NEW LEADER FOR PREFERRED HOTEL GROUP

The Preferred Hotel Group recently announced the appointment of Ananya Narayan to Area Managing Director of Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa ( A P M E A ) . N a r a y a n will continue to hold his current role as Senior Vice President – Global Strategy for the company. H e s u c c e e d s M a r k Simmons, Area Managing Director, Asia. With the support of six Regional Directors based in key cities, Narayan and the leadership team will work to provide unique and innovative solutions in an effort to generate greater revenue for member hotels. Bringing over 16 years of industry experience to this position, he has been an integral part of Preferred Hotel Group’s executive team since 2005. As the first Area Managing Director for Asia Pacific, he established the company’s Hong Kong office, growing the region’s membership from 13 to 47 members in three years. In 2008, Narayan relocated to Dubai to assume the roles of Area Managing Director – India, Middle East and Africa, and Senior Vice President – Global Strategy in an effort to spearhead the development of the company’s newest emerging markets. Prior to joining Preferred Hotel Group, Narayan held several roles for the Hyatt corporat ion, including D i r e c t o r o f S t r a t e g i c Market ing, Asia Paci f ic for Hyat t International and Director of Marketing at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. In the Middle East, Jose Ventura, Vice President, Business Development – IMEA, and now also Regional Director, Middle East & Africa, will assume Mr. Narayan’s responsibilities, while Lynne Ireland’s responsibilities remain as Area Managing Director – Australia, New Zealand & Pacific.