The Rezidor Hotel Group has appointed Arno Schwalie as Area Vice President Central Europe. He joins Rezidor from Design Hotels AG in Berlin where he currently holds the position of Chief Operating Officer. Effective 1st September 2015, Arno Schwalie will oversee the operational business for 74 Rezidor hotels with 16,300 rooms. He will be based at the Area Support Office in Frankfurt and report directly to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Olivier Harnisch.
“We are delighted to welcome Arno to Rezidor’s business leadership team. His extensive experience of the international hospitality industry and his creative hands-on approach will further drive and develop our business in our important home markets in Central Europe”, said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO of Rezidor.
“I am thrilled to become part of one of the most ethical and fastest growing hotel companies in the world. I look very much forward to working closely with Rezidor’s senior management and with the team in Central Europe to fuel future growth, shape customer experience and ultimately create long-term value for Rezidor and its major stakeholders”, commented Arno Schwalie.
German-born Arno Schwalie has a strong background in strategy, operations, marketing and national & international sales. He holds a degree in International Business Administration from Euro-Business-College Munich (Germany), a postgraduate degree in Property Economics from Akademie der Immobilienwirtschaft Leipzig (Germany) and a Master of Business Administration from Escuela Autónoma de Dirección de Empresa / University of Wales in Málaga (Spain). He also completed a Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management programme at Cornell University (USA).
He joined Design Hotels AG in 2006 as Manager Strategic Business Development and was later promoted to Director Strategy & Development, Vice President Business Development & Corporate Strategy, Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, and finally Chief Operating Officer. In this role he is responsible for the management of a portfolio of almost 300 hotels in more than 56 countries.
