Katrina Group deepens leadership bench with appointment of COO for hospitality business
Hospitality arm to expand Singapore portfolio in 2H2022 amidst travel rebound
(Singapore, 15 July 2022) Katrina Group Ltd has named Mr Andreas Lorenz, 49, as Chief Operating Officer for its hospitality subsidiary, in a move aimed at rekindling the Company’s accommodation business as international travel rebounds after two years of lull caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Lorenz, a German citizen, has years of experience running luxury hotels in Singapore, China and the US. These include the Singapore hotels of both The Garcha Group and the Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, the St. Regis in China’s Chengdu city, and the Westin Resort in Guam.
Mr Lorenz joined the Company in February this year as general manager of ST Hospitality Pte Ltd (“ST Hospitality”), Katrina Group Ltd’s wholly-owned subsidiary. ST Hospitality operates four boutique co-living hotels, a block of serviced apartments comprising 38 units, and more than 50 fully serviced condominium rental units in Singapore.
Since joining ST Hospitality, he has further streamlined operational processes to improve productivity and service standards across all its properties. In his new role as Chief Operating Officer, he will continue to oversee ST Hospitality’s operations while spearheading its expansion in Singapore and beyond, including identifying new properties to manage. It expects to add more fully serviced condo units and hotel rooms to its portfolio in Singapore before the end of the year.
Mr Alan Goh, Katrina Group Ltd’s Executive Chairman and CEO, said: “Andreas is a seasoned professional in the hospitality trade, having worked from the ground up to lead the entire operations of several big-name hotels and resorts in major cities. Besides being familiar with all frontline and backend operations, he is also able to identify and spearhead initiatives that drive sales and revenue. His experience will be instrumental in pushing forward our hospitality business, where growth is promising as international travel is taking off again.”
Mr Lorenz said: “Monthly visitor arrivals to Singapore have been going up since the first quarter of this year as travel borders reopened. Hotel room rates and occupancies are also rising across the board. This bodes well for ST Hospitality. We are already seeing very healthy occupancy for our hotels, serviced apartments and fully serviced condo units.
“Beyond raising our service standards further, we want to expand our accommodation portfolio, and do so sustainably, to give travellers to Singapore more options and greater value for money. Our expansion plans are on track and we have the full support of all our business partners. We expect to unveil more details in the months ahead,” he added.
Katrina Group Ltd diversified into the hospitality business in 2018 with the acquisition of ST Hospitality (formerly known as Straits Organization Pte Ltd), a Singapore-based accommodation services provider. The Company’s longstanding business – food and beverage – has seven brands spread across 31 outlets in Singapore and one in Jakarta.
