Bangkok, 20 July 2017 – Thailand-based, global hospitality company Dusit International has appointed Mr Prateek Kumar as Regional Vice President – EMEA region, responsible for strengthening Dusit’s operations and supporting development efforts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
For the past two years Mr Kumar was Area General Manager in charge of Dusit’s operations in Dubai. In his new role, he will continue to serve as General Manager of Dusit Thani Dubai while also linking with the company’s head office in Bangkok to supervise operating and pre-opening properties in the EMEA region.
Mr Kumar has a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Management from Griffith University in Australia. Prior to joining Dusit International as General Manager of Dusit Thani Manila in 2008, he was responsible for the successful pre-opening of Ascott Raffles Place, a luxury all-suite hotel set in the heart of Singapore’s financial cityscape. He has also worked for Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Renaissance Hotels.
“In line with our strategy for sustainable and profitable growth, which includes balancing our portfolio of hotels to have half of our operations outside of Thailand by 2022, we are committed to increasing our resources to facilitate our expansion in the EMEA region,” said Mr Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Operating Officer of Dusit International. “Mr Kumar has a proven ability to create strategic approaches, drive revenue growth, set best operational standards, and deliver results, so we are confident he will help establish a strong presence for our brands in the region.”
With 29 properties currently in operation across four brands in eight countries, Dusit International is in a significant growth phase which will see the number of Dusit properties reach 70 within the next three to four years across key markets worldwide.
About Dusit International
Dusit International was founded in 1948 by Honorary Chairperson Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, whose first hotel was the Princess on Bangkok’s New Road. Today the company is a leader in hotel management, franchising and education and comprises a unique international portfolio of distinctive hotels and resorts operating under four brands: Dusit Thani, dusitD2, Dusit Princess and Dusit Devarana.
The company currently operates 29 properties worldwide and has 51 confirmed projects in the pipeline in key destinations such as Australia, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, and Vietnam.
Dusit International also operates the signature Devarana Spa and has a fast-growing Education Division. The latter, established in 1993, comprises Dusit Thani College, which offers vocational and postgraduate hospitality degrees at campuses in Bangkok and Pattaya; Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School; and the recently opened Dusit Thani Hotel School, which is Thailand’s first hospitality school based on the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals.
In 2018 Dusit will open the pioneering Dusit Hospitality Management College, a unique fully integrated hospitality school and hotel in Manila, Philippines. For more information, please visit www.dusit.com.
