-    Strategic move to align global expansion offering value adding hospitality 
-    Signifies commitment to enhancing customer experience 



29 June 2018, Hong Kong – Leading global airport hospitality provider, Plaza Premium Group, has announced executive appointments in its leadership team. The changes are expected to boost the group’s global goal of improving the customer experience and service offerings across its expanding network.
 
The announcement comes on the heels of the group’s recent expansion across its global network including the openings of Plaza Premium Lounge in Melbourne, Rome and Jakarta; airport dining concept Flight Club in Winnipeg, Canada; as well as the group’s fourth and fifth airport transit hotel, Aerotel, in Kuala Lumpur and Oman.
 
“We are focused on cultivating a seamless airport experience for our customers. With the new team on board, we will further enhance our service offerings giving more pleasant airport experiences and contributing value adding moments to the passenger’s overall travel experiences,” said Plaza Premium Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Johnson Wong.
 
The appointments are the respective Group Director for four departments including Operations Support, Food and Beverage, Culinary, and Hotels & Customer Engagement, each reporting to the Chief Operating Officer.
 
The appointments come at a time when the travel trends are pointing towards more evolving customer habits mainly driven by technological advances.
 
“Good airport experience means to truly understand the needs of travelers. The senior business appointments will ensure that Plaza Premium Group aligns with the passenger’s needs, which means we are becoming more customer data-centric, responsive, intuitive and innovative,” adds Mr. Wong.
 
With presence in 41 international airports, Plaza Premium Group partners with leading airlines and global brands like American Express, MasterCard and VISA in offering airport lounge experience to their customers. The Group also manages a portfolio of airport lounges for SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and the recently opened American Express Lounge in Melbourne as well as the American Express Centurion Lounge in Hong Kong.
 
“As we are celebrating the Group’s 20^th anniversary this year, our commitment to our strategic partners has further strengthened with our passion and investment in creating a “customer-first” hospitality experience,” Mr Wong said.
 
For more information on the new Group Directors, see below.

Ben Choi, Group Director of Hotels & Customer Engagement
Ben will oversee all accommodation, meet & greet services under the Aerotel, Allways and Wellness brands. In addition, Ben will be responsible for customer engagement and guest experience of all brands. He will strategize and implement the management of customer enquiries and feedback.
 
Ben is no stranger to hospitality, having worked in the hotel industry for over 30 years. His experience ranges from Property level to Corporate Office, designing and facilitating room operations for both new and existing hotels across Front Office, Guest Relations, Back Office Support, Housekeeping, Concierge and Transportation services. Ben has spent a significant amount of time in operational audits as well as systems research and development to aid rooms operations on efficiency and guest experience enhancement.
 
Shane Wilkins, Group Director of Culinary
Shane will be responsible for all Culinary and Kitchen aspects for Plaza Premium Group, from concept development, menu design, food presentation and safety standards across airport lounges, hotels and dining outlets. Shane brings to Plaza Premium Group over 35 years of international hospitality experience having worked in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. He was most recently with Langham Hotel Hong Kong overseeing F&B and Culinary operations including the 3 Michelin star Cantonese restaurant Tang Court, The Bostonian Seafood and Grill, The Food Gallery, Main St Deli, Palm Court and the award winning Artesian Bar.
 
Eric Lau, Group Director of Food & Beverage
Eric will be responsible for all standards, concepts and quality of the Food & Beverage (F&B) aspect for all our lounges and dining establishments in the Group. He will also work closely with all business units in achieving the best business and quality results on all operating units.
 
Eric is a veteran in the F&B field, he has assumed senior positions with various international hotel groups in Hong Kong, Macau, Jakarta. Before joining Plaza Premium Group, he was based in Shanghai as the Director of F&B Operations - Greater China for Intercontinental Hotels Group.  
 
Hubert Aw, Group Director of Operations Support
Hubert’s responsibility is to provide the operations planning and support especially the pre-opening of the Group’s business lines including airport lounges, airport transit hotels, meet-and-greet services and airport dining concepts.  At the same time, he will also be instrumental in assisting business units in delivering the best business results by executing the quality standards, brand attributes and image; introducing and implementing innovation technology and building up the business plan.
 
Hubert brings with him a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry having held a number of managerial positions with renowned hotel groups such as Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and The Marco Polo Hotels. Prior to joining us, Hubert was the General Manager of Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy.