COO Switch at Kempinski Hotels: Xavier Destribats and Timur Sentuerk Take on New Areas of Responsibility

February 20, 2024

Sharing best regional practices and leveraging experiences to grow the Kempinski brand comes with the switch of regions for two COOs at Kempinski Hotels. According to a press release, Xavier Destribats, who served as Chief Operations Officer for The Americas for the past seven years, moves back from Cuba to Geneva and takes over the European region in addition to The Americas. Timur Sentuerk, who recently oversaw Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, is moving to Dubai to fully concentrate on the Middle East and Africa. Both top executives are members of the Managing Board of Kempinski Hotels.

“The switch of regions of these two top leaders signifies an inspiring knowledge transfer from their vast experience in different work and cultural environments,” says René Nijhof, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kempinski Hotels S.A. “Moreover, in consideration of the substantial development pipeline within the Middle East and Africa, holding high strategic importance for Kempinski’s footfall and prominence as a global leading luxury brand, it has become critical over time to split the responsibilities for the regions as the scopes became too large.”

“With a total of 27 new development projects around the globe, we are proud to have such experienced top leaders overseeing and steering operations in these very crucial regions,” René Nijhof added.

Xavier Destribats joined Kempinski in 2011, having previously worked with Morgan Stanley Capital and Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Initially appointed as Senior Vice President of Operations, he took over the role of President of Europe in 2014. In line with the company’s strategic plans for expansion in the Americas, and the immediate need for strong leadership presence in the region, Xavier was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Americas in 2017.

Timur Sentuerk joined Kempinski in 2022, having previously gathered senior management experience at iconic hospitality brands including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Oberoi Hotels, and Langham Hospitality Group. Appointed as Chief Operating Officer for Europe, Middle East & Africa, he has been instrumental over the past two years in the operational success within the two regions and managed the regional offices in both Europe and MEA.