Above: La Samanna in St Martin

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Belmond has named a new executive for global development, the company announced.

Belmond has appointed James Simmonds as senior vice president for global development.

He comes to the company from Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong, where he served as senior vice president for development in the Asia Pacific and China region.

The company owns, part-owns or manages 45 hotels around the world, along with tourist trains and river cruises in 22 countries; that portfolio includes St Martin’s La Samanna.

“Since the high-profile launch of the Belmond brand in March 2014, we have secured management agreements on two properties to join our collection of iconic hotels and luxury travel experiences, demonstrating that our strengthened brand approach and global excellence in luxury hospitality is proving attractive to third-party luxury hotel owners,” said John Scott, president and CEO of Belmond, Ltd. “James’ experience as both a hotel investor and an operator, as well as his impressive track record in negotiating and securing management agreements, makes him a great addition to our senior management team as we continue to deliver on our strategy of long-term growth for the Company.”