Wyndham Hotel Group has appointed Dimitris Manikis as president and managing director for Europe, Middle East, Eurasia and Africa (EMEA).
He will be based at the London offices of the group, which has a global portfolio of more than 8,400 hotels, overseeing the 470 properties within the EMEA region.
Manikis replaces Dan Ruff, who has joined Belmond as senior vice president, head of global operations, following three years with Wyndham.
He will be responsible for the development of all Wyndham brands, including Ramada and Days Inn, in the region as well as maximising the performance of all new and existing franchise and managed hotels.
Manikis spent the last 27 years at RCI, a holiday timeshare company and a division of Wyndham Worldwide, most recently served as vice president of business development for the EMEA region.
He has a Master of Science in tourism marketing from the University of Surrey and a degree in tourism and administration from the Technical University of Patras in Greece.
Bob Loewen, Wyndham Hotel Group's chief operating officer, said: "Dimitris' wealth of experience in the shared ownership industry and strong relationships with hospitality providers across EMEA make him an ideal professional to lead our operations in this rapidly growing region."
Manikis said: "With the robust performance of the industry in several key markets in EMEA last year, the potential for Wyndham Hotel Group to expand its operations further in the region is tremendous."
Wyndham has 75 hotels in the UK.
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