Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, which was acquired by an investor group led by principals of Highgate earlier this year, has appointed industry veteran Yoav Gery as chief development officer. In his new role, he will scale the Viceroy brand through strategic development and conversion opportunities including hotels, hotel/residences and standalone residences.
“[Yoav’s] extensive experience in the hospitality industry, paired with his entrepreneurial spirit, will be invaluable as we continue to grow the Viceroy brand globally,” said Richard Russo, principal/board member of both Viceroy and Highgate. “Under his leadership, we will focus on adding visible and impactful hotels that will cement Viceroy as one of the most noteworthy luxury brands in the industry.”
Gery brings more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality and coworking industries to his new role. He most recently served as president of Knotel, a hospitality-focused, flexible office company with operations in numerous U.S. and European markets. Prior to Knotel, he served as president of Selina, a global hospitality startup that operates more than 100 properties across five continents, and head of international real estate for WeWork, where he was responsible for launching the WeWork brand into several international markets.
Before joining WeWork, Gery was chief development officer for Morgans Hotel Group, where he led the company’s global development efforts and oversaw all aspects of project design and development. Prior to joining Morgans, he held various roles at Marriott including SVP in charge of development for Edition Hotels and chief development officer, North America full-service hotels.
“I am grateful to be able to apply the experiences that I’ve gained throughout my career to the next evolution of the Viceroy brand,” said Gery. “While there are a number of players in the luxury lifestyle space, there are none that combine the nimbleness and entrepreneurial spirit of a company like Viceroy with the scale, distribution and successful track record of an established hospitality company built on real estate ownership and asset value enhancement—until now, We look forward to announcing exciting additions to the portfolio that invoke the distinct quality and luxury service for which Viceroy has long been known.”
