Oxygen Hospitality Group, a U.S. hotel real estate investment and management company, has announced Yaron Ashkenazi, an award-winning international hotelier, has been named chief executive officer (CEO).
Oxygen Hospitality, a name which means Òto breathe in and give life to,Ó will acquire, renovate and manage a portfolio of branded and independent hotel assets in the Sun Belt and other advantageous U.S. destinations. The Company, which will focus on instilling a values-based European ethos for global business and leisure guest appeal, is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ashkenazi, a highly seasoned international hotelier, joins Oxygen Hospitality from GCH Hotel Group in Berlin, Germany, where he most recently served as CEO for the country’s second-largest hotel management group. Notably, Ashkenazi managed and repositioned an extensive portfolio of 120 hotels, with 15,000 rooms, in Germany, Belgium and Austria welcoming over 3 million guests annually and employing 3,300 people. Renowned hotel brands under his management included Wyndham, TRYP by Wyndham, Days Inn, Radisson Blu, Best Western, Mercure, Ibis, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn. His proven operational and financial excellence resulted in leading the Company to become the largest management company of Wyndham Hotel Group properties in Europe.
In this most recent CEO role, Ashkenazi positioned his group of hotels as an ÒAAAÓ in the Treugast Investment Ranking. Numerous projects, innovative ideas and implementation of advanced technology are attributed to his leadership. He positioned the GCH Hotel Group in the market as a professional, independent service provider (B2B) of management services and also caused a sensation in 2016 when his company became the first hotel management company in Europe to have a virtual reality website. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on leadership and operations development within the hospitality industry. Ashkenazi, a native-born Israeli, began his 29-year hospitality leadership career in Tel Aviv. He holds a degree from Technion Ð Israel Institute of Technology in Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Management and a bachelor’s degree from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
ÒThe opportunity to use the knowledge and lessons learned from decades within the hospitality industry and become an owner and co-founder is a lifelong aspiration that has come to fruition,Ó said Ashkenazi. ÒAll guests will get an unforgettable experience across our properties as we will strive to create loyalty among guests, partners and investors.Ó
Ashkenazi’s vision for the newly formed vertically integrated company, Oxygen Hospitality, is centred on repositioning attractive, value-driven assets into properties where guests are welcomed into an authentic, lifestyle-centred atmosphere filled with local immersion, incredible service and exceptional food. Furthermore, the Company is passionately focused on differentiating itself and disrupting the industry by aggressively infusing technology into real estate for elevated ease, guest experience and operational performance.
