Budget hotel chain Yotel has appointed Phil Andreopoulos as its new CEO who will be tasked with achieving the goal of doubling its portfolio to 15,000 room by 2030.

Andreopoulos, who was previously chief commercial officer for the EMEA region at Marriott International, takes over from Hubert Viriot who has been Yotel¡¯s CEO since 2014 and now moves to the position of vice chairman.

Talal Al Bahar, chairman of Yotel and majority shareholder Al-Bahar Group, said: ¡°Yotel¡¯s success over the last 15 years has been exemplary: from start-up concept into the global company it is today with an expansive portfolio of properties in prime locations.

¡°Now, it is time to scale the business further. Phil Andreopoulos brings a wealth of commercial and operational experience and under his leadership, Yotel will enhance its distribution, direct business contribution and loyalty proposition. He will also drive expansion of both the managed and franchise businesses in key markets.¡±

London-based Yotel currently has 23 hotels in Europe, US and Asia across its three brands: Yotel for city centre properties, extended stay brand Yotelpad and Yotelair for its airport locations.

The company also has 11 hotels in the development pipeline, which are due to open in the next two years, including properties in London, Belfast, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, New York, Saudi Arabia and Perth in Australia.

¡°I¡¯m thrilled to join Yotel at such a pivotal moment in its growth,¡± said Andreopoulos, who spend 24 years at Marriott. ¡°The pioneering concept and global footprint mean Yotels global recognition supersedes its size and that, paired with the agility of being independent, creates a unique opportunity to scale quickly and offer owners, investors and franchisees the speed and innovation they crave in the industry.¡±