Most of the five- and four-star hotels in Bucharest are affiliated to large international chains so it comes as no surprise that many expats work in this segment of the hospitality industry. Who are the people in charge with making sure their guests feel welcome in Bucharest? Some of the names below.

General managers of five-star hotels in Bucharest

Athenee Palace Hilton

General manager:  Aykut Korkmaz (Turkish). He took this position in April of 2016, having worked within the Hilton group for more than 14 years. He started his career at the former Hilton Konya where he was director of operations from 2002 to 2003. He worked in Egypt as director of operations at Hilton Sharm Waterfalls Resort before moving to London for the opening of Hilton London Tower Bridge. He also managed the Hilton hotel near London’s Heathrow Airport and prepared the opening of the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center. His LinkedIn Profile here.

The Athenee Palace Hilton is owned by Ana Hotels, one of the top 3 hotel companies in Romania. Ana Hotels is run since March 2016 by general manager Christine Schillings. She has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked for Hilton Worldwide group. In the past 16 years, Schillings has been Regional Director Hilton Worldwide and she coordinated the management of 46 hotels in Eastern Europe, Turkey, Russia, and Israel. Before that, she worked in the group’s hotels in France, Germany, and Great Britain. Her LinkedIn Profile here.

Intercontinental

General manager: Lior Bebera (German). He took over the management of the hotel in January of this year. He previously worked at the Intercontinental Malta, Intercontinental Berlin, David Intercontinental Tel Aviv, Intercontinental Kiev, and the IHG Head Office in London. His LinkedIn Profile here.

JW Marriott

General manager: Fadlallah Zayat (Lebanese). Formerly an Area Director of Finance Eastern Europe with Marriott International, he took the helm of the Bucharest hotel in April 2015. From his previous position based in Frankfurt, Zayat coordinated a number of countries, including Romania. He has been working with the Marriott chain since 1994. His LinkedIn Profile here.

Radisson Blue and Park Inn

General manager: Markus Kraus (Swiss). Krauss started his Bucharest role in April 2016, bringing over 25 years of experience in international hotel chains such as Hilton and Meliá. He has pre-opening experience in Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region as well as expertise in operations and general management. Kraus also founded Swiss International Hospitality Consulting, a consulting firm with a wide network of experienced hospitality professionals around the world. His LinkedIn Profile here.

Sheraton Bucharest

General manager: Daniel Ben Yehuda (Israeli). Ben-Yehuda ran the Ramada Plaza and Ramada Bucharest Parc for almost 10 years. Prior to coming to Romania, he was the GM of Sheraton Hotel in Tahiti for two years. His LinkedIn Profile here.

Epoque Hotel

CEO and owner: Diana Popescu (Romanian). She came to the hospitality industry after 13 years spent in the banking industry, where she worked for Finansbank and National Bank of Greece. In 2006 she started investing in the luxury boutique hotel in Bucharest, and the opening took place in 2010. Her LinkedIn Profile here.

Grand Hotel Continental

General manager: Sanda Almasan (Romanian). She became the hotel’s GM in October 2010. She has been working in the hospitality industry for the past 18 years. Her LinkedIn Profile here.

General managers of four-star hotels in Bucharest

Cismigiu Hotel 

General manager: Georgeta Grecu (Romanian). She has been working for more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, and has been running the Hotel Cismigiu since its opening in 2012. Her LinkedIn profile here.

Crowne Plaza

General manager: Angelo Zuccala. He serves in this role since April 2015. Zuccala was previously Executive Assistant Manager with five-star InterContinental hotel in Romania’s capital. Zuccala has over 19 years of experience in the hotel industry. He spent the last 12 years working within the InterContinental Hotels Group, specializing in sales, food & beverage and operations management. He joined the group in 2002 and held several managerial positions in the group’s units in Cannes, Egypt, Malta, Frankfurt, and Bucharest. His LinkedIn Profile here.

Mercure Bucharest City Center

General manager: Alina Fugaciu (Romania). She has been working within the Accor group since 2003, and took on the management of Mercure Bucharest in July 2014. Her LinkedIn Profile here.

Novotel Bucharest City Center

General manager: Andreea Gheorghiu (Romanian). She has been running the hotel on the capital’s Calea Victoriei since 2015. Her work experience is exclusively in the hospitality industry, which she joined in 2001. Since then she has been working in the Accor group. She oversaw the opening of Ibis Sibiu. Her LinkedIn Profile here.

Pullmann

General manager: Patrick Carabin (Belgian). Carabin took over his role at Pullman Bucharest in September 2015, after more than 8 years in Poland, where he managed two five-star hotels from the Sofitel chain: Sofitel Warsaw Victoria and Sofitel Grand Sopot. His LinkedIn Profile here.

Drop us a line for additions to the list at editor@romania-insider.com.