Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has appointed Mr Gilles Cretallaz as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective 10 June 2022.
Replacing Mr Lim Boon Kwee, who retired from the position in May after almost nine years of service with the company, French national Mr Cretallaz brings to the role more than 30 years of experience leading luxury, renowned, and iconic hotels for the Accor group across Turkey, China, and Southeast Asia.
Alongside driving brand evolution, he has a strong track record for formulating and implementing strategies to increase market share, guide sustainable development, introduce award-winning F&B concepts, and boost guest and customer satisfaction at properties under his care.
During his illustrious career, he has overseen pre-opening, rebranding, and operations for hotels under renowned Accor brands, such as Sofitel, Fairmont, and Raffles. This includes, amongst others, serving as Regional General Manager – Accor North Vietnam, and General Manager for the iconic, award-winning Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. He also conceptualised ‘So,’ Accor’s first playful luxury brand, and established the brand in Thailand as General Manager of the unique Sofitel So Bangkok.
Expanding his scope regionally, internationally, and across brand segments, he was appointed Director of Operations Sofitel Luxury Hotels – Thailand and Singapore, and later promoted to Vice President Operations Upscale and Luxury Segments for Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, and the Maldives.
In his most recent role, he was Senior Vice President Operations – Southeast Asia, responsible for leading Accor’s Bangkok Office and overseeing the operations of 150 highly-rated and prestigious hotels – including nine distinct brands – across Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
In his new role for Dusit International, Mr Cretallaz will be responsible for overseeing the financial and operational responsibilities of Dusit’s hotel business unit, including all Dusit Hotels and Resorts, ASAI Hotels, Elite Havens, White Label properties, and condominiums/residences under Property Management, at both corporate and property levels.
“I am honoured and delighted to join the talented team at Dusit International and contribute to the company’s vision to uniquely deliver Thai-inspired, gracious hospitality to the world,” said Mr Cretallaz. “Drawing on my extensive experience in overseeing hotel operations, brand evolution, property development, and sales and marketing, I very much look forward to helping drive sustainable expansion of our operations in existing and emerging markets, establishing new group-wide synergies to maximise growth potential, and introducing new products, services, and experiences to enrich the guest and customer experience and deliver enduring value for all stakeholders.”
Fluent in French and English, Mr Cretallaz holds an Advanced Certificate in Hotel Management from the Hotel Management School of Lausanne, Switzerland; a BTS Diploma from the Hotel Management School of Toulouse, France; and a Baccalauréat Technologique Diploma from the Hotel Management School of Thonon-Les-Bains, France.
During his time at Accor, Mr Cretallaz was honoured to be nominated for, and receive, numerous awards for his work. Among them: the ‘Bernache Imagine’ Award – the highest accolade within Accor – and the ‘Asian Businessman Award,’ from the ASEAN Capitals Business Forum.
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