Karim Malak appointed chief executive of EasyHotel

Karim Malak has been appointed chief executive of EasyHotel and is expected to join the budget hotel group in December.

His appointment follows the death of former chief executive François Bacchetta, who passed away earlier this year aged 56.

Malak will join EasyHotel from aparthotel group Adagio, where he has been chief executive for the last five years. In addition to tenures at both Accenture and the Boston Consulting Group in his earlier career as a consultant, he also founded revenue management and pricing consultancy Mereo.

He said: “A recognised leader in the affordable and sustainable accommodation sector, EasyHotel is ideally positioned to capitalise on the strong underlying structural drivers across its markets.

“I’m delighted to be joining the group at this exciting time and look forward to working with this ambitious team to continue to develop the brand and deliver further growth.”

Harm Meijer, chairman of EasyHotel, said: “Karim brings with him a breadth of industry expertise, combining a strong background in data analytics and nimble hotel operations with a proven track record in strategic growth delivery, having overseen an impressive transformation of the Adagio business in recent years.

“His customer-centric approach to product development will be invaluable as we continue to develop and expand the EasyHotel brand, and I look forward to working together to build on the exciting opportunities ahead for the group.

“I would also like to thank Nicolas Castanet who, following the tragic death of our former chief executive François Bacchetta, has excellently taken on the additional responsibilities of interim chief executive as well as his current and ongoing duties as chief financial officer.”

EasyHotel was founded in 2004 by EasyJet founder Sir Stelios HajiIoannou and is now 76% owned by ICAMAP and Ivanhoé Cambridge. EasyHotel has an estate of 41 hotels with 3,797 rooms, comprising 27 franchised hotels and 14 owned hotels across 11 countries, with all hotels ideally located in city centres or near major transport links.