October 21, 2021 – Rosewood Vienna, the ultra-luxury hotel set to open in 2022 in one of Europe’s most vibrant and historic cities, is thrilled to announce the appointment of key leadership team executives including that of Alexander Lahmer as managing director and Vedad Bakovic as director of sales and marketing. Alexander and Vedad will be integral to the launch of the new property, which will mark Rosewood’s first in Austria and fifth in Europe as a testament to the brand’s impressive growth in the region and worldwide.
As managing director, Alexander is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the new hotel in preparation for and through its upcoming launch, including its new restaurants and bars, variety of meeting spaces, and Sense®, A Rosewood Spa. Alexander has 20 years of experience working with hotels in operational and pre-opening roles across the globe, having first joined the Rosewood family in 2013 as the hotel manager for Rosewood Beijing. Most recently, he held the hotel manager position at Rosewood Hong Kong, where he was responsible for the property’s pre-opening development and ongoing operations as related to all guest facing areas including food and beverage outposts, rooms, residences, and the property’s wellness concept, Asaya. Prior to working with the Rosewood brand, Alexander served as director of food and beverage at the Four Seasons Hotel, Beijing where he managed the property’s five restaurant and bars and banquet spaces and oversaw a team of 320 associates. His career has also included prestigious positions at properties throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe, such as director of food and beverage at Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul and executive assistant manager of food and beverage at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi.
Vedad joins the Rosewood Vienna team with 14 years of experience in sales and marketing, including seven dedicated to luxury and lifestyle hospitality brands. As director of sales and marketing, Vedad is responsible for developing and executing innovative sales and marketing strategies for all aspects of the new hotel, tapping into his deep understanding of the local market cultivated through his experience working at several of Vienna’s top properties. Most recently he served as director of sales for Hotel Imperial, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Vienna where he oversaw sales strategy and marketing content creation. Prior to this role he served as an account director focused on entertainment sales at Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ global sales office in London, driving touring, film project and corporate entertainment business to Starwood across 11 of the company’s brands worldwide. He began his career in the hotel industry at Le Méridien Vienna while the property was under the Starwood Hotels & Resorts brand umbrella, first assuming a front of house role and moving up throughout his nine-year tenure to serve as assistant director of sales for Starwood’s three Vienna properties including Hotel Imperial Vienna, Hotel Bristol Vienna and Le Méridien Vienna. Vedad holds a Master of Business Administration in Management & Communications degree from FHWien University of Applied Sciences located in Vienna, Austria.
“As the brand prepares to open our fifth European property in the charming and historic city of Vienna, we could not be more excited to welcome both Alexander and Vedad to the hotel’s leadership team,” said Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and co-chief development officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. “Both have demonstrated their prowess when it comes to strategic, creative and empowering management, and oversight of operations and marketing efforts at top-tier properties around the world. We are entirely confident that together they will help to launch this new hotel as a premier destination for affluent and influential travelers.”
Housed in a historic 18th-century building that was once the former headquarters for Erste Group Bank AG, Rosewood Vienna will be ideally situated on Petersplatz, one of the most famous squares in Vienna’s Old Town. Combining the best of European architecture and design with a refined yet modern style, the hotel will offer 99 spacious guestrooms and suites, all of which will feature separate spaces for entertainment and relaxation. The project’s design is being overseen by BEHF Corporate Architects in Austria and the London-based Alexander Waterworth Interiors firm. Located just steps away from the city’s most luxurious shopping and dining and its most famous historical sites, Rosewood’s fifth European property will serve as an unsurpassed gateway to one of the region’s most charming destinations.
