Belmond Ltd. Names James Simmonds as Senior VP Global Development
January 6, 2015 - Belmond Ltd. (NYSE:BEL), owners, part-owners or managers of 45 luxury hotels, tourist trains and river cruises operating in 22 countries, today announced the appointment of James Simmonds as Senior Vice President, Global Development.
Mr. Simmonds joins Belmond from Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong, where he was Senior Vice President - Development, Asia Pacific and China. He has a strong reputation within the global hospitality industry and a broad range of experience across hotel consulting, sourcing management agreements, asset management, joint venture development and direct hotel investment. Prior to Rosewood, Mr. Simmonds led business development for Mubadala, the strategic principal investment group of the Government of Abu Dhabi. He began his career in London with Deloitte and Ernst & Young in their hospitality advisory practices.
“Since the high-profile launch of the Belmond brand in March 2014, we have secured management agreements on two properties to join our collection of iconic hotels and luxury travel experiences, demonstrating that our strengthened brand approach and global excellence in luxury hospitality is proving attractive to third-party luxury hotel owners,” said John Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer, Belmond Ltd. “James' experience as both a hotel investor and an operator, as well as his impressive track record in negotiating and securing management agreements, makes him a great addition to our senior management team as we continue to deliver on our strategy of long-term growth for the Company.”
Belmond Ltd. is a global collection of exceptional hotel and luxury travel adventures in some of the world's most inspiring and enriching destinations. Established almost 40 years ago with the acquisition of Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, the Company owns and operates 45 unique and distinctive hotel, rail and river cruise experiences in many of the world's most celebrated destinations. From city landmarks to intimate resorts, the collection includes Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg; Belmond Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya; and Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara. Belmond also encompasses safaris, six luxury tourist trains including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, three river cruises and '21', one of New York's most storied restaurants.
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