Munich, September 30, 2022 - As of October 1, it's official: the fast-growing Gorgeous Smiling Hotels, headquartered in Munich, will have a new management trio. The founder of the multi-brand operator, Heiko Grote, will remain CEO of GSH Holding and overall managing director. Operational responsibility as managing director of the umbrella company Gorgeous Smiling Hotels GmbH as well as Rilano Group GmbH and GS Star GmbH will be taken over by the new dual leadership of CFO Marco El Manchi and COO Edwin Jebbink. In the new constellation, they intend to further drive expansion in the DACH region, in addition to the recently founded GSH Academy. With its multinational wealth of experience, the new management trio is also increasingly putting out feelers to the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Together with Heiko Grote, they have worked intensively on the future vision of Gorgeous Smiling Hotels in recent months: Marco El Manchi as Lead in Finance, Purchasing, Legal Development and IT, and Edwin Jebbink, who has been heading Operations as COO since the beginning of the year and has also taken over Revenue, Sales and E-Commerce. Both managers bring many years of experience and international know-how to their new positions.
Marco El Manchi studied business administration and law in Vienna and Barcelona and has been Head of Finance at Gorgeous Smiling Hotels since January 2020. Previously, he worked for a strategy consultancy, where he supported projects mainly in the areas of mergers & acquisitions with a focus on consumer and construction. About the direction of travel for the next few years, he says: "The objective is clear. We want to add ten new hotels per year - whether existing or newly developed, leased or purchased. With the new constellation at the top, we now not only have the manpower and the know-how to achieve this; we are also extremely motivated. And the best thing is: we are a good team. It's a lot of fun working with Heiko and Edwin. The chemistry has to be right."
Edwin Jebbink studied at The Hague and Cornell and holds a master's degree in Business, Management, Hospitality and Marketing. He joined GSH in May 2021, initially as an external consultant, and has held the position of COO since September 2021. In the course of his managerial career, Jebbink has become familiar with all the neuralgic points of the hotel business and is considered a far-sighted strategist and motivator. He has clear ideas for his new position and the future of the company: "Quality will be the top priority in both the expansion and the further development of the existing properties. This does not only mean the equipment, but explicitly also the personnel area. For this reason, we have recently founded the GSH Academy together with our team. For the hotel industry of the future, we will go new ways, in recruiting and also in training and further education."
Heiko Grote remains General Manager and CEO as well as CEO of the holding company
Heiko Grote founded Gorgeous Smiling Hotels in 2011 and has since achieved considerable growth with his team. The portfolio consists of around 40 leased and more than 20 managed properties, ranging from low-service hotels to serviced apartments and upscale star hotels; GSH's own brands include Rilano Hotels & Resorts, Arthotel ANA and ANA Living. With the new management duo at the helm of the hotel companies, Grote now wants to continue this success story. About the personnel decision, he says: "I am very much looking forward to working with Marco and Edwin. They bring even more internationality to the management team and expand our network in the direction of Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Because that's where we want to go with our portfolio, and I'm confident that we'll achieve this goal - each of us individually, with our own area of responsibility, and yet as a team pursuing a common vision."
Brands by Gorgeous Smiling Hotels
As an independent brand in the design midscale segment, Arthotel ANA developed within a very short time into a popular hotel brand with special services, features and locations in first-class city locations. Whether as a glamorous hotspot in downtown Leipzig or as a serviced apartment such as ANA Living by Arthotel ANA in Augsburg, Oberhausen or Stuttgart - at Arthotel ANA, comfort, state-of-the-art technology and stylish design that ensures well-being go hand in hand. This makes GSH 's concepts suitable for both existing conversions and new buildings. The serviced apartments of the ANA Living by Arthotel ANA brand, on the other hand, were designed for long-term guests. Similar to Arthotels ANA, the focus here is on services, furnishings and contemporary design in the midscale segment. In addition, the Arthotel ANA brand itself also acts as a franchisor.
As another brand, Rilano Hotels & Resorts stand for timeless elegance and style, high service quality and integration of the latest technologies. The name Rilano combines the best of three countries with a great tradition of hospitality: Italy as a symbol of lightness and joie de vivre, America as the country of origin of state-of-the-art technologies and high service standards, and domestic German roots symbolising reliability and quality.
About Gorgeous Smiling Hotels:
As the holding company, GSH coordinates development, yield management, purchasing and sales as well as the marketing of the operating companies and all legal matters under one umbrella. Franchise partners of the GSH Group include global players such as InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton and Wyndham, whose brands have been successfully adapted for the European market. Thus, the portfolio currently comprises around 40 leased operations and more than 20 management operations, ranging from budget hotels to serviced apartments and upscale star hotels.
The Group is expanding particularly strongly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands - further expansion plans for Europe are already in place.
Press Contact Gorgeous Smiling Hotels:
Michaela Rosien PR, Michaela Rosien, Sankt Anna Platz 1a, D-80538 Munich
T +49-173-29 177 92, e-mail, m.rosien@michaelarosien-pr.de, michaelarosien-pr.de