4 minute read
GLOBAL LEADERS: LARRY CUCULIC, BWH HOTEL GROUP
GLOBAL LEADERS: Larry Cuculic
President and CEO BWH Hotel Group
AS TRAVEL CONTINUES its resurgence, growth in the hospitality industry is focused on international markets. While recovery has not been even around the world, we are encouraged to see that most countries are experiencing a surge in travel. The recovery is led mostly by leisure tourism, but corporate travel is rebounding as well, and we are hopeful based on what we are seeing in the business and group space.
As a global hospitality brand, we have increased our focus in 2022 on embracing our international presence and coming together as a global hotel family to serve our guests, partners, and each other with a sense of shared global responsibility. This includes creating new Vision and Mission statements that reflect our global reach and organisational values. We are dedicated to our new vision of “Inspiring travel through unique experiences”. Also, we are passionate about fulfilling our mission to “Deliver trusted guest experiences, drive hotel success, and foster a caring and inclusive culture that respects the environment”. These values are the cornerstone of our hotel family, a shared purpose that unifies our brands and hotel teams.
The WorldHotels Collection continues to expand its footprint globally
Being unified with common goals is the key to success – and we saw just that in 2022. For example, we achieved the strongest revenue year in our company’s history. And we are witnessing strong performance in many parts of the world with occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) exceeding prepandemic levels.
As we look to the future, I recognise the importance of evolving our brand to ensure we are conscientious stewards of the communities, guests, and associates we serve around the world. As such, efforts in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) have gained increased importance and will continue to do so in the near and long-term. Consumers and other key stakeholders are increasingly making decisions to align with companies who share their sincerely held values and beliefs. At BWH Hotel Group, we are proud to prioritise ESG as a Key Result Area with our own Earth, People and Community (EPC) initiative for our global organisation and we will continue to leverage our partnership with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
While we are tackling these significant initiatives and celebrating the many successes our industry has seen in the past year, we must remain aware of the lingering challenges that face the global hospitality community –the impact of the Ukraine/Russia war, possibilities of a recession, and labour, supply, and shipping challenges.
Larry Cuculic, President and CEO
But if there is anything the last few years has taught us, it is that our industry is resilient. We will overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
I am optimistic for the future of our industry and our global BWH Hotel Group family. With a portfolio of stunning hotels across the globe, BWH Hotel Group is positioned for continued growth, providing unique offerings and experiences to travelers and developers worldwide. We look forward to the continued resurgence of travel and working with our global partners to ensure a successful 2023 and beyond.
SNAPSHOT: BWH HOTEL GROUP
Current number of hotels & rooms (Globally): 3,929 hotels; 344,729 rooms
Current number of hotels & rooms (APAC): 153 hotels; 32,632 rooms
Current number of hotels & rooms (ANZSP): 76 hotels; 4,668 rooms
Year first hotel opened: Globally 1946; APAC 1993; ANZSP 1975 Head office locations: Phoenix, Bangkok, Sydney
