Dive Brief:
- Yotel named Marriott International executive Phil Andreopoulos CEO, the London-based hotel company announced Monday.
- Andreopoulos was most recently Marriott’s chief commercial officer for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. According to his LinkedIn, Andreopoulos was at Marriott for more than 20 years.
- Andreopoulos’ appointment comes as Yotel targets ambitious growth, with plans to double its global hotel portfolio to 15,000 rooms by 2030. Yotel Chairman Talal Al Bahar said Andreopoulos will “drive expansion of both the managed and franchise businesses in key markets.”
Dive Insight:
Andreopoulos succeeds Hubert Viriot in the CEO role. Viriot will continue as vice chairman of the company, “working with Phil, our Chairman, Talal Al Bahar and the Board to support Yotel at a strategic level,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
In a statement, Al Bahar said, “Phil Andreopoulos brings a wealth of commercial and operational experience and under his leadership, Yotel will enhance its distribution, direct business contribution and loyalty proposition.”
Yotel’s leadership shakeup follows news earlier this year that the company’s majority shareholder, Al-Bahar Group, would acquire an additional 30% stake in the company to fuel its growth. The stake was previously held by a controlled affiliate of Starwood Capital Group.
“I’m thrilled to join Yotel at such a pivotal moment in its growth,” said Andreopoulos, in a statement. “The pioneering concept and global footprint mean Yotel’s global recognition supersedes its size and that, paired with the agility of being independent, creates a unique opportunity to scale quickly and offer owners, investors and franchisees the speed and innovation they crave in the industry.”
Prior to the chief commercial officer role at Marriott, Andreopoulos was chief operating officer for owner and franchise services for Marriott’s EMEA and Sub-Saharan Africa region, where he oversaw the growth and development of franchise operations, according to Yotel.
Earlier this year, Yotel named former IHG Hotels & Resorts Vice President Yvonne Thomsen its CFO.
The hotel company currently has 23 open hotels globally including in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C., as well as 11 hotels in the pipeline.
