Selina Hospitality Plc, a global lifestyle and experiential hospitality company catering to millennial and Gen Z travelers, has promoted Gadi Hassin to COO and added other new executives.
In his new role, Hassin oversees the operational, commercial and financial performance of the company’s hotel portfolio. He joined Selina in 2020 as managing partner of the APAC region. He has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry across four continents and seven countries, including time at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, The Ritz Carlton and the Ovolo Group.
“We have an incredible portfolio of hotels, and I look forward to supporting and guiding the operations leadership team to drive excellence and improvement,” said Hassin. “We have the potential to improve the performance of our existing portfolio, and we have a clear path on how to do that. My focus will be on driving operational excellence across the organization, ensuring we deliver an exceptional experience for our guests while paving the path to profitability.”
Rafael del Castillo has been appointed as the company’s first chief revenue officer (CRO), where he is responsible for driving increased revenue performance at Selina’s hotel portfolio. His top two priorities will be to continue the traction to optimize occupancy levels and to grow the food and beverage business. Prior to Selina, he held leadership positions at a number of leisure and lodging companies, including managing marketing, sales and product development at Valentin Hotel Group, overseeing the hotel product team across Latin America at Expedia Group and leading market strategy for Marriott International Inc. in Mexico.
He said. “I believe in the enormous potential this brand can have, not only for growth with the existing hotel base, but to eventually open more Selinas in attractive markets once the company resumes expansion.”
Emilo Gracia has been appointed as chief people officer. He oversees the company’s more than 2,000 employee-based, training programs, compensation and benefits, and recruiting of corporate and hotel-level roles. Prior to Selina, he served as VP of culture & human resources at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), where he developed leadership and coaching cultures in alignment with business objectives. Prior to his role at WTTC, he held international leadership positions at organizations such as Michael Kors, Christian Louboutin and Value Retail, where he spearheaded strategic global HR initiatives and talent management programs to support business growth.
“This is a great time to join Selina,” he said. “I believe that with my background I can provide immediate value to many core HR processes, which can help get Selina back to a foundation from which it can grow. I found the brand captivating as a guest and look forward to the future.”
In addition to welcoming new leadership team members, Selina thanked two former executives: Lena Katz, former chief technology officer, and Sam Khazary, former EVP/global head, corporate development, for their contributions.
“We are grateful to Lena and Sam for their contributions, and we are excited to see what the future holds for them,” said Rafael Museri, CEO/cofounder, Selina. “The promotion of Gadi Hassin to COO reflects his exceptional leadership and operational expertise. We are confident that Selina is well-positioned for continued innovation and success with Gadi, as well as the new additions of Rafael del Castillo as CRO and Emilo Gracia as chief people officer. Our strengthened leadership team is now set and positioned well to keep Selina moving in the right direction.”