Marriott International has appointed Candice D’Cruz as its vice president of Luxury Brands, Middle East and Africa.

D’Cruz was previously head of marketing and communications for Meraas’ Hospitality division.

A passionate brand marketing and communications specialist, D’Cruz has been working in the luxury segment for most of her career. Prior to Meraas, she worked with Starwood in various roles at property, regional and divisional level – working with St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W and Westin brands across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

While at Starwood, some of D’Cruz’s most notable achievements include launching the first St. Regis hotel in the Middle East, activating polo and jazz partnerships for St Regis in the Middle East, and managing the collaboration with Waris Ahluwalia for House of Waris Rare in Venice with The Luxury Collection. D’Cruz also championed the marketing and communication effort for the launch of Burj Khalifa and Armani Hotel Dubai, and she recently led all marketing and branding initiatives on four new hotel brands for Meraas.

In her role as vice president Luxury Brands for Marriott International, D’Cruz will be reporting to both Global Brand officer Tina Edmundson, and Neal Jones, chief sales and marketing officer, Middle East and Africa, and will be responsible for luxury brand management and marketing strategy, luxury brand culture, and area field marketing.

“We are delighted to have Candice complete our team, and I am confident that we now have the right talent in place to strengthen our position as a leader in the market, and steer us into the next phase of growth and success,” said Jones. - TradeArabia News Service