From left: Peter Henley; Douglas Martell

A leadership transition is occurring at ONYX Hospitality Group with CEO Peter Henley, chief commercial officer Duncan Webb and chief people officer Anand Rao retiring from the Bangkok-based hotel chain effective end-June.

Henley will be succeeded by current COO Douglas Martell who joined ONYX in mid-2014. Webb, who has been with ONYX for 28 years since its early Amari days, is succeeded by Debrah Pescoe who came onboard ONYX in early 2012 as vice president sales, and Rao by Suganya Wiwitwanit who joined in March last year as senior vice president human resources.

Henley counts succession planning, along with building a strong team and culture, as among his biggest achievements in the nine years with the company. “That we have managed to assemble such a strong team and culture, that we have achieved what I said we would back in 2008. That when three senior members the team retire at the same time, we have three fantastic replacements ready to step up,” he said.

Henley grew ONYX to 42 hotels. A second ‘strategic road map’ called Delivering Success, to be led by Martell, targets at least 99 operating properties by 2024 but, beyond numbers, will focus on further growth, operational excellence and owner, guest and employee satisfaction, Henley said.

When asked if he was retiring completely, he said: “I am glad to say yes although I am sure my new boss (his wife) will have certain duties for me to discharge!”

Turkish Airlines will begin four-times-weekly flights between Istanbul and Phuket from July 17, 2017.

The flight will depart Istanbul on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 14.30, and arrive in Phuket at 04.00 the following day.

The return leg will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and will depart from Phuket at 05.30 and land in Istanbul at 12.00.

Shangri-La Group’s newest hotel brand Hotel Jen has unveiled its first experiential programme, Night Light, which will run across all its properties in the Asia-Pacific.

Going live after sunset each day, the interactive Night Light maps use real-time geo-tagged social data from residents in each of the nine Hotel Jen cities – including a select group of local influencers – to highlight hotspots where travellers can go after dark to eat, play and relax like a local.

Guests staying at Hotel Jen can also participate in the weekly Night Light events organised by the hotels. Activities range from salsa dances and rooftop yoga lessons in Singapore to night-time walks atop Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak to aqua Zumba at Puteri Harbour.

Marisa Aranha, vice president of sales and marketing for Hotel Jen, said: “Through this new Night Light programme, we are encouraging our guests to head out and explore the thriving activities that each destination has to offer between sunset and sunrise. There’s more to a city after dark than what is featured in conventional guidebooks and we want to provide a new perspective for busy business travellers, unabashed night owls and curious families through curated insider insights.”

Roland Fasel

Aman has appointed Roland Fasel, formerly general manager of The Dorchester and Regional Director, UK, for Dorchester Collection, as COO.

In his new post, Fasel will work closely with chairman, Vladislav Doronin, and oversee all facets of Aman’s hotel, resort and private residence operations and help define the future vision and strategy.

He commented on his priorities as COO: “The continued integration of Aman Wellness, the forthcoming introduction of a new culinary concept and a robust pipeline of development projects are all high on my agenda.”

A Swiss native, Fasel has over 25 years of experience within the luxury hospitality industry, including positions at Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz, Four Seasons Hotels, Regent Hotels and Shangri-La.

Most recently, during his eight-year tenure with the Dorchester Collection where he held dual roles, he was instrumental in growing their business, overseeing new openings, residences, spa and the repositioning of the Dorchester Collection brand.