GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE STRENGTHENS ITS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF TWO SENIOR MEMBERS
Franck Kermarrec joins GHA as Chief Commercial Officer and Nicolas le Roux takes on new Head of Marketing and Digital Strategy role |
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GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE STRENGTHENS ITS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF TWO SENIOR MEMBERS
Franck Kermarrec joins GHA as Chief Commercial Officer and Nicolas le Roux takes on new Head of Marketing and Digital Strategy role |
Category: Worldwide - Careers
- Appointments
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2022-03-24
Filed by Global Hotel Alliance
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the largest international alliance of independent hotel brands, encompassing more than 500 hotels across 35 brands in 85 countries, has bolstered its management team with two senior-level appointments.
Franck Kermarrec comes on board as Chief Commercial Officer and Nicolas le Roux assumes the newly created role of Head of Marketing and Digital Strategy.
Responsible for GHA’s strategic growth and accelerating the company’s development plans, Kermarrec will initially be focusing on growing the portfolio of brands and partners across all geographies.
Kermarrec brings to the role extensive hospitality industry experience, having worked in Europe, North America, and Australia.
After 10 years in strategy consulting across a wide range of sectors, he moved to the travel and hospitality industry, holding senior roles at IHG and Hertz, before moving to Millenium Hotels as Group Chief Marketing Officer and most recently as Chief Operating Officer at Atlas Hotels.
Originally from France, Kermarrec holds an MSc in Management - majoring in Strategy and Corporate Finance from Emlyon (France) - as well as an Executive MBA from INSEAD (France/Singapore).
Starting 1st April 2022, Nicolas le Roux will focus on generating GHA revenues through the reimagined GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme, leveraging the alliance’s extensive customer database, optimising the loyalty programme’s digital presence, and driving higher member engagement.
Le Roux will be responsible for leading the marketing team, encompassing owned channels including email, push, website, app, and social media, along with branding and positioning, design, and content strategy. His key responsibilities will cover GHA DISCOVERY customer acquisition, activation, engagement, experience, and analytics.
Originally from South Africa, le Roux started his career in account management and events, gained experience at the Travel Corporation, and was then appointed Head of Marketing for Travelport in MEA & South Asia.
In his most recent role as Chief Marketing Officer at Mondia Group, he focused on strategic positioning in the mobile tech industry to act as a key partner to optimise profitability and win market share, while leveraging the end-user experience.
Le Roux holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an IMM diploma in Marketing from the Graduate School of Marketing in Johannesburg.
Kermarrec and le Roux will be based at the alliance’s headquarters in Dubai and report to GHA’s CEO, Chris Hartley, as part of the senior management team.
“I am very excited to fill these two crucial positions with exceptional talents. Now that the hospitality industry is finally starting to recover from the pandemic, our focus is on continuous growth. With new brands such as Sun International, which joined the alliance in February 2022, and NH Hotels joining in Q2 2022, our hotel portfolio will increase to more than 800 properties in 100 countries worldwide. Franck and Nic will be responsible for championing the value of joining the alliance and the benefits of our reimagined GHA DISCOVERY programme to independent hotel brands, as well as future members. With their extensive experience in the travel space and proven track record delivering results, Franck and Nic are a great fit for us,” said GHA CEO Chris Hartley.
About Global Hotel Alliance (GHA)
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) brings together a unique collection of independent hospitality brands with GHA DISCOVERY, a multi-brand loyalty programme leveraging a shared technology platform. Through membership in GHA, brands expand their global reach, drive incremental revenue, and reduce dependence on third-party channels, all while maintaining management independence and individual positioning. GHA represents a collection of 35 brands with over 500 hotels in 85 countries serving 11 million members. The award-winning GHA DISCOVERY programme generates approximately US$2 billion in revenue and more than eight million room nights annually. GHA’s brands currently include Anantara, Araiya, Avani, Campbell Gray, Capella, Corinthia, Discovery Destinations, Divani, Doyle, Elewana, Fauchon, GLO, JA Resorts, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno, Marco Polo, Mysk, Niccolo, Nikki Beach, NUO, Oaks, Outrigger, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL COLLECTION, PARKROYAL, Patina, The Residence by Cenizaro, Shaza, Sukhothai, Sun International, Tivoli, Ultratravel Collection and Viceroy.
About GHA DISCOVERY
Launched in 2010, GHA DISCOVERY is the world’s largest loyalty programme for independent hotel brands, featuring more than 500 hotels, resorts and palaces across 35 brands. Members enjoy VIP recognition, thoughtful benefits and generous rewards at home or away. Recently the programme has evolved to include an additional tier and flexible paths to upgrade through nights/stays, eligible purchases or number of brands stayed, making it easier and faster for members to reach elite status. Unlike more traditional programmes, GHA DISCOVERY does not ask members to count points towards their next upgrade. Instead, members earn and spend DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), an exclusive rewards currency. They also enjoy members-only Experiences curated by each hotel and have access to properties close to home, without a stay, through member-only Local Offers.
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