European hotel management company Cycas Hospitality has appointed Apurva Pratap as its first managing director.
Pratap will join the hotel operator from 1 May, bringing nearly 25 years of hospitality and investment experience to the new role.
He joins Cycas from The Student Hotel in Amsterdam where, as chief customer officer, he was responsible for the portfolio’s commercial performance.
Earlier in his career he spent nine years in senior strategic and operational roles with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).
Prior to that, Pratap led a series of travel-related projects in the US, Europe and Australia for McKinsey & Company. He also held senior positions at Starbucks.
Matt Luscombe, Cycas Hospitality CEO, said: 'I am delighted to welcome Apurva to Cycas Hospitality.
'I’ve known Apurva for many years, and he’s an inspirational leader as well as having one of the sharpest commercial and strategic minds in the industry.
'His passion for people, values, energy and pioneering spirit are a great fit for Cycas. I’m very confident he will help us take the company to the next level, for our team and our investment partners, as we scale the business across Europe.'
Pratap said: 'Hospitality is a people business, and for me Cycas sets the perfect example of how a company can deliver the best returns for its partners by consistently following its philosophy of keeping people at the heart of every decision.
'At a time when the hotel sector across Europe remains highly fragmented, I look forward to helping Cycas build on its multi-market, multi-brand management expertise, secure new operator partnerships and cement its hotels’ reputation as the best places to work as well as stay across the region.'
The managing director appointment comes on the back of Cycas having opened six properties and signed three new deals so far this year. As a result, the hospitality specialist now operates hotels across five European countries with six global hotel groups.
Over the last two years Cycas has in-sourced its financial function and significantly expanded its operational and commercial teams to reinforce its market-leading position.
In recent months Cycas has also invested in an industry-leading data analytics platform to ensure the company continues to deliver the greatest possible value for its hospitality partners.
