Veriu Hotels and Suites has appointed Caspar Schmidt as their Group Chief Operating Officer to oversee the group’s operations as it prepares for expansion.
Schmidt’s appointment coincides with the impending expansion of Veriu’s hotel network with the 112-room Veriu Central set to open early December, and the new build 144-room Veriu Green Square to commence construction early 2018 for a March 2019 opening.
Other Veriu properties are also slated for Surry Hills and Elizabeth Bay in 2018.
Veriu Directors, Rhys Williams and Alex Thorpe said: “Caspar brings with him both the operational experience and the passion required to build the profile of a developing hotel brand. His focus will also be working with the expanding hotel teams to bring our brand attributes further to life and create the bespoke guest experience that Veriu is proud to deliver, while we focus our attention on growth opportunities for the Group.”
With over 20 years of hospitality experience, Schmidt previously worked for TFE Hotels in various General Manager and Area Manager roles both in Australia and overseas (including his native Denmark) with particular expertise in revenue management, food and beverage and talent development.
He has also trained at the highly regarded Blue Mountains School of Hotel Management, complemented with continuing education from Cornell University.
“Veriu brings a fresh new approach to the hotel scene and I am excited to join such an innovative brand that is dedicated to creating authentic local experiences with a genuine connection to the city for guests,” Schmidt said.
“Building a team of smart, innovative and truly dedicated people is a great challenge and something that we are 100 per cent committed to, and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Schmidt is joined by Jennifer Roach as Talent and Culture Director who will conduct an intensive recruitment process across the key areas business to service the group’s expansion. This includes roles in Hotel Operations and Digital Marketing as the group requires new talent.
Roach has worked in Human Resources across a number of industries including Airline, Media and Retail and was previously at TFE Hotels before joining the Veriu team.
“Joining the group at this time of growth is an exciting prospect and I look forward to creating a strong team and building on the positive culture of the group,” Roach said.
In addition to the Veriu hotel brand, Rhys Williams and Alex Thorpe will introduce a new co-working concept into the market in 2018: +U, a unique work and collaboration space located in a converted heritage building at 822 George Street, set to open January 2018.