Orient-Express Hotels owners or part-owners and managers of 50 luxury hotel, restaurant, tourist train and river cruise properties in 24 countries, today announced that it has appointed Roy Paul as Chief Development Officer, effective February 1, 2011.
“Roy’s appointment to this newly created role signals our clear commitment to the considered and strategic long-term growth of the Company,” said Paul White, President and Chief Executive of Orient-Express Hotels. “Roy’s brief is to source acquisitions and management deals for Orient-Express Hotels as it continues to position itself as the market leader in luxury experience-based tourism.”
Roy Paul said, “Orient-Express is a wonderfully evocative brand encompassing an intriguing and well crafted portfolio of unique properties and leisure experiences in outstanding locations. I am looking forward to the challenge of developing this collection and working with the management team to create a road-map for the company’s future growth.”
In a hospitality career spanning 30 years, Mr. Paul has been involved in the conceiving, evaluating, structuring, planning, development, operations and asset management of hotels and resorts on a global scale.
He joins Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. from Cedar Capital Partners, an independent hotel investment firm. Cedar Capital Partners has acquired over EUR850 million worth of hotel assets on behalf of its partners. While at Cedar Capital Partners, he participated in a number of transactions, including the sale of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Prague and the purchase of the Richemond Hotel in Geneva.
Prior to Cedar Capital Partners, Mr. Paul led the development function at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts for over 20 years.
When Mr. Paul joined Four Seasons, his mandate was to transition the North American-focused operator with 19 properties (99% North America and urban) to a global player with a mixed portfolio of resorts and urban properties.
By 2007, the company operated 74 hotels in 31 countries and had become recognised as the world’s leading luxury hotel operator. Over 50% of the properties were located outside of North America and 30% of the portfolio was resort oriented. Mr. Paul’s development leadership led to the establishment of over 50 Four Seasons properties and entry into 24 new countries.
