Hotelbeds has appointed Forrest Zhang as managing director for China.
In this newly-created role, Zhang will work to further strengthen Hotelbeds’ position in the bedbank sector, placing a strategic focus on this key market which is currently its fourth biggest source market globally.
Zhang will be directly responsible for all the company’s activities which are focused on the Chinese market, and will report directly to Carlos Muñoz, managing director of Hotelbeds.
Prior to his new role, Zhang held the position of director of market management for mainland China at Expedia. He has a wealth of experience in general management, sales leadership and market development in different industries across mainland China, including hotels, serviced apartments, vacation rental acquisitions and account management. He was also responsible for managing relationships with Expedia’s extensive hotel portfolio, including global accounts, local chains and independent hotels on property level.
Carlos Muñoz, managing director, Hotelbeds, said that Zhang’s appointment came after the travel tech company “identified new opportunities” to tighten their grip on the bedbank sector “by powering our focus on developing the key strategic Chinese market under one single lead”.
“China is, in fact, our fourth biggest source market globally. As part of our strong commitment to investing in this region, to exploring the huge opportunities it can offer and to further developing our business there, we felt it was necessary to create a newly dedicated role to answer the specific and high demanding needs of this market,” he said.
