Roeland vos biography

Post a Comment. Marking a new era for the iconic company, on March 10, , Orient-Express Hotels Ltd and its enviable collection transitioned to a new brand identity, to be known as Belmond. But rather than shy away from the spotlight, as many new chiefs catapulted into a similar position previously have, Vos has surprised and delighted many with the gusto with which he has taken on his new role — simultaneously providing staff, media and competitors a rare and early insight into both his spirited character and vision for the company.

You were elected to the Belmond Board of Directors in , but are relatively new to the business and now at the helm — what is your your career trajectory and association with luxury and travel, in a nutshell? I joined Belmond just over two months ago as president and CEO after having worked in the luxury hotel industry for over 30 years.

H Roeland Vos is President/CEO at Belmond Ltd. See H Roeland Vos's compensation, career history, education, & memberships.

I have always been fascinated by the idea of travelling and exploring new unchartered destinations and I was fortunate enough that I was able to start exploring the world at a young age with my family. What is the definition true luxury travel mean to you and how do you hope to infuse your vision of this into the future Belmond offering?

Luxury is personal to each individual — this can be defined by aesthetics, exclusivity, service but for myself and most people in these busy times — the greatest luxury of all is time; having the time to spend with family and friends to create everlasting memories. For me, one of the indicators of luxury is also not to have to plan anything in too much detail, in advance, but be able to make decisions on the spur of the moment.

That of course means that the staff in our hotels needs to be able to quickly adapt or even try to anticipate providing whatever is needed at that time. The good thing is that this is exactly the type of service our teams are well known for. In your view, having observed the market for some time — and through your own travel experiences — do you believe that the demands for what is expected of luxury travel experiences, as well as most popular destinations, have changed and how?

Yes it definitely has changed over the years — luxury was once defined by opulence and extravagance — just to know you were staying in a hotel that was recognised for its over the top interior designs and luxurious fittings was enough to satisfy the demands and tastes of the luxury travellers. Also, it appears that nowadays every travel company in the world is looking for the experiential travel brand as demanded by their customers — our guests.

Belmond is in an excellent position to capture the imagination of the independent and experienced traveller, who is looking for the more in depth connection with the place and the local community. On the subject of disruptors, companies such as Crystal Cruises have recently announced plans to expand from sea cruises into river cruises, tailored land tours, and private jets; whilst Airbnb is making moves into luxury accommodation — are these moves on your radar?