Mark Willis to oversee a portfolio of 400 hotels in operation and pipeline and to drive continued growth and performance

AccorHotels has announced the appointment of Mark Willis as the chief executive officer, AccorHotels Middle East and Africa.

Based in Dubai, Willis will be responsible for overseeing a combined network of close to 400 hotels in operation and the pipeline across the Middle East and Africa.

With over 30 years of hospitality experience, Willis will be tasked with driving operational excellence through top line performance, quality, and guest satisfaction as well as fueling the region’s growth by nurturing a talent pool to reach 50,000 employees by 2021.

“Mark has demonstrated exceptional leadership in operational, commercial, and strategic areas and understands the travel and hospitality industry intuitively. His guest centric approach combined with a deep understanding of the Middle East and Africa will be invaluable as we continue delivering cherished experiences for our guests and returns for our valued partners,” said Chris Cahill, deputy chief executive officer, AccorHotels.

Willis joins the group during a time when the Middle East and Africa region has experienced significant growth, opening an average of two hotels every month and reaching milestones from guest satisfaction and reputation management to positive employee engagement.

AccorHotels has also grown its economy and midscale portfolio of hotels, reinforced its luxury presence in the region and has debuted lifestyle brands in the Middle East for the very first time, with projects including Mama Shelter, 25H Hotels and SO.