Bob van den Oord promoted to Langham Hospitality Group's first chief operating officer role

Langham Hospitality Group has promoted Bob van den Oord to be its first chief operating officer to support the company's hotel operations and core business functions.

Van den Oord steps into the newly created position, reporting directly to chief executive Stefan Leser. Van den Oord has spent the past five years at the Langham London as managing director, a role which was expanded last year to include regional vice-president of the group's operations across Europe, Middle East and the US.

His new role will see him based at the group's corporate office in Hong Kong and involve overseeing the company's regional vice-presidents, hotel managing directors and general managers. At a corporate level, van den Oord will steer the food and beverage, spa, rooms and quality divisions.

He said: "I am honoured to lead as COO for Langham Hospitality Group as it has been an important part of my life for more than 20 years. As we look toward long-term recovery, future growth and opportunity for our group and industry during these challenging times, I feel incredibly fortunate to work with outstanding colleagues, who are dedicated and passionate in their service delivery and care for our guests and each other."

Leser added: "Bob has been instrumental in guiding our flagship hotel in London to new heights in a highly competitive market and we have the utmost confidence in his expertise and abilities to lead our global operations team. His outstanding reputation, luxury expertise and enthusiasm for our brands will position them for success well into the future."

Prior to his tenure in London, van den Oord was managing director at the Langham Hong Kong, as well as vice-president of brands at Langham Hospitality Group. He first joined the group in 1999 as resident manager of Le Méridien Boston (now the Langham Boston).