Eden Hotels (“Eden”), the Dutch hotel group owned by KSL Capital Partners (“KSL”) and the Dijkstra family, have announced the appointment of Billy Skelli-Cohen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Leon Dijkstra announced his successor to the Eden Hotel teams this week, and his new role on the Supervisory Board. KSL’s recent (December 2021) majority investment in the group was to enable the combined ambition to grow the business and expand into Europe.
Eden Hotels currently owns and operates 14 hotels with almost 2,000 rooms, predominantly in Amsterdam and other major Dutch cities. The business has been built up by the Dijkstra family over almost 75 years and includes, among others, the 400-room Eden Hotel Amsterdam as well as the Hard Rock Hotel Amsterdam American. Today, the business employs over 500 people across its hotels and central offices. KSL’s investment will enable Eden to realise a growth plan across Holland and Europe. Skelli-Cohen is a seasoned hospitality operator with a track record in investment, development and operations. Formerly as CEO of Lore Group, Skelli-Cohen led the acquisitions, re-positioning and operations of its iconic hotels such as Pulitzer Amsterdam, Sea Containers London and Riggs Washington DC. Most recently Billy co-founded, soon to be launched, hospitality brand Àterre.
Leon Dijkstra, shareholder and board member, said “Our partnership with KSL in December marked the start of our growth plans, having Billy onboard will help us realise this. Collectively with KSL’s backing, our core DNA, and Billy’s experience we are excited to take Eden to the next level and kick start our European growth”. Skelli-Cohen commented “It’s a real privilege and an honour to be joining a long-standing family business that has built a compelling collection of city center hotels over two generations and is now part of KSL’s impressive portfolio. I am excited to join forces with the existing team to propel the development and growth, and enable Eden hotels to write the next chapter in its history”.
