Australian Katie Benson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Langham Hospitality Investments Limited (LHIL) a publicly listed company of which Great Eagle Holdings Limited is the majority unit owner.
Established primarily to own and invest in a portfolio of hotels, with an initial focus on completed hotels in Asia, Langham Hospitality Investments’ objective is to provide Holders of Share Stapled Units with the potential for sustainable long-term growth of such distributions and enhancement in the value of the hotel portfolio.
The initial asset portfolio comprises of three hotels: The Langham, Hong Kong; Langham Place, Mongkok; and Eaton Hong Kong.
With Benson at the helm, LHIL intends to accomplish these objectives through optimising the performance and enhancing the overall quality of the hotels, and identifying and pursuing hospitality asset acquisition opportunities through implementing various investment and business strategies.
With more than 30 years of hospitality experience, Benson has, according to Great Eagle, “demonstrated considerable aptitude and leadership acumen through her executive positions in general management and operations, human resources, asset management and development in hotels in the Middle East, China, Australia, United Kingdom and the United States”.
Prior to her current appointment, she was the regional vice president of the Americas and the Caribbean for the Langham Hospitality Group, the hotel division of Great Eagle Holdings.
Previously, Benson’s portfolio had included the European region and she was also the managing director of The Langham, London, where she had successfully positioned the group’s flagship hotel as one of Europe’s premier hotels.
Benson joined the Great Eagle Group in January 2000 as the General Manager of The Langham, Melbourne (formerly Sheraton Towers Southgate Melbourne).