Cycas appoints first ever MD to help lead European growth

Cycas has revealed it has continued to strengthen its leadership and hotel management expertise with the appointment of Apurva Pratap as the company’s first ever managing director. Apurva will join the hotel operator from 1 May, bringing nearly 25 years of hospitality and investment experience to the new role. He joins Cycas from The Student Hotel in Amsterdam where, as chief customer officer, he was responsible for the portfolio’s commercial performance. Under Apurva’s leadership, the company augmented its sales, yield management and marketing functions, increased direct business share by 50% and boosted guest satisfaction levels across its properties. During nine years in senior strategic and operational roles with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Apurva was also “instrumental” in exceeding European revenue targets by $200m (£144m) while reducing commercial spend for hotels. The company said the key to this success was his “ability to drive performance improvements and engagement levels across the commercial and distribution teams”. Matt Luscombe, CEO of Cycas Hospitality, said: “I am delighted to welcome Apurva to Cycas Hospitality. I’ve known Apurva for many years, and he’s an inspirational leader as well as having one of the sharpest commercial and strategic minds in the industry. “His passion for people, values, energy and pioneering spirit are a great fit for Cycas. I’m very confident he will help us take the company to the next level, for our team and our investment partners, as we scale the business across Europe.” He added: “I’m very proud that, despite the pandemic’s challenges, we’ve doubled the size of our business since I joined Cycas two years ago. “With Apurva’s deep understanding of how to maximise hotel performance across a wide range of markets and hospitality segments, I have every confidence that Cycas is well placed to double our portfolio again, drive strong returns for our investment partners, and bring in more fantastic hospitality talent over the next two years.” Pratap said: “Hospitality is a people business, and for me Cycas sets the perfect example of how a company can deliver the best returns for its partners by consistently following its philosophy of keeping people at the heart of every decision. “At a time when the hotel sector across Europe remains highly fragmented, I look forward to helping Cycas build on its multi-market, multi-brand management expertise, secure new operator partnerships and cement its hotels’ reputation as the best places to work as well as stay across the region.” The MD appointment comes on the back of Cycas having opened six properties and signed three new deals so far this year. As a result, the hospitality specialist now operates hotels across five European countries with six global hotel groups.