Two new key hirings have joined the senior leadership team at Quest Apartment Hotels as the company continues its strategy of aggressive expansion across Australia, New Zealand and new sites to come in the United Kingdom.
The process will be helped by Kamal Atal, who has joined as Quest’s new Chief Financial and Commercial Officer, bringing two decades of financial experience to his new role. He comes onboard at Quest having held senior positions with other hotel groups including Hyatt in India, Vietnam and Dubai before joining Scenic Luxury Cruises in 2018 as its GM of Finance for Asia-Pacific.
“My career has given me a diverse geographical exposure, whilst exposing me to various projects around acquiring, expanding, and maintaining high-performing hotels and luxury travel businesses,” Atal said.
“I look forward to applying this knowledge at Quest under the realm of Ascott, as we work towards the common goal of business growth and value creation for franchisees.”
In addition, Quest has boosted its legal department with the appointment of Dennis Tuan-Mu taking the role of General Counsel, tasked with overseeing the legal framework of standard Quest franchise agreements and new construction and lease legalities.
Tuan-Mu joins Quest after 11 years with Delaware North, where he held the role of Head of Legal and Compliance APAC and played a key role in the title transfer of the former Darwin Casino, which now operates as Mindil Beach Casino Resort.
“I have been fortunate to have enjoyed a distinguished legal career with many years focused on the tourism, hospitality, and accommodation sectors. I’m incredibly passionate about this industry and confident I can help Quest navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Tuan-Mu said.
Quest Apartment Hotels recently announced it will open seven new hotels in New Zealand over the next 12-14 months, with nine more agreements signed in Australia and in various stages of construction and development. Following the opening of its first United Kingdom site in Liverpool in 2019, the company says it will reveal more about future UK signings over the remainder of 2021.
“Serviced apartment style accommodation comprises a significantly lower proportion of the overall accommodation market in the UK, and our maiden project in the UK, Quest Liverpool City Centre, highlights that the product has strong appeal,” said The Ascott Limited Managing Director Australia, David Mansfield.
“Working closely with the The Ascott Limited, which of course has an established footprint across Europe, Kamal and Dennis will create the legal and financial frameworks to incrementally put the Quest brand on the map.”