Dynamic Sydney-based hotel group, Veriu Hotels, has appointed respected industry leader Zed Sanjana as CEO to oversee the expansion of both the Veriu and Punthill hotel portfolios – a collection of 20 hotels in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Sanjana previously held the CEO role at Quest Apartment Hotels, where he oversaw the growth of over 50 new hotel sites across its portfolio and its partnership and eventual sale to Singaporean based operator Ascott, during his 7 years with the Group. Zed, joined Quest following a successful 10-year career in corporate finance with global advisory firm Ernst & Young.
Veriu Directors, Rhys Williams and Alex Thorpe welcomed the appointment: “This is a significant appointment for the group at a time where we are experiencing substantial growth in both the Veriu and Punthill brands. Zed will provide the strategic direction needed to consolidate our network and position the business for future growth.”
Veriu is focused on providing authentic local experiences across a collection of designer neighbourhood hotels in Sydney. The brand recently announced the commencement of construction on the $45 million Veriu Green Square 144-room hotel, opening in late 2019 – a joint venture with real estate funds manager and developer, Folkestone. The existing Veriu hotel network includes properties in Sydney’s city-fringe locations including Central, which launched in April 2018; Broadway in July 2017, Camperdown and Randwick. Further pipeline growth is under discussion for sites in Surry Hills and Elizabeth Bay.
The group acquired the Punthill Apartment Hotel brand in February 2018 that included 13 properties in Melbourne and Brisbane, and most recently opened a new hotel in Ivanhoe, in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs.
Having observed Veriu’s activity to date, Sanjana said of his appointment: “I’ve admired the growth path of Veriu for some time, and with its recent acquisition of Punthill it is now uniquely positioned to take advantage of the significant opportunities for expansion that exist in the market place. With the combination of its product, service and locational spread, the Veriu and Punthill brands are well placed to service the needs of its growing base of corporate and leisure clients. I look forward to continuing the growth of the portfolio and consolidating both Veriu and Punthill as recognised and respected national brands in the years ahead.”
Thorpe and Williams also see future potential for the proudly Melbourne Punthill brand in Sydney as well as well as opportunities to move the Veriu brand into Melbourne, and expanding both brands nationally and across the Tasman to New Zealand.
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