Meritus Appoints New COO

Meritus Hotels & Resorts has appointed Tan Choon Kwang as Chief Operating Officer.

Meritus Hotels & Resorts is a hotel management company under the hospitality division of OUE Limited, a diversified real estate owner, developer, and operator, and one of the leading publicly-listed property companies in Singapore.

"Choon Kwang's experience and track record in the industry make him uniquely qualified to drive Meritus into the next phase of growth," said Thio Gim Hock, Chief Executive Officer and Group Managing Director of OUE Limited. "I have confidence in his ability to effectively champion industry-leading practices and strategy that enhance long term opportunities for the Meritus brand, particularly in terms of business profitability as well as product and service innovation and excellence."

A seasoned hotelier, Choon Kwang has over 30 years of expertise gained through an extensive career in Singapore, France, Japan, Australia, UK and USA. He worked for major hospitality companies such as Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Raffles International Hotels & Resorts and Westin Hotels at corporate, regional and property levels. He has also held several key positions that covered a wide range of functional areas including hotel operations, human resources, corporate development and planning, asset management, business development, finance, information technology and technical services.

More recently, Choon Kwang was based in Paris, France for five years as The Ascott Limited's Managing Director for Europe, a post he concurrently held as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citadines SA.

Prior to his appointment with Ascott, Choon Kwang was with Swissotel Hotels & Resorts as the group's Area General Manager for North Asia, in addition to his role as General Manager of Swissotel Nankai Osaka.

As the new COO for Meritus Hotels & Resorts, Choon Kwang will oversee the strategic and operational platforms of Meritus-managed properties, including the Group's flagship Mandarin Orchard Singapore.