Hyatt Selects Senior Leader to Advance Global Wellbeing Strategy

Hyatt has selected Mia Kyricos as senior vice president, global head of wellbeing, underscoring Hyatt’s commitment to care for people so they can be their best. Kyricos will report to Mark Vondrasek, Hyatt’s chief commercial officer.

“As a pioneer in the business of wellbeing, Mia is uniquely qualified to further define Hyatt’s wellbeing efforts across all 14 brands to ensure colleagues, guests and customers can be their best”

“Hyatt’s dedication to implementing wellbeing practices throughout all facets of the organization demonstrates just one of the ways Hyatt continues to lead the way in the hospitality industry,” said Kyricos. “This is the first time I’ve seen a company of its kind establish a cohesive position on wellbeing that fully encompasses all parts of the organization. I am excited to join such a forward-thinking leadership team to help meaningfully implement innovative wellbeing strategies for Hyatt’s colleagues, guests and members of the communities in which Hyatt hotels operate around the world.”

Most recently, Kyricos served as President and CEO of Kyricos & Associates LLC, a boutique advisory firm providing guidance to wellness-driven hospitality, tourism and healthy lifestyle companies. Prior to that, she was chief brand officer at Spafinder Wellness, Inc., where she co-founded the “Wellness Travel Awards” program which was previously issued annually across 40 countries at the World Travel Market. She also held leadership roles at Core Performance, the workplace wellness division of EXOS, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide where she created six international spa brands and signature wellness experiences. Kyricos holds a master’s degree in hospitality administration from Cornell University and sits on the advisory boards of the Global Wellness Summit, Wellness for Cancer and The University of California Irvine. She also chairs the Wellness Communities Initiative on behalf of the Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational foundation that she helped to found.

Ascott Opens Two Citadines Properties in Vietnam

Singapore-based Capitaland Limited’s wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (“Ascott”), has opened two new Citadines Properties in Vietnam, the 548-unit Citadines Blue Cove Danang and the 229-unit Citadines Regency Saigon. As Vietnam’s largest serviced residence and Ascott’s debut in Danang, Citadines Blue Cove Danang is located by the Han River in the scenic Son Tra peninsular, within a 15 minutes’ drive from Danang International Airport.

Furnished with a mix of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments overlooking the Danang Bay, facilities at the property include a restaurant, a rooftop infinity pool, fitness centre, spa, more than 462 square metres of meeting space and children’s playroom. Citadines Regency Saigon is Ascott’s fifth property in Ho Chi Minh City and is located in District 3, a prime business and residential district of the city. Offering classic rooms, studios and one-bedroom apartments, other facilities include a restaurant, a café, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, children’s wading pool, sauna room, and launderette. Ascott currently has a total of 21 properties offering approximately 4,700 units across seven cities in Vietnam. In the next three years, Ascott is scheduled to add more than 2,000 units across nine properties in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang, Halong City and Binh Duong province.

Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Acquires Spanish Boutique Hotel Brand, Hospes Hotel Group

Hong Kong-based private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners (“Gaw Capital”) has announced that it has, through its European Hospitality Fund I managed by GCP Hospitality (“GCP”), acquired a 50% stake in Spanish boutique hotel brand, Hospes Hotel Group (“Hospes”) in a joint-venture with Spain-based investment firm, Omega Capital (“Omega”). Hospes’ total asset is valued at EUR125 million with ten properties in prime locations across Spain.

Through the deal, Gaw Capital and GCP will leverage Hospes’ reputation in Spain and look to expand their presence in Europe, especially in tourist areas and strategic cities within Spain and Southern Europe. Hospes’ luxury boutique hotels are situated in close proximity to some of Spain’s most prominent historical sites and feature facilities such as bars and restaurants, wellness centres and luxury spas. The acquisition marks Gaw Capital’s second overseas hospitality investment in a month, after the investment manager agreed to pay AUD157 million for a hospitality-office complex in Melbourne, Australia on 2 July 2018.

Hello, World!

Interstate Hotels & Resorts Grows Global Portfolio Through Continued European Expansion

Interstate Hotels & Resorts has expanded its footprint. The management company recently opened four new hotels in Europe and a regional office in Amsterdam. Interstate Hotels & Resorts’ Borealis properties to recently open include the Hotel Indigo The Hague in the Netherlands, which sits opposite the royal Noordeinde Palace; Aparthotel Adagio Amsterdam City South, part of greater Amsterdam; the Hampton by Hilton Antwerp Central Station in Belgium; and the Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam City Hall. Interstate also assumed management of the newly opened The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Yervan, an upper-upscale property in Armenia’s capital city. (Interstate joined forces with Borealis Hotel Group earlier in the year.)

Orientation Program with Environment Sensitization at BCIHMCT

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, in an effort to inculcate best practices for the twentieth batch 2018-22, conducted an Orientation Program on the first day of Academic Session.

The Orientation took place at the college auditorium where all the students, parents and the faculty members were present. In his welcome address, Dr. Bhupesh Kumar, Director, BCIHMCT, said, “Welcome to the Hospitality Industry, a fast-growing industry in the international market. By associating yourself with BCIHMCT you have actually stepped into a professional milieu that will make realize your dreams.” He went on to explain the expectations Industry has from hotel management students.

Mr. Ramesh Takulia, Cosultant, Learning & Development at Taj Hotels Resorts Palaces and Safaris was the Chief Guest at the ceremony. Mr. Takulia in his speech explained students the four areas hoteliers look for while hiring candidates. First is commitment and dedication as we deal with people who are not ordinary. They are widely traveled, highly successful and cannot tolerate inefficiency. Second is being formal and professional. Being formal means being in
accordance to traditions and etiquette. A professional is someone who follows procedure, has some level of expertise and takes pride in his/her work. Third point is how you look and how do you sound. Your attire, grooming, posture, confidence facial expression and smile should create
a positive impact. The fifth habit that should be cultivated is the sum total of all, to have polished behavior, polite attitude and service orientation. You must be elegantly outgoing, social and lastly he informed this profession is based on extreme levels of trust.

Dr. Sarah Hussain, Academic Head, BCIHMCT in her speech spoke to students and parents
about the mentoring system being followed in college. She gave a brief overview of attendance, grooming and academics. A vote of thanks was later given by her.

Tree Plantation was one of the activities conducted where saplings were planted by first year students along with their mentor faculty in different areas in and around college campus. In this environment friendly practice, every group would look after their sapling for the next few years of their college life. BCIHMCT has set an example to other colleges in India in having a green start to a new academic session.