Major news from Jumeirah today: The luxury hotel company announced that its CEO, Guy Crawford, will retire in June 2012 after 10 years with the brand. Nicholas Clayton will be the group's new Chief Operating Officer, according to Gulf News.
Clayton joins Jumeirah Group from the Viceroy Hotel Group where he was president and later CEO. He has previously worked with the Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental groups. Previously, Clayton spent 14 years with Ritz-Carlton in their businesses in the United States, Australia and finally Singapore where he was Managing Director of the Ritz-Carlton Millenia. He then joined Mandarin Oriental in 2001 as Senior Vice President Operations based in Hong Kong. He was responsible for the group’s 18 Asian and European properties and a staff of over 9,000 as well as the Food and Beverage and Spa divisions globally. Read more about him here.
Meanwhile, Crawford's tenure saw Jumeirah Group growing into a portfolio of 20 luxury five-star hotels and hotel residences with a portfolio of other profitable businesses including restaurants, spas, water parks and the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.