The brand marketing and communications specialist completes Marriott International's recently expanded, dynamic and highly experienced BSMC leadership team

Dubai, UAE :– Marriott International today announced the appointment of Candice D’Cruz as their Vice President of Luxury Brands, Middle East and Africa. Candice, who was previously head of Marketing and Communications for Meraas’ Hospitality division, will be starting her new role in October.

A passionate brand marketing and communications specialist, Candice 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 Candice’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. Candice 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, Candice 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. When she’s not working, Candice is busy playing mommy to her almost one-year-old daughter Eva, or indulging in thrill-seeking adventures outdoors.

“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 Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa.

Candice’s appointment marks the completion of the recently expanded and strengthened Brand, Marketing, Sales and Consumer Services (BSMC) Leadership team, which is comprised of highly experienced professionals from Marriott International and legacy Starwood Hotels and Resorts, once again speaking to the company’s commitment to support its enhanced footprint and aggressive growth plans in the region. With a current portfolio of over 240 hotels with 54,000 rooms in 30 countries, Marriott International is working towards targeting a projected growth of 150,000 rooms operational and pipeline in 38 countries by 2022 across Middle East and Africa. 

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About Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,200 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 125 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com . In addition, connect with us on Facebook @marriottinternationalmea and @marriottintlmea on Twitter and Instagram.

© Press Release 2017