Preferred Hotel Group™, a leading provider of sales and marketing support to independent hotels around the world, has announced several key hires and promotions for the region as part of a larger presence for the group in Central & Eastern Europe designated to grow group business and hotel development. Iconic Preferred Hotel Group properties in the region include The Alpina Gstaad, The Hotel Hessischer Hof, the newly launched Sans Souci in Vienna’s 7 District, the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt and the Hotel München Palace.
As commented by Susan Devine, Executive Vice President, Europe: ‘with our base in Munich, we are committed to strengthening our team in Central & Eastern Europe to allow for growth in this fast growing region. The recent developments within the team are a demonstration of these efforts.’
Key appointment highlights for the team include as follows:
Christopher Cox — Regional Director, Central & Eastern Europe
Christopher joined in April 2013 as ‘Regional Director, Central & Eastern Europe’ and is responsible for working with existing Preferred Hotel Group properties in Central & Eastern Europe and development within 19 countries including Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Iraq, Turkey and the Ukraine. Prior to Preferred Hotel Group, Christopher was based as General Manager at Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden and the Carlton Hotel St Moritz with previous tenures including Director of Sales & Marketing at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel and several key sales positions within Kempinski hotels in Germany.
Stephan Brauer — Promoted to Regional Director Germany, Switzerland & Austria — Director, Global Sales Central & Eastern Europe
Stephan has been part of the Preferred Hotel Group team since 2005 when he joined as Director, Global Sales Central Europe. He was promoted to Regional Director Germany, Switzerland & Austria and Director, Global Sales Central & Eastern Europe in January this year. Stephan is responsible for hotel membership roles for 21 hotels in Europe and in addition, continues to oversee the global sales for Central & Eastern Europe. Prior to Preferred Hotel Group, Stephan served as Global Sales Manager at Radisson SAS and later at Rezidor SAS Hospitality.
Marion Richter — Director of Group Sales, Central Europe
Marion joined as Director of Group Sales, Central Europe in March 2013 bringing more than 14 years of international sales and marketing experience to her post. She most recently served as Destinations Management Manager for the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), promoting the region to Asia and Australian markets and selling key GNTB products to corporate clients, tour partners and key German travel industry partners.
Christian Strieder — Revenue Account Manager, Central & Eastern Europe
Christian joined the Preferred Hotel Group team in June 2012 from Mandarin Oriental where he was based as Revenue Manager and responsible for improving its status as RevPAR leader in the local market as well as its excellence in internal customer satisfaction and reservations quality rankings. His current role involves working closely with Preferred Hotel Group hotels to maximize their revenue from their affiliation.
Stefan Schoewel — Manager Global Sales Central Europe
Stefan joined Preferred Hotel Group in July 2011 and was promoted to “Manager Global Sales Central Europe’ after a period of two years as Group Sales Central Europe Coordinator where he supported the sales team and was instrumental in the running of the Group Desk for meetings planners and sales professionals. He was previously based at Ritz-Carlton Global Sales Office London and the Park Hyatt Milan where he was responsible for overseeing a fully operating and highly successful Front Office and PBX staff.
About Preferred Hotel Group™
With a global reach extending into more than 85 countries, Preferred Hotel Group represents more than 650 of the finest hotels, resorts, and serviced residences in the world. Preferred Hotel Group’s brands include Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Preferred Boutique™, Summit Hotels & Resorts™, Sterling Hotels™, Sterling Design, and Summit Serviced Residences™. Travelers gain valuable benefits through branded programs that include Preferred Residences™; Preferred Golf™; the I Prefer™ Guest Benefit Program; Preferred Pride, a collection of TAG-approved or IGLTA-member hotels; and Preferred Family. For more information, visit www.PreferredHotelGroup.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Twitter.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Aysem Monaco
Senior Manager, Media Relations — EMEA
Tel: +44 20 7647 5184
amonaco@preferredhotelgroup.com