Three new key positions and a new CEO announced as boutique hotel collection prepares for the next phase of its evolution and makes plans to expand into new markets.
With the hospitality industry recovering from the impacts of Covid-19, Ovolo Hotels has promoted Dave Baswal to Chief Executive Officer, allowing Founder and Executive Chairman Girish Jhunjhnuwala to focus on branding, development, and strategic growth of the business.
With 20 years of experience in hospitality, finance and real estate management, Dave has been instrumental in Ovolo’s growth during the pandemic and in building a strong team aligned around the group’s core values.
“Dave Baswal personifies the very best of Ovolo – someone with the passion for constantly improving the guest experience, the creativity to innovate new services, and the business acumen to deliver strong performance,” said Girish. “Most importantly, he shares the same people-centric ethos at the heart of Ovolo, delivering happiness to our guests, our teams, and our stakeholders.”
The promotion allows Girish to direct his energy into finding new opportunities to take the Ovolo experience to more travellers globally. The group says he is certainly not slowing down and will remain intrinsically involved in all aspects of the business, continuing to break norms and set new benchmarks in hospitality.
The award-winning boutique hotels collection has also reinvigorated its presence in Australia and beyond this year by welcoming Francis Graham as the new Marketing Communications Manager for Ovolo in Australia, Mel Tan as Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Manager for Ovolo, and Kim Pham, Ovolo’s newest Group Digital Marketing Manager.
Francis brings a wealth of knowledge to his new role, focusing on developing dynamic experiences for guests as travel resumes. He was previously at integrated marketing agency One Green Bean for three years and has also worked for numerous creative agencies in London, most notably Cake (part of Havas Group).
Mel, on the other hand, was appointed after revolutionising Ovolo’s food and beverage offering with initiatives including the recent launch of its vegetarian pledge, Plant’d, and its By Ovolo Collection dining concepts.
Kim joins Ovolo after a five-year stint at one of Sydney’s most renowned digital marketing agencies, Advisible, where she was most recently their Head of Digital. She has taught digital marketing courses at Academy Xi and previously worked with some of Australia’s most reputable hotel and venue clients.
Ovolo Group has also promoted two current marketing team members, acknowledging their ongoing commitment and passion for the Ovolo mission. Victoria Ko has been promoted to Assistant Marketing Communications Manager (Hong Kong) after being recognised for her instrumental role in forming partnerships for Ovolo’s Quarantine packages and contributing to the relaunch of Veda and Te Quiero Muncho in Hong Kong. Jonathan Jeremy has also been promoted to Marketing Communications Manager for Mamaka By Ovolo in Bali after showcasing driven excellence and creative ideas during a turbulent period and a predominantly domestic market.
Ovolo currently has 13 hotels and a dozen restaurants across Hong Kong, Australia and Indonesia and is looking for expansion opportunities across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the US. It continues to take the brand to a larger, international audience allowing the opportunity for guests and employees to live by the Ovolo mission: Shiny Happy People All Around.
A proud Hong Kong brand, Ovolo Group remains a family-owned and privately-operated business operating four hotels and three restaurants in Hong Kong, one hotel in Bali, and eight hotels and seven restaurants across Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
Ovolo also has the By Ovolo Collective within its portfolio of hotels, a distinctive collection of four hotels each one unique, each one special. The more guests explore, the more they’ll find. These include Nishi Apartments in Canberra, Australia, The Sheung Wan by Ovolo and The Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, and Mamaka Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia.
In March 2021, Dash Living collaborated with Ovolo Hotels to launch two new generations of serviced rental solutions in Hong Kong. A total of 135 rooms and suites that form part of a new generation of serviced rental solutions for hyper-mobile millennials will be available for booking. The Aberdeen by Dash Living, soon-to-be converted from Mojo Nomad By Ovolo, offers 79 rooms ranging from studios to executive suites. The 56-room The Sheung Wan By Ovolo, only remaining under Ovolo’s management for stays under seven days, will offer units from studio, one-bedroom, to family room options.
Featured image: Ovolo South Yarra, Australia