Loews Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Oliver Bonke as the company’s first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective Monday, January 11, 2016. Bonke will oversee the strategic growth of the Loews family of brands, including Loews Hotels & Resorts, Loews Regency and the OE Collection, in addition to taking ownership of Sales, Marketing, Guest-Facing Technology and Public Affairs.
“The newly created positon of a Chief Commercial Officer is vital as Loews experiences a significant growth period. Oliver’s three decades of experience operating luxury brands, and deep knowledge and insights into both U.S. and international markets, are critical assets for our successful brand expansion both domestically and abroad,” said Kirk Kinsell, President & CEO, Loews Hotels & Resorts. “As someone who has worked closely with Oliver, I know his tremendous impact on performance and people, and am delighted that Oliver has chosen to join Loews Hotels.”
“I have admired the quality of this company for years. With growth on the upswing not only of Loews Hotels & Resorts, but also of the Loews Regency and OE Collection, now is the perfect time to leverage my background and help meet the expected business goals of the brands,” adds Bonke. “This is an incredible opportunity for me to join a stellar team and help expand Loews Hotels as a premium competitor for the future.”
A seasoned hotelier with an entrepreneurial spirit, Bonke believes that leadership is a shared experience, that mobile devices shape the entire travel experience of the future and that brands succeed when they have purpose, character and create an emotional bond with its consumers. He is energized by the immense potential Loews Hotels & Resorts represents.
Bonke is joining Loews Hotels & Resorts from InterContinental Hotel Group where he served as Chief Commercial Officer of the Americas. At IHG he led the Americas Commercial Team across all top-line drivers of Brand, Loyalty, Distribution, Sales, Revenue Management and Digital & Partner Marketing and also served as the strategy and integration leader for IHG’s acquisition of Kimpton Hotels & Resorts. Prior to IHG, Bonke spent 24 years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., holding several sales, marketing and operations leadership positions across the globe, before departing the company as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University School of Business, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration & Sociology from Loyola University. Bonke credits his first summer job as a Page Boy at a hotel in his hometown of Hamburg, Germany, for his penchant to explore the world, ultimately sparking his illustrious hospitality career.
