Leonardo Hotels Benelux pushes for expansion and growth with new Development & Project Manager

Leonardo Hotels Benelux focuses on expanding its hotel portfolio and strengthening its position in the region in the coming years. With the appointment of Marieke Dessauvagie as Development & Project Manager, Leonardo Hotels is committed to growing the number of hotels and increasing brand awareness. This strategic direction follows the successful acquisition of Apollo Hotels in 2018 and the complete transformation of 16 hotels in the Benelux region, realising the hotel chain's vision in the region.

On 1 November, Marieke Dessauvagie started as Development & Project Manager for Leonardo Hotels Benelux. With experience on both the hotel side at Marriott International and in the field of hotel property development consultancy, Marieke has been recruited by Leonardo Hotels for this new role. In collaboration with Alexander Kluit, Managing Director of Leonardo Hotels Benelux, Marieke will work on the growth and expansion of Leonardo Hotels in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg in the coming years. 

Since joining Leonardo Hotels, Marieke has directly contributed to reviewing and advising on ongoing projects and propositions. Her focus in the coming period will be on development. "In the coming period, the focus will be on developing a well thought-out strategy and setting concrete targets for the growth of the number of Leonardo Hotels in the region. Together with Alexander, I will be fully committed to this", Marieke said. 

In addition, at a later stage, Marieke will be responsible for effectively managing both conversions of new hotels and renovations of existing hotels. Marieke: "I look forward to realising our vision and making a significant contribution to the further development of Leonardo Hotels in the Benelux."

In recent years, the Leonardo Hotel Group's international organisation has paid increasing attention to development, resulting in the establishment of several international development teams in different countries and regions. This now also applies to the Benelux region.

Alexander Kluit, Managing Director of Leonardo Hotels Benelux, said: "Now that we see the excellent performance of the existing hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium, we are ready to enter this region to take significant steps forward and we can focus even more attention on further developing our portfolio."

The emergence of confidence to develop new hotels is additionally fuelled by the observation that there is significant potential and room for expansion in several cities. With a current portfolio of 16 hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium, Leonardo Hotels is keen to look at the potential in the coming years in cities where they are not yet represented, such as Haarlem, Leiden and Maastricht. In Belgium, Brussels, Leuven and Ghent are on the wish list. Marieke: "In the long term, we aim to add the first Leonardo hotel in Luxembourg to our portfolio."

The multi-year growth strategy to be pursued by Leonardo Hotels, led by Alexander and Marieke, focuses on the middle segment (3-star and 4-star hotels) in urban areas: in the city centre or its proximity in major cities. Not only the opportunities and space for new hotels in different cities influences the team's strategy, which Alexander has been building since 2018 and to which Marieke is the most recent addition. "The change in the wishes and needs of the hotel guest, has had a lot of impact on what hotels look like anno 2023. Whereas previously we only welcomed hotel guests in the lobby, our hotels are increasingly a place where people gather to dine, have a coffee or work remotely. We naturally take this into account when developing new hotels." said Alexander. 

In addition, the team has an eye for trends and developments in the hotel industry. The guest's desire is constantly kept in mind when realising new hotels and renovating hotels from the existing portfolio. Alexander: "In that, a hotel is like furnishing a house. Every seven years it needs a fresh new look." The guest experiences this in the Leonardo Hotels through the modernised hotel rooms, for example, but also the automation of check-in and check-out. 

This month, the Benelux team celebrates its fifth anniversary within Leonardo Hotels. The team, consisting of some 850 passionate employees, has worked diligently over the past few years to grow and develop Leonardo Hotels in the Netherlands and Belgium. Alexander: "With this enthusiastic team, I want to further develop the Leonardo Hotels brand in the Benelux into one you can no longer ignore."