AccorHotels has appointed Sami Nasser and Marc Descrozaille as chief operating officers for the Middle East & Africa.
Both will be based out of AccorHotels Dubai regional office and will report directly to Mark Willis who was recently appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of AccorHotels Middle East and Africa.
Commenting on the appointments, Mark Willis said: “Both Sami and Marc have demonstrated a deep understanding of the travel and hospitality industry in the Middle East and Africa, contributing heavily to the success of their respective organisations. I am delighted to bring them on board as chief operating officers and remain confident that their expertise and insights will enable AccorHotels to reinforce its leadership position in this dynamic and rapidly growing region.”
Sami Nasser joins from his recent role as chief operating officer, Luxury Brands, Middle East for AccorHotels where he oversaw a portfolio of 40 hotels in the region. Within his new role, Nasser will directly oversee over 125 operational hotels and 50 hotels in the pipeline across all brands in North Africa, Levant, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Indian Ocean.
He brings over 25 years of hospitality experience having held strategic roles within multiple international brands, including AccorHotels and FRHI Hotels & Resorts, in operations, sales and distribution.
Nasser is a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme from INSEAD France and holds a PDP certification in Hotel Marketing from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Marc Descrozaille joins AccorHotels from Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts where he served as president for the Middle East and Africa, overseeing over 50 hotels, the largest single brand in the region. With his new position, Descrozaille will be responsible for over 105 operational hotels and 65 hotels in the pipeline across all of AccorHotels’ signature brands in the Gulf (excluding Saudi Arabia) and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Descrozaille brings more than 20 years of experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines in Africa, Europe and the Middle East where he has worked for leading hospitality companies including Radisson Hotels Group, Hilton Hotels and the Savoy Group. He also served as a consultant at KPMG, providing valuable insights for upscale hotel projects and leisure concepts in Europe.
Descrozaille holds an MBA in International Hospitality Management in Paris from Cornell-Essec and is a graduate of Lausanne Hotel School.
The senior appointments come during a time of record growth in the Middle East and Africa for the group, opening on average two hotels every month. AccorHotels has also grown its economy and midscale portfolio of hotels, reinforced its luxury and upscale presence in the region through the acquisition of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts and debuted lifestyle brands in the Middle East for the very first time, with projects including Mama Shelter, 25H Hotels and SO/.
AccorHotels has a committed network (operational and pipeline) in the Middle East and Africa of over 400 hotels, representing close to 100,000 rooms across 30 countries in the region.
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