PHOENIX, USA, 24 February 2021 (updated 25 February*): WorldHotels names Olivier Berrivin managing director for the Asia Pacific as company veterans Roland Jegge and Melissa Gan assume the roles of senior advisor and chief commercial officer effective on Monday.
Berrivin is making a sideways move from heading Best Western Hotels Asia Pacific from an office in Bangkok, Thailand to assume the role of managing director APAC of the World Hotels team.
The latest update from Best Western Hotel Group president David Kong confirms BWH already has a replacement to head the APAC office in Bangkok. (See below)
World Hotels regional office is located in Keck Seng Tower, Singapore.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts acquired WorldHotels that has more than 300 independent properties in February 2019 for an undisclosed sum.
BWH Hotel Group’s president and CEO, David Kong, is also concurrently the president and CEO of World Hotels. He is the longest-serving BWH CEO, having held the post since 2004.
“I am delighted to welcome Olivier to our seasoned team of WorldHotels APAC leaders,” said Kong. “WorldHotels will benefit tremendously from his proven leadership within the region. Olivier is joining a group of truly accomplished leaders who, together, will undoubtedly drive WorldHotels to even greater success in the years ahead.”
In his new role with WorldHotels, Berrivin will be responsible for all aspects of the operation of WorldHotels in the region and will focus his efforts on hotel development and growing brand awareness.
In addition to Berrivin’s appointment, WorldHotels confirmed Roland Jegge would continue his 25-year tenure with WorldHotels as he migrates from his current role of president – APAC to become the senior advisor to the CEO of WorldHotels. Gan, who has been with the company since 2005, will assume increased responsibilities in the newly created role of WorldHotels chief commercial officer APAC.
Latest story update: 25 February 2021*
In response to questions from TTR Weekly, Berrivin clarified: “I plan to relocate to the WorldHotels Singapore office as soon as travelling between Thailand and Singapore becomes possible without a quarantine on either side and I’ll keep running the Bangkok office (BWH) in parallel until my successor is officially announced.”
He confirmed the work from home rule placed on Bangkok offices in January has now ended allowing the BWH APAC office to reopen.
Additional comments from BWH Hotel Group president David Kong:
“As noted, we announced this week that Olivier Berrivin has been appointed managing director of WorldHotels Asia Pacific (APAC). In this role, he will be responsible for all aspects of the operation of WorldHotels in APAC and will focus his efforts on hotel development and growing brand awareness. He has been with BWH Hotel Group since 2015 and has played a critical role in growing our presence in the region.
“We have hired an individual to fill the position previously filled by Berrivin, but the individual has not yet begun his employment. Therefore at present Berrivin is managing responsibilities for both Best Western Hotels & Resorts and WorldHotels in the region. As soon as his replacement officially starts, WorldHotels will be his focus.
“Given the tremendous potential we envision for WorldHotels in APAC, we will have two offices in Asia – one in Singapore and the other in Bangkok. Since BWH Hotel Group’s acquisition of WorldHotels, we have been focused on maintaining the brand’s individual identity and empowering its success. This business model is like that of Toyota and Lexus, with Lexus maintaining its own identity while tapping into the proven brand resources and capabilities of Toyota.”
