Hard Rock International has appointed John Rees as its new senior vice president of hotel operations.
In this role, Rees is responsible for leading and supporting all facets of hotel operations across the Hard Rock International portfolio, including both corporate-managed and franchised locations. Rees reports directly to Jon Lucas, chief operating officer of Hard Rock International.
“We’re thrilled to have John lead the Hard Rock Hotel team as we continue to elevate our position as one of the world’s most recognized global hospitality brands,” said Lucas. “His depth of experience guiding world-class luxury and lifestyle hotels paired with his results driven leadership style makes John an invaluable addition to our company.”
Rees is an accomplished hospitality industry veteran with over 30 years of experience and a multifaceted skillset to lead operations with excellence. His passion for innovation paired with his extensive experience has inspired him to target industry challenges such as procuring and incubating hospitality talent through impactful leadership programs and ensuring quality control across key hospitality verticals.
Rees completed his hospitality studies at Newbury College and has since gained various certifications in restaurant management, leadership training and wine studies from top accredited institutions and universities such as Cornell University (Restaurant Management) and Wine and Spirits Institute UK. He completed his hospitality training at the Hotel Bellevue Palace in Bern, Switzerland and also holds an Honorary Degree in Culinary Arts from the Long Island Culinary Federation. His career path began as an Executive Chef where he honed his fine-cooking and leadership skills at some of the world’s most prestigious hotels which led him to take on Food & Beverage Director positions before moving into his current focus in Hospitality Operations.
He also previously held senior hotel operations leadership roles at Marriott International and Ritz-Carlton where he managed operations in more than a dozen different countries on four continents. In his most recent role as Vice President of Resort Operations and Guest Experience at Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Rees was responsible for driving operational excellence for over 130 properties and guests worldwide across all disciplines.
“I’m thrilled to join Hard Rock at this pivotal point of the Hard Rock Hotels brand journey,” said Rees. “Our future pipeline of hotel projects is very robust which will allow me to work with my teams to innovate and create more of the special brand touchpoints and guest experiences our fans expect. My goal is to make Hard Rock Hotels feel like the coolest place to stay with the best vibe and where every guest around the world is made to feel like a VIP.”
