Hayden Hughes has been appointed general manager of Hilton Sydney in the New South Wales capital’s CBD.
A 30-year hospitality veteran, Hughes began his career with Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, where he spent six years in operations. From there, he held management positions at hotels on the Gold Coast, in Tokyo, Japan and in Brisbane.
Hughes moved into his first general manager role at Novotel Melbourne on Collins in 2010, and then held GM positions at Accor’s Darling Harbour, Sydney hotels before his return to Brisbane as GM of Sofitel Brisbane Central.
He replaces Ronald Van Weezel, who is understood to be moving back to The Netherlands.
Commenting on the appointment, Hughes said: “I am grateful for the opportunity to join such an internationally-renowned brand to lead the iconic hotel that is Hilton Sydney, the opportunity was irresistible.
“The timing could not be more perfect as we gear up for what we hope is a big year for the hotel in 2021.”
In other Hilton-related news, Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street today has announced a trio of senior appointments ahead of its planned opening in the first quarter of 2021.
Kruno Velican has joined Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street as director of operations, Dean Easton as commercial director and Taronish Pardiwalla as director of human resources.
Adrian Teh, cluster general manager of Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street and DoubleTree by Hilton Melbourne Flinders Street, said: “With the opening date swiftly approaching, we are delighted to have an incredibly talented and experienced leadership team in place.
“We look forward to them joining us in our pre-opening office and seeing them bring the Hilton experience to life for our guests.”
