Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts checks out with new head of eCommerce

Hospitality group Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts has appointed Valerie Chua as its new head of eCommerce. Chua (pictured) is responsible for eCommerce and digital marketing globally for all brands under the Banyan Tree Group: hotels and resorts as well as spa and gallery. Banyan Tree Hotels and Resort declined to comment on MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's queries.

Before this, Chua was the regional eCommerce manager at ASICS Corporation for more than three years. In that role, she was responsible for formulating strategies to drive eCommerce growth in Southeast Asia for ASICS and Onitsuka Tiger on the brands' sites and marketplaces, her LinkedIn said. She also worked cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, regional subsidiaries and vendors to implement end-to-end omnichannel processes and oversee eCommerce operations.

Prior to ASICS, Chua was the assistant business development manager of Charles and Keith Group from June 2017 to November 2017. In that role, she was responsible for the profit and loss of 16 eCommerce countries, with a focus on Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Her responsibilities also include strategic planning, data analysis, operational efficiency, the group's marketing calendar, and projects for countries assigned to her, her LinkedIn said.

Chua was also assistant manager of special projects and management at the brand, during which she was stationed in Tokyo as its interim eCommerce manager to oversee the group's online business in Japan, according to her LinkedIn. She managed the eCommerce sales and operations department in the areas of sales, customer service, and fraud. Chua first joined Charles and Keith as a marketing associate in 2012. She also worked at BreadTalk Group and Quandoo.

Separately, the hospitality group's non-profit arm Banyan Tree Global Foundation partnered with EARTHDAY.ORG's reforestation programme, The Canopy Project, to plant trees for a greener future. From 22 April to 5 May this year, an Earth Day Getaway offer was made available at 39 properties globally. Each night’s purchase or stay during that period contributed US$2, which was later donated to EARTHDAY.ORG and The Canopy Project.

At the same time in March this year, the hotel chain also expanded into China, Greece, Indonesia, Qatar, Cambodia, and Mozambique, Africa. According to its press statement, the group will be the first international hotel brand to develop an integrated resort comprising Banyan Tree, Angsana and Dhawa in Quzhou of Zhejiang Province in China. The expansion also includes many firsts for the group such as its flagship property in Europe, the Banyan Tree Escape debuting in Ubud Bali, and its first flag in the Africa continent. 

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