Shaza Hotels appoints new CEO

With more than 40 years of hospitality experience across many countries, Novatin is a seasoned hotel executive, having worked with some of the most established global hotel brands, including Kempinski where he is presently Chief Operational Officer.

Novatin will replace Christopher Hartley, who will continue his role as CEO of the Global Hotel Alliance, the world's largest alliance of independent hotel groups which counts Kempinski and shortly Shaza Hotels as members.

Shaza's incumbent CEO confirmed that Mr. Novatin's appointment is an excellent move for Shaza, which will greatly benefit from his breadth of experience.

'With such a strong background in hotel operations and coming from such as senior position with our joint venture partner Kempinski, Michel will be an invaluable asset to Shaza as the company enters its critical operational phase and begins rolling-out its aggressive development plans,' said Hartley.

Hartley will step down following a three-month handover period; however he will continue to support Shaza Hotels in a non-executive capacity as Vice Chairman of the Board.

As CEO, Novatin will be responsible for overseeing the development of Shaza Hotel's business interests across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Europe, as well as identifying new markets in which Shaza can develop its signature properties.

Novatin said: 'I am delighted to take on this new challenge and look forward to help bring Shaza's distinctive brand to the next level as the company prepares to execute an aggressive timetable of new developments in the years to come'.

Over the course of his impressive career, Mr. Novatin has held a number of key senior positions in the hospitality industry, including an assignment as Managing Director of the prestigious Société des Bains de Mer in Monte Carlo before joining Kempinski.

A partnership between Kempinski, Europe's oldest luxury hotel brand and international financial firm Guidance Financial Group, Shaza has several hotels under various stages of development and aims to acquire and operate up to thirty luxury five-star hotels over the next 6-8 years.