IHG Owners Association appoints Australian hospitality specialist as MEAA representative to global Board of Directors

The IHG Owners Association has appointed leading Australian hotel, hospitality and tourism specialist Rodger Powell as their Middle East, Africa and Asia (MEAA) representative to its Global Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors comprises some of the world’s most experienced hotel industry executives, with Navroz Saju as Chair and John Muehlbauer as Chief EXecutive.

The IHG Owners Association was first established in 1955, and its goal is to represent the interests, and advocate on behalf, of over 4,000 owners and operators of nearly 3,000 IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) properties around the world.

Rodger Powell will represent hotel owners in the MEAA region, one of the fastest-growing regions for IHG. He currently represents a range of IHG hotels across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, as well as representing the interest of hotel owners for other leading branded hotels.

Powell brings to the Board some 40 years of experience as an owner, operator and executive-level manager of a diverse range of hospitality and tourism businesses.

After working in senior management roles for global hotel chains, Powell established Tourism & Hospitality Services Australasia (THSA) in 2005 to maximise the potential and performance of tourism assets.

THSA offers services including Advisory, Due Diligence, Asset Management, Feasibility Studies and Market Assessments, Development, Design and Construction and Owner Representation.

Commenting on his appointment to the Global Board, Powell said that it was a real honour to be representing hotel owners in such a dynamic region noting “Travel in the MEAA region is recovering faster than just about anywhere else in the world, as China reopens its travel market and flight capacity takes off.

“This region has always been a pioneer in hotel development, design and service, building a reputation for delivering outstanding hospitality experiences, as well as great value.

“Owners have had an incredibly challenging time over the past three years of travel disruption, and our goals at both the IHG Owners Association and THSA are to ensure that owners’ significant investments in the industry deliver market-leading returns.

“To be really successful, our industry must work in a collegiate fashion bringing owners, managers, tourism bodies and governments together to deliver the best possible results for the sector.

“I will be working with some of the world’s most respected hospitality experts on this new Board and look forward to making a contribution on behalf of the MEAA region.”

The IHG family of brands includes Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Regent™ Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Vignette™ Collection, Kimpton® Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo®, voco™, EVEN® Hotels, HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations®, avid™ hotels, Staybridge Suites®, Atwell Suites™ and Candlewood Suites®.

Image top: Rodger Powell; image above: Powell represents the owners of Crowne Plaza Hobart