoints Fabian Zellinger as Chief Growth & Innovation Officer (CGIO) to foster global growth strategy, enhance collaboration, and support long-term development ambitions. Ruby adopts a "Lean Luxury" philosophy, focusing on essential high-quality hospitality at affordable prices in prime urban locations. The group, under CEO Michael Struck, is expanding rapidly, buoyed by a strategic partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts. Zellinger, with over six years at Ruby Group and a standing executive committee member, takes charge of growth and technology departments, following Isabell Fuss's departure for new professional opportunities.

🏦 Philippe Vignon was appointed as the new General Director of Glion Institute of Higher Education effective from June 16, 2025. Glion, founded in 1962 in Switzerland, is globally recognized for excellence in hospitality management and luxury education. Vignon, with over 30 years of experience leading international organizations in various industries, including tourism and education, is set to enhance Glion's global brand and drive its next development phase.