An opening specialist for PPHG’s 2027 pipeline
Marc Sittl has announced on LinkedIn that he has taken up the role of Vice President, Operations and Pre-Opening at Pan Pacific Hotels Group. The position is based in Singapore and took effect in October 2026.
The role combines two responsibilities: overseeing operations and preparing openings. This remit matches the group’s timetable. At the end of September, PPHG unveiled its Version 2 strategy, which provides for ten new-build and renovation projects in Southeast Asia in 2027.
The programme includes Siam Pan Pacific Bangkok and Pan Pacific Phnom Penh. It also covers several PARKROYAL properties, notably in Hanoi, Siem Reap and Jakarta, as well as serviced residences in Bangkok and Manila. It follows the strengthening of PPHG’s leadership team in the spring, including the appointment of Craig Bond as COO.
Four years at the heart of The Standard’s expansion in Asia
Marc Sittl joins PPHG after nearly four years at The Standard. From March 2021 to November 2022, he led the opening of The Standard, Hua Hin, in Thailand. The lifestyle resort was one of the brand’s first properties in Asia.
In December 2022, he was promoted to Vice President Operations for the Middle East and Asia Pacific (MEAP) region. He helped establish the regional operating model as the brand expanded in Asia. He also supported pre-opening teams during their mobilisation phase.
In August 2024, he became Senior Vice President Operations MEAP. From then on, he oversaw the brand’s Asian portfolio: hotels in operation, new projects and branded residences. This period coincided with the brand’s integration into Hyatt, which required governance and reporting to be aligned with a global platform.
In this role, he worked directly with owners and asset managers. He also oversaw renovations and the readiness of assets under development. Meanwhile, the brand continues to grow in Europe, as illustrated by The Standard’s arrival in Brussels.
Accor, lebua, Mövenpick: performance at scale
From 2018 to 2020, Marc Sittl was Regional Director of Performance for Accor’s luxury brands. His region covered northern Southeast Asia, North East Asia and the Maldives. He oversaw some sixty hotels in nine countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.
He analysed operating accounts, GOP and management fees, and conducted brand standards audits. He reports an average 15% reduction in costs at the properties he supported. He also took on general management assignments at hotels deemed a priority.
From 2016 to 2018, he ran Mövenpick Siam Hotel Pattaya, a 260-room beachfront resort in Na Jomtien, through to its stabilisation phase. From 2014 to 2016, he was General Manager of lebua at State Tower and Tower Club at lebua in Bangkok. The complex combines ultra-luxury accommodation with several Michelin-starred restaurants and employs more than 1,000 staff.
Pre-openings from the Gulf to London
His career includes numerous pre-openings. From 2012 to 2014, he was Hotel Manager of Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa, whose launch he oversaw. He supervised the onboarding of more than 1,200 employees and the opening of 16 food and beverage outlets. The resort generates more than €65 million in annual revenue.
In 2010, he joined The Savoy in London as Hotel Manager during the hotel’s renovation and the preparations for its reopening. He was responsible for the critical path schedule shared across all departments.
The United Arab Emirates have accounted for a large part of his career. In 2002, he set up and ran, for six months, the pre-opening office of Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah. He then led operations at a Le Méridien property in Abu Dhabi during a renovation carried out without closing the hotel. From 2006 to 2010, he was Deputy General Manager of Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort.
Early years in Swiss grand hotels
Marc Sittl began his career in 1988 in Swiss and Austrian luxury hospitality. His posts included the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, the Mont Cervin Palace, the Park Hotel Vitznau and the Hotel Gasthof Post in Lech. He also worked on board Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth 2 and Vistafjord.
From 1996 to 1998, he was Food & Beverage Manager at the Gstaad Palace. He then held the same position at the Dom Hotel in Cologne, operated under the Le Méridien brand, before becoming its Deputy General Manager during its repositioning. He reports a 15% increase in food and beverage revenue there.
He has completed several executive education programmes at Cornell University, including a certificate in revenue management and an Executive Leadership Certificate. In 2020, he completed a programme in applied data analytics at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
A profile suited to the execution phase
Analysis – By bringing operations and pre-openings under a single remit, PPHG signals that it is entering an execution phase. Ten projects are scheduled for 2027 across seven Southeast Asian countries. Delivering properties ready to operate on schedule therefore becomes a central issue, for the group and its owners alike.
Marc Sittl’s background meets this need. He has led numerous openings and major renovations, from the Gulf to London by way of Thailand. He has also managed multi-hotel portfolios at Accor and then at The Standard. His recent experience of a post-acquisition integration could also benefit a group that has already transformed more than half of its portfolio since 2020.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Marc Sittl joins Pan Pacific Hotels Group
New role: Vice President, Operations and Pre-Opening, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, Singapore (October 2026)
Previous role: Senior Vice President Operations MEAP, The Standard Hotels, after leading the opening of The Standard, Hua Hin
Opening track record: Sofitel Dubai The Palm, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, The Savoy refurbishment
Group context: ten new-build and major renovation projects scheduled across Southeast Asia in 2027
Experience: 25+ years across Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, including Accor and lebua
