Cycas Hospitality has appointed eight senior members to its operations team over the last three months. The spate of recruitments comes as the hospitality management company seeks to support its rapid growth across Europe. Its regional portfolio is approaching 50 properties.
Chris Thomas first joined Cycas in 2014 as Director of Sales at Holiday Inn & Staybridge Suites London Stratford. He was most recently General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott London City Airport. In what is now his fourth position within the company, he has taken over general management of Moxy & Residence Inn Slough. Prior to joining Cycas, Thomas worked for two years at Marriott International and for eight years at InterContinental Hotels Group.
Philip Steiner is the new General Manager of Bankside Hotel. His first role at the company was as Director of Accommodations & Serviced Apartments in 2018, before becoming General Manager for Moxy & Residence Inn by Marriott Slough during the pandemic. Before Cycas, he earned experience in the hospitality sector at ISS Facility Services UK, where he occupied various positions, including Director of Operations and Sector Director Hotels.
Pedro Mendes has been promoted from interim General Manager at Moxy & Residence Inn Amsterdam Houthavens to the position of General Manager of Courtyard London City Airport. He joined Cycas in 2022 and boasts over 20 years’ experience in the sector. Mendes previously worked at Whitbread, Penta Hotels, and Kew Green Hotels.
Scott Jakins is now General Manager of the recently renovated Staybridge Suites London-Vauxhall. He has been recruited by Cycas after occupying numerous senior roles at properties such as Hampton by Hilton Canterbury, Holiday Inn London Heathrow Bath Road, Holiday Inn London Heathrow M4J4, and Crowne Plaza London Gatwick Airport. Jakins first cut his teeth in the hotel industry in 2006 at Hilton.
In Scotland, Marc Jones joins the company as General Manager to prepare the opening of the new Four Points by Sheraton Edinburgh Haymarket later this year. It is a market he knows well having worked in senior management roles at Holiday Inn Aberdeen West for over ten years and at Holiday Inn Glasgow Theatreland for nearly five years.
Beyond the UK, Xavier Perret has taken over the running of the dual-branded Hyatt House & Hyatt Place Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. He boasts 15 years of experience in the Parisian hotel sector. Perret previously held senior positions in properties such as Hôtel Marriott Paris CDG, Courtyard by Marriott Paris Saint Denis, and Hotel Renaissance Paris La Défense.
Khalid Gaddur joined Cycas late last year and participated in the opening of the company’s first Holiday Inn Express with a ‘suites’ offering in the Netherlands. He brings more than 20 years’ experience of the Dutch market having worked at Radisson Blu Hotel Amsterdam and Floris Hotel Collection. He will operate as General Manager of Holiday Inn Express & Suites based in Deventer.
As ibis Styles makes its debut in the Nordics, Louise Adolph has joined Cycas as General Manager of ibis Styles Copenhagen Ørestad. He made her debut in the industry in 2000 as a Receptionist and Bartender at Quality Hotel Sønderborg. Over the intervening 23 years, Adolph has worked her way up the ladder and ran Danish establishments such as First Hotel Copenhagen, First Hotel G & Suites, and the SKT. PETRI hotel.
I’m incredibly proud to celebrate these exciting career milestones for so many brilliant Cycadettes, old and new. With the growth of the company, Cycas is focussed on offering unparalleled career development opportunities to our people, across an exciting diversity of brands and countries, as we continue to develop and inspire Europe’s best hospitality team.
Matt Luscombe, CEO of Cycas Hospitality