Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer, India, Middle East and Africa, Intercontinental Hotels Group
Pascal Gauvin continues to drive the growth of the biggest international chain in the region.
2014 ranking: 7
2013 ranking: 2
IHG continues to set the pace for international chains in the Middle East, with 81 hotels and 21,862 rooms across 11 countries in the region, as of July 2014. The group has plans to open another 27 hotels, adding 7913 more rooms over the next three to five years.
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In his current role, which he has held since the beginning of 2012, Gauvin has continued to drive growth in the Middle East over the past 12 months across its portfolio of brands. A firm believer in leading by example, Gauvin admits he spends at least 50% of his time in the field making sure he is in tune with his teams on the ground.
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IHG recently signed a second Holiday Inn in Abu Dhabi, to open by the end of the year and a second InterContinental, set for 2016. In Dubai, the company revealed plans to open the Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina hotel in 2016 and InterContinental Dubai Marina is already making waves with the exciting F&B offering it promises to bring when it opens at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the first Staybridge Suites property in Lebanon opened towards the end of last year in Beirut.
Saudi Arabia has been a big focus of attention for Gauvin over the past year and the company has signed a deal for lifestyle brand Hotel Indigo to make its Middle East debut in the Kingdom in 2015, and has expanded the pipeline for its extended stay Staybridge Suites brand. Additionally, the world’s largest Holiday Inn has been signed and will open in Makkah in 2016. Across all brands, IHG is looking to increase its presence (by room number) by more than 50% over the next three to five years in KSA.
By The Numbers
Number of years in the role: 2 Number of years in the company: 14 Number of Middle East operating hotels: 81 Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 27
Fun Fact: Pascal Gauvin’s favourite sport is golf.
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