Dusit Appoints Gilles Cretallaz as Chief Operating Officer

(22 June 2022, 11:13 +07)  Dusit has appointed Gilles Cretallaz as Chief Operating Officer.

Replacing Lim Boon Kwee, who retired from the position in May after almost nine years of service with the company, French national Gilles brings to the role more than 30 years of experience leading hotels for the Accor group across Turkey, China and Southeast Asia.

Gilles Cretallaz

During his illustrious career, Gilles has overseen pre-opening, rebranding, and operations for hotels under luxury Accor brands, such as Sofitel, Fairmont and Raffles. This includes, amongst others, serving as Regional General Manager – Accor North Vietnam, and General Manager for the iconic, award-winning Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. He also conceptualised ‘So’, Accor’s first playful luxury brand, and established the brand in Thailand as General Manager of the unique Sofitel So Bangkok.

Expanding his scope regionally, internationally, and across brand segments, he was appointed Director of Operations Sofitel Luxury Hotels – Thailand and Singapore, and later promoted to Vice President Operations Upscale and Luxury Segments for Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, and the Maldives.

In his most recent role, he was Senior Vice President Operations – Southeast Asia, responsible for leading Accor’s Bangkok Office and overseeing the operations of 150 highly-rated and prestigious hotels – including nine distinct brands – across Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

In his new role for Dusit, Gilles will be responsible for overseeing the financial and operational responsibilities of Dusit’s hotel business unit, including all Dusit Hotels and Resorts, ASAI Hotels, Elite Havens, white label properties, and condominiums/residences under property management, at both corporate and property levels.

“I am honoured and delighted to join the talented team at Dusit International and contribute to the company’s vision to uniquely deliver Thai-inspired, gracious hospitality to the world,” said Gilles. “Drawing on my extensive experience in overseeing hotel operations, brand evolution, property development, and sales and marketing, I very much look forward to helping drive sustainable expansion of our operations in existing and emerging markets, establishing new group-wide synergies to maximise growth potential, and introducing new products, services, and experiences to enrich the guest and customer experience and deliver enduring value for all stakeholders.”

Fluent in French and English, Gilles holds an Advanced Certificate in Hotel Management from the Hotel Management School of Lausanne, Switzerland; a BTS Diploma from the Hotel Management School of Toulouse, France; and a Baccalauréat Technologique Diploma from the Hotel Management School of Thonon-Les-Bains, France.

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