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Accor names new chief operating officer of luxury brands, Europe
Accor has appointed Marc Dardenne as chief operating officer of its luxury brands in Europe.
Dardenne, who most recently held the same post at ultra-luxury Red Sea resort project Amaala, will oversee the operations of around 50 luxury hotels in Europe and nine hotels under development.
His brief covers Accor’s top tier brands, including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel and others, as well as flagship properties such as The Savoy in London (above), Raffles Europejski Warsaw and The Grand Amsterdam.
"Marc is a respected and well-known leader in the hospitality sector and someone who brings a luxury pedigree and strong commitment to quality," said Franck Gervais, CEO Europe, Accor. "We are pleased to welcome Marc to the Accor family and are confident that his leadership, relationships and passion for hospitality will both excite and inspire our luxury hotel teams across Europe."
Dardenne’s previous roles include interim CEO and COO at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in Dubai, and he has almost four decades of global hospitality experience in both hotel and real estate groups.
Earlier in his career, he worked with Ritz Carlton, then Emaar Hospitality, where he collaborated with Giorgio Armani to shepherd the expansion of the Armani brand into hospitality with ultra-luxury hotels in Dubai and Milan.
Dardenne has also been involved in developing unique luxury and lifestyle brands such as The Address Hotels and Resorts, Patina Hotels & Resorts and Zabeel House.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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