Ricco DeBlank Appointed to Kiwi Collection Advisory Board

Ricco DeBlank has recently been appointed as an advisory board member to Kiwi Collection. DeBlank is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Hotel Division of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

Kiwi Collection is a portfolio of luxury hotels, connecting travellers with properties in 140 countries. It is quite a unique resource as hotels do not pay to be included in the collection.

Sun Hung Kai Properties is a major properties developer based in Hong Kong and a leader in the real estate industry. Their hotels portfolio presently consists of eight hotels, for example the Four Seasons and W hotels in Hong Kong, and another eight under construction, including The Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai Pudong and The Ritz-Carlton Kowloon in Hong Kong.

DeBlank joined Sun Hung Kai Properties in 2009 and his property portfolio has assets in excess of US$ 2 billion.

DeBlank has received numerous accolades throughout his career. As General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo and The Park Residences, DeBlank’s leadership secured the hotel number the one position in the city since opening (March 2007), the JD Power award of best brand in Japan in 2008 and again in 2009, along with a one star Michelin rating for their signature restaurant (since 2007).

DeBlank said, “In my role as a General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, I had the opportunity to work closely with Kiwi Collection, an organization with which I am most impressed. I am pleased that in my new capacity as CEO of the Hotel Division of Sun Hung Kai Properties I may continue to support them as a member of the advisory board.”

The Kiwi Collection’s advisory board comprises distinguished and highly respected leaders from various sectors of the global hospitality and related industries. These include Jean-Jacques Gauer, Chairman of The Leading Hotels of the World, Raymond Bickson, Managing Director of the Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces, and Sonu Shivdasani, Chairman & CEO of the Six Senses Group.

“We are especially proud to welcome Ricco DeBlank as a member on our advisory board. He brings a wealth of experience, not only from his having travelled to over 100 countries, but as a career hotelier with the Ritz-Carlton brand, particularly in the Asia Pacific region,” remarked Bradley Cocks, the Senior Vice President of Global Communications for Kiwi Collection. “As he represents the hotel owners of some of the world’s most admired hotels, we therefore feel that his opinions and advice will be of unique benefit to our community.”

In addition, DeBlank is a certified motivational speaker and publisher of two books, the latest of which is “Passion for Service”, published early 2009 and a best seller on Amazon.com in Japan.

See recent travel news from: Travel News Asia, Kiwi Collection, Sun Hung Kai, Ricco DeBlank, Hong Kong