With Cycas Hospitality set to open its first two French properties this autumn, the hotel management company has appointed five regional experts across France and Germany in recent weeks to further accelerate its European growth.
German recruits
Last month Daniel Bowen joined Cycas’s Development and Acquisition team, becoming Development Director for the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Joining Cycas from Dorint Hotels & Resorts, Daniel brings ten years’ experience as a German hotel developer and previously helped Novum Hospitality expand its portfolio. Working with Cycas’s Chief Development Officer, Asli Kutlucan, Daniel’s will be responsible for growing the company’s presence across Germany – including strong secondary cities – through strategic partnerships and portfolio acquisitions.
Also based in Germany is Katrin Schöfer, the newest addition to Cycas’s expanding central finance team. As the company’s Senior Manager Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Business Intelligence, Katrin will maximise synergies between the development and finance departments, and help incorporate enhanced business intelligence into the company’s long-term plans. With experience across a number of leisure companies, including Lufthansa AirPlus, she joins the team from Penta Hotels, where she oversaw their global financial reporting processes.
French appointments
The French recruitment drive follows the appointment of Luc Vicherd as Regional General Manager earlier this year, with three new team members reporting directly into him from Hyatt’s first dual-branded property in mainland Europe.
Béatrice Puma joined Cycas in April as the company’s first Director of Sales for France, and will be a key part of the pre-opening team for the double-decker Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotel at Charles De Gaulle Airport. With over ten years’ hospitality experience, including six focused on the Charles de Gaulle and Roissy region, Béatrice is well placed to capitalise on the growing market for aparthotels around the airport, of which Hyatt House will be the first.
The French team is further strengthened by the appointment of Operations Directors for each of its two new Paris properties. Looking after Hyatt House Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, Nicolas Dubas previously spent eight years working for Cycas’s first dual-branded hotel in London and graduated last December from the company’s in-house ‘Cyfari’ leadership development programme. Pierre Brochard, meanwhile has spent eight years working across Hyatt properties throughout Europe and the Middle East. He joins as Operations Director for the Hyatt Place from Hôtel du Louvre, where he has worked as Front Office Manager for the last two years.
Announcing the appointments, Matt Luscombe, CEO of Cycas Hospitality, said: “For Cycas to grow successfully across Europe, we need to attract the very best talent to support our ambitions. I’m excited to see what Daniel, Katrin, Béatrice, Nicolas and Pierre will achieve in their new roles.
“These five appointments demonstrate how important the French and German markets are for our business. I’m confident their combination of international experience and local knowledge will ensure we continue to be a preferred partner for investors and owners looking to enter new markets.”
