A pre-opening leader for Morocco’s first LXR
Since September 2026, Hendrick Calles has served as General Manager of Casa Alba, LXR Hotels & Resorts, in Casablanca. His remit is to lead the hotel’s pre-opening: building the team and shaping a distinctive luxury experience ahead of the opening scheduled for March 2027.
The project forms part of Hilton’s growth plan in Morocco. The signing of an LXR Hotels & Resorts property in Casablanca was among the group’s announcements in April 2026, when Hilton announced plans to more than double its portfolio in the kingdom and opened its first Waldorf Astoria in Rabat.
In a post published on LinkedIn, Hendrick Calles noted that opening a hotel offers the rare opportunity to build its culture from the very beginning. He pointed to bringing together a talented team, building the guest experience and creating a place rooted in its city. He said he looks forward to working with the owners and Hilton teams to bring Casa Alba to life.
From the Seychelles to Casablanca
Hendrick Calles arrives from the Seychelles, where he spent several years. General Manager of Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort & Spa from June 2022, he became Hilton’s Area General Manager for the archipelago in May 2024. In that role he oversaw the six properties operated by the group, including Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island and Canopy by Hilton Seychelles, which opened in the south of Mahé.
From January 2025, he combined this regional role with the cluster general management of Mango House Seychelles, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Canopy by Hilton Seychelles. He has therefore already led a property in the LXR collection before taking the helm at Casa Alba.
In his post, he thanked the teams, colleagues and partners he worked with across the archipelago, and reflected on the experiences created for guests and the relationships built during this chapter of his career.
Experience of openings and complex markets
Casa Alba is not his first pre-opening. From April 2018 to June 2022, he led the opening team of Hilton’s first hotel in Muscat, the capital of Oman: 232 keys, meeting spaces, outdoor terraces and rooftop pools with mountain views.
Before that, from September 2015 to March 2018, he ran a 187-key hotel in Equatorial Guinea, with four F&B outlets and seven function rooms accommodating up to 800 guests. There he improved guest satisfaction two years running and achieved record GOP margins, despite the fall in oil and gas prices weighing on the local economy. He also diversified the business mix by attracting new accounts from other sectors.
His African career began in Yaoundé, Cameroon. From August 2013 to March 2015, he was Director of Operations at a 248-room five-star hotel, responsible for rooms and F&B, covering 300 employees. He then served as interim General Manager for several months, preparing and presenting the budget, reporting to the owners’ board and leading renovation and capital investment projects.
Beginnings in Paris, trained within the group
Hendrick Calles has spent his entire career with Hilton, and it began in France. He started in 2003 as a shift leader at Hilton Paris Orly, before serving as Reservations Supervisor at Hilton Paris Arc de Triomphe from 2004 to 2006.
He then worked in front office at Hilton Valencia and Hilton Manchester Deansgate, before settling at Hilton Madrid Airport. There he led front office, then rooms, then meetings and events, before leaving for Africa in 2013.
He holds a master’s degree in Hospitality Administration/Management from Universidad San Jorge (2023) and a certificate in Hospitality Management and Tourism from Florida Atlantic University. He also completed Hilton’s GM Academy and the group’s SHINE 4D development centre in 2012–2013.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Hendrick Calles appointed General Manager of Casa Alba, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Casablanca
Role: leading the pre-opening of Casa Alba, LXR Hotels & Resorts, from September 2026
Opening: scheduled for 2027 in Casablanca, Morocco
Previous role: Area GM Hilton Seychelles, overseeing six properties, and Cluster GM of Mango House Seychelles (LXR) and Canopy by Hilton Seychelles
Opening track record: led the opening of Hilton’s first hotel in Muscat, Oman (232 keys)
Career: nearly 22 years with Hilton, starting in Paris (Hilton Paris Orly, Hilton Paris Arc de Triomphe)
