Source: Regent

Regent Hotels & Resorts, the leading global luxury hospitality brand, is pleased to announce the opening of three new regional sales offices, in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as the appointments of a new sales leadership team based in those offices and others.

Regent welcomes Rene Mayer as Assistant Global Director of Sales (Taipei), Simon Dai as Regional Director of Sales (Beijing), Eric Ho as Regional Director of Sales (Hong Kong), Ted Kitahara as Executive Director of Sales (Japan), and Cooper Lin as Sales Manager (Shanghai).

"The growth of the Asian market, including the openings of both Regent Phuket and Bali in the coming months, has shown us that our regional offices must be expanded. The opening of both the Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong regional sales office allows us to pursue the region in a more aggressive manner," said Steven Pan, Chairman of Regent Hotels & Resorts.

New Appointments

Rene Mayer was most recently Director of Sales & Marketing at Sofitel Plaza Hanoi where he focused on the collective goals of the luxury hotel chain. Previously, Mayer served as Director of Global Sales Worldwide for Vienna International Hotels & Resorts, Austria and Cluster Director of Sales for Hilton Mainz International, among others. Mayer holds a Master's Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University – Germany, and a Business Studies Degree in Economics, Marketing & Sales from VWA Frankfurt, Germany.

Simon Dai brings more than eight years of Senior Sales Account Management experience to his new role as Regional Director of Sales. At Dai's most recent post, he served as Account Director of Starwood Global Sales office in China. Previously he held positions at such respected luxury hotelier groups as Westin, Kempinski, Intercontinental and Shangri-La. Dai graduated from University of International Business & Economy in Beijing with a major in Hotel Management.

Prior to joining Regent Hotels & Resorts, Eric Ho gained extensive experience in Corporate, MICE and leisure segments through his work as DOS at the Regional Sales offices of Dusit Hotel Group, Accor and the Kempinski Hotel Group in Hong Kong. His on-site property expertise was developed through his work at the Regal Hotel and Kowloon Hotel, China. A Hong Kong national, Eric graduated with Master of Management degree from Macquarie University Australia and a Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management from the University of East Asia.

Ted Kitahara began his hospitality career in 1991 when he became a Food & Beverage trainee at the Four Seasons Hotel at Chinzan-So Tokyo. Kitahara worked his way up through the luxury hotel industry at several Asian locations including ANA Crowne Plaza Narita, ANA Intercontinental Tokyo and Intercontinental Bangkok. With this most recent appointment, Kitahara rejoins the Regent family after working more than four years at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei in the early 90's where he was Director of Sales & Marketing. Kitahara completed a B.S. in Business Administration and International Business from Northeastern University in Boston and graduated with an MA from Boston University.

Cooper Lin is currently Sales Manager of Regent Taipei. He has a thorough understand of the Regent brand and its principles, having been with the company since the Grand Formosa days.

"Mayer, Dai, Ho, Kitahara and Lin bring extensive experience in the sales and management of luxury hospitality sector, particularly in Asia," said Ralf Ohletz, President of Regent Hotels & Resorts. "They will leverage their deep relationships with the travel agent community as well as their global hospitality expertise to drive sales and showcase the bespoke nature of our Regent Hotels."

About Regent Hotels & Resorts

Regent is a global luxury hospitality brand encompassing hotels, resorts and residences. It was founded in the 1970s by legendary hotelier Robert H. Burns, later joined by Adrian Zecha and Georg Rafael. In the '80s and '90s, Regent is the first hotel brand to introduce the 5-fixture bathroom, the all-villa resort, and the mixed-used hotel development. It is a truly Asia-based global hospitality group to successfully challenge the industry's European and US dominance, both with the opening of the flagship Regent Hong Kong and the iconic Regent Beverly Wilshire. As an international leading hotel brand, Regent has been constantly receiving award recognitions around the world. The existing Regents are located in Beijing, Berlin, Chongqing, Porto Montenegro, Taipei and Singapore with new hotels opening in Harbin, Jakarta and Phu Quoc.

For more information, please visit www.regenthotels.com.

Paul Calder / Angela Wong
CatchOn (Hong Hong)
+852 2566 8988
Regent