Design Hotels Announces New Structure Of Management Team
Design Hotel AG starts the year strong: more than 260 member hotels in 54 countries, 170 destinations and 20,000 hotel rooms at an average daily rate of USD 333 (EUR 245). The company's success will be built upon with structural changes to the management team, enabling the company to take a strong step forward.
"In the last 20 years we have not only been recognized as a pioneer within the design and boutique hotel niche, we have established the brand worldwide and proven our role as a strong, reliable partner for our member hotels," says Founder and CEO of Design Hotels™, Claus Sendlinger.
Notable benchmarks include a near tripling of room revenue production for member hotels during the past five year period, while the hotel portfolio grew at a measured rate of 45%. In 2013 the company generated over USD 218 million (EUR 160 million) in room revenue for its member hotels. As a further testament to brand strength, Design Hotels™ has received numerous international awards for its innovative marketing campaigns.
The Executive Management Team is composed of Claus Sendlinger, Arno Schwalie and Sascha Wolff. In his new position as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Arno Schwalie took over responsibility for operations of the business units Business Development, Global Sales and Brand, Marketing & Communications. As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Sascha Wolff is responsible for the business unit Finance & Administration, and manages all financial and legal affairs, as well as Investor Relations.
The Executive Management Team is supported by the leaders of the operational business units. In his new role as Vice President Brand, Marketing & Communications, Serdar Kutucu oversees Brand Management, Public Relations & Communications, Digital Marketing und Creative Services. New to the organization is Felix Radavero who is Vice President Business Development EMEA. Radavero took over responsibility for the departments Portfolio Development, Account Management, Membership Services and Distribution & Revenue Management. As Global Director of Sales, Christian Malcher continues to manage global sales and the relationship with the international travel trade.
PROFILES:
CLAUS SENDLINGER, FOUNDER AND CEO, DESIGN HOTELS AG
Sendlinger (1963) began his career in the travel industry in 1987 with the founding of an agency specializing in sport and music events. Only four years later Travel Trends, a tour organizer for high-end, authentic travel experiences, followed. In 1993, Sendlinger established Design Hotels Inc. in Sausalito, California. What began as a small hotel cooperation with 10 iconic members, focused on communications strategies that went beyond traditional tourism marketing. With the growth of its worldwide creative network, lebensart global networks AG was born in Augsburg, Germany in 1998 and went public in 1999. In 2003, the company was renamed Design Hotels AG and in 2004 the headquarters were moved to Berlin. Today, Design Hotels AG represents and markets a hand-picked collection of over 260 hotels in 54 countries. In November 2012, Sendlinger was honored at the European Hotel Design Awards for outstanding contributions to the industry. In January 2013, Design Hotels AG received the Special Award from one of the top German hospitality publications AHGZ (Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung).
ARNO SCHWALIE, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO)
Arno Schwalie (1974) joined Design Hotels AG in 2006 and together with Claus Sendlinger was responsible for Strategy & Development. In 2010, he was promoted to Vice President Business Development & Corporate Strategy and joined the Executive Management Team. He was furthermore granted commercial power of representation. In 2013 he was promoted to Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer. In January 2014 he took over responsibility for all operational business units including Business Development, Global Sales and Brand, Marketing & Communications as Chief Operating Officer. Schwalie has a background in strategy, marketing and sales in national and international companies. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration, a degree in International Business Administration from the European Management Academy, a degree as Real Estate Business Economist and Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management from Cornell University.
SASCHA WOLFF, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)
Sascha Wolff (1972) joined Design Hotels AG in 2000 as Head of Accounting and later also took over Financial Controlling. In 2004 he was promoted to Director of Finance and joined the Executive Management Team. In this role he was granted commercial power of representation. In 2009 he was promoted to Vice President Finance and in 2013 to VP & Chief Financial Officer. As Chief Financial Officer he is responsible for the business unit Finance & Administration, and manages all financial and legal affairs, as well as Investor Relations.
SERDAR KUTUCU, VICE PRESIDENT BRAND MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Serdar Kutucu (1977) joined Design Hotels AG in 2008 as Head of Strategic Development. As Area Director Business Development, Kutucu oversaw all account management activities and membership services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and has been responsible for the substantial growth of the hotel portfolio. In January 2014 he took over responsibility for the departments Brand Management, Creative Services, Digital Marketing and PR & Communications. Kutucu has several years of experience in marketing and strategic consultancy with national and international companies, and holds a Masters Degree in International Business Administration from the University of Vienna.
FELIX RADAVERO, VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EMEA
Felix Radavero (1976) joined Design Hotels AG in January 2014 as Vice President of Business Development EMEA and took over responsibility for the departments Portfolio Development, Account Management, Membership Services and Distribution & Revenue Management. Radavero comes with many years of international professional experience in Latin America, the US, Europe and the Middle East. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree. Prior to joining Design Hotels AG he was Cluster Director of Finance at The Ritz Carlton and Marriot Hotels in Berlin. Radavero is originally from Argentina.
CHRISTIAN MALCHER, GLOBAL DIRECTOR SALES & MARKETING
Christian Malcher (1976) has been with Design Hotels AG since 2007. As Global Director of Sales & Marketing he manages global sales and the relationship with the travel trade. Prior to joining Design Hotels AG Malcher worked in various sales & marketing positions for national and international hotel chains and individual luxury hotels. He holds a degree in Hotel Sales & Marketing from Cornell University.
About Design Hotels
Design Hotels™ represents and markets a curated selection of over 300 independent hotels in more than 60 countries across the globe. More than a collection of hotels, the company is a collection of stories. Each property reflects the ideas of a visionary hotelier, an "Original", someone with a passion for genuine hospitality, cultural authenticity, thought-provoking design and architecture. Each "Original" stands for the individual, aesthetic and service-driven experience that his or her hotel provides.
In 2017, Design Hotels™ launched Further, a traveling laboratory for experiential hospitality that transforms hotels across the globe into temporal hubs of thematic exploration. The mission behind Further aligns with the values of the future-facing Promad, a new generation of traveler embracing progressive travel and global nomadism. First identified by Design Hotels™ in collaboration with leading futures consultancy The Future Laboratory, the purpose-driven, self-actualizing Promadic movement is set to shape the future of hospitality.
Founded by Claus Sendlinger in 1993, Design Hotels™ offers its members insightful travel industry knowledge, from market trend consultancy to international sales representation. The company has its headquarters in Berlin and branches in London, Los Angeles, New York and Singapore. In 2019, Design Hotels™ joined forces with Marriott Bonvoy, enabling its member hotels to have both a greater and more selective reach while offering its Community the benefit of the industry's leading loyalty program.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of nearly 8,000 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy®, its highly-awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.
