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Accor has confirmed the appointment of Stephen Alden to the role of CEO of Raffles and Orient Express, effective 3 May. Alden will report directly to Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, and will become a member of the group executive committee.
Alden, who most recently created and launched the Dedica Anthology brand in 2017, will now be heading Raffles and Orient Express brands. Accor said he will “further build both brands through exceptional programming, dedicated team cultures and accelerated growth”.
He trained in Switzerland and moved into the luxury hotel business. With Starwood he opened the St Regis in New York and led the St Regis and Luxury Collection brands globally.
He was also CEO for nine years of Maybourne Hotel Group, whose flagship properties include Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley. In 2016 he was appointed CEO of The SET, owner and operator of London’s Hotel Cafe Royal, The Conservatorium in Amsterdam and the Lutetia in Paris.
Alden has served on the boards of Walpole British Luxury (London) and London First as well as Ferragamo’s Lungarno Collection (Florence). He was also awarded an honorary title in 2002 as “Console di Roma“ for the renovation of the César Ritz Grand hotel, completed in time for the Giubileo 2000 celebrations.
Sébastien Bazin, Accor chairman and CEO said: “We are pleased to welcome Stephen, a highly respected and visionary leader within the international luxury hotel space. His experience and expertise will strongly contribute to further building momentum of our Raffles brand and to making the highly anticipated launch of the Orient Express hotel brand a tremendous success.”
Alden said: “It is a privilege to be taking on the stewardship of these two magnificent brands. I am greatly looking forward to this next episode, working closely with all functional & operational teams and leveraging Accor’s exceptional talent and resources globally.
“We have a unique opportunity to accelerate Raffles’ forward momentum, as well as to reignite the Orient Express brand, successfully bringing its glamour and timeless qualities to a new generation of hotels starting with our first property in Rome.”
