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Hong Kong SAR, China, 30 May 2022 – Wharf Hotels, a Hong Kong-based hospitality management company consisting of two brands – Marco Polo Hotels and Niccolo Hotels, has announced the appointment of Alex Chiang as vice president, human resources and the promotion of JØrgen Christensen to vice president, operations among its leadership team.
“I am delighted to welcome JØrgen Christensen and Alex Chiang to Wharf Hotels’ Executive Committee. The group is in a phase of change, and I’m confident both JØrgen and Alex will leverage their expertise and understanding of our operations and organisational leadership respectively to take the brands’ value to the next level, for both internal and external stakeholders. We look forward to the enhancements both gentlemen will achieve in their critical roles,” said Wharf Hotels President, Thomas Salg.
A human resources leader with more than 26 years of experience in Asia Pacific’s hospitality industry, Alex Chiang has oversight of all Human Resources aspects to further Wharf Hotels’ talent development, employee engagement and inclusive culture. He also plays an integral role in strengthening learning and development, succession planning and talent acquisition to support the President’s initiatives.
Alex Chiang has broad experience in organisational leadership, performance management, HR analytics and employee relations. He has held senior positions in luxury hotel groups, and in a pre-opening capacity, charged with introducing robust systems to enhance the wellbeing of employees.
Alex Chiang earned his Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Catering Management at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom.
In JØrgen Christensen’s new role, he will lead the Operations division in its mission to establish revenue streams for hotel operations, enhance guest and service experiences, and oversee group brand standards for the Rooms division; Restaurants, Bars and Events; and Technical Services.
With the pandemic transforming the way people connect and travel – JØrgen Christensen will play a key role in continuing to reshape and improve service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness to complement new work and social lifestyles. In addition, he will lead a team of project professionals that delivers compliance with multiple regulatory health and safety requirements.
Prior to joining Wharf Hotels, JØrgen Christensen served as General Manager of Niccolo Changsha having opened the hotel in 2018. Over the past four years, he has built the property’s reputation and championed initiatives that ensured exceptional quality across the hotel’s operations and standards. His proven record of successfully maximising and managing profitability of the hotel also extends to Marco Polo Changzhou – which was sold in February 2022, when he held the position of General Manager from 2015 to 2018.
JØrgen Christensen earned his Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom and IHTTI School of Hotel Management in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
About Wharf Hotels
The Spirit of Discovery
Emanating the spirit of discovery, Wharf Hotels, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, is based in Hong Kong SAR, and currently operates 16 owned and/or managed hotels under Marco Polo Hotels and Niccolo Hotels in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Philippines. Niccolo Hotels was added to the group’s portfolio in 2015 as the luxury collection, positioning the brand as contemporary chic. The 2021 opening of Niccolo Suzhou brings the brand’s collection to five hotels following the successes of The Murray, Hong Kong; Niccolo Chengdu; Niccolo Chongqing and Niccolo Changsha.
Marco Polo’s international deluxe hotels in established locations within Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Philippines maintain their ethos to explore, discover and experience a destination, drawing on the philosophies of their namesake, Marco Polo: an adventurer, a traveller, an entrepreneur and a connoisseur of culture – just as travellers are today. Wharf Hotels is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance. Further details are available at wharfhotels.com.