Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has tapped hospitality industry veteran William J. Haandrikman to lead the 116-year-old hotel as its general manager. Haandrikman was previously general manager of Thailand’s Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit.

Haandrikman, who relocated to Ha Noi in June, will also serve as the area general manager of AccorHotels North Vietnam. He has had 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having started with Accorhotels in 1992.

Since joining the French hotel chain, he has held senior management positions in Amsterdam, Brussels, New York and Moscow, as well as with the Sofitel brand in The Hague, Paris, Vienna, Shanghai and most recently, Bangkok.

During his assignment in Bangkok, Haandrikman served as the cluster general manager for two AccorHotels properties, including the 345-room Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, which under his leadership became known as one of the leading five-star properties in Thailand. The Dutch national also oversaw the opening and managed the prestigious Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom in Austria and the well-known Sofitel Paris Defense in France.

Haandrikman is a graduate of Glion University, Hotel School in the Netherlands, ESSEC Executive Management Program and the Executive Management Program at Cornell University in the USA.

“Viet Nam is one of the fastest growing markets in Asia,” said Haandrikman. “I look forward to immersing myself in all that Hanoi has to offer and to continue building on Metropole’s reputation as one of the top hotels in Asia.” — VNS