Our Leadership

Management Board

Reto Wittwer
Executive Chairman

A global hotelier with over 40 years of experience, Reto Wittwer is an undisputable and distinguished leader in the luxury hospitality industry. Being a seasoned hotelier with an exceptional vision, Wittwer, is driven by passion and gusto and aims at enhancing the industry in the more personalized and approachable style.

Known for his award-winning contributions, Reto Wittwer is the only hotelier to hold the position of President and CEO at three leading Luxury Hotel Companies. Having held positions at Kempinski Hotel group, Ciga S.P.A and Swissair Nestlé Swissotel Ltd. Wittwer is also the Chairman of the advisory board of World Tourism Forum Lucerne a highly focused strategic body that brings together world tourism, hospitality and travel leaders around the world to address the future challenges of the industry and shape a more sustainable future.

Wittwer has received many honours for his contribution to the hotel and tourism industry, including Knight of the National Order of Agricultural Merit of France and Ruby Medal of the City of Paris.

Ulrich Eckhardt

Executive Vice Chairman & CEO

With over 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ulrich Eckhardt has a rich and varied pedigree in luxury hospitality with a career spanning across the globe. During these years Ulrich has been a phenomenal mentor, a dedicated partner and a true citizen of the world – active in five continents working and establishing many premium luxury brands worldwide.

Visionary within the world of hospitality, before founding SHS, Ulrich Eckhardt spearheaded the Kempinski Hotels impressive expansion in the Middle East and Africa, as a President of Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean, which allowed the group’s portfolio to become more geographically balanced and position the Kempinski brand as an important player in the region.

Our Leadership

Management Team

Avsar Koc

Chief Operating Officer

Avsar Koc is a commercial and hotel operations specialist as well as a brand strategist who orchestrated to launch multiple hotel brands globally in the recent years. With 9 hotel openings in 5 years in diverse markets, he is an expert at launching new properties with excellent performance achievements as well as re-branding existing hotels.

Prior too Smart Hospitality Solutions, Avsar Koc spearheaded Kempinski Hotels India, Middle East & Africa commercial operations with annual revenues crossing EUR 420 million.

Avsar Koc also gained huge experience in marketing, sales, as well as revenue and distribution during his 15 years’ tenure with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Hilton International in various parts of the World. A passionate hotelier and traveller himself, Avsar Koc is regarded highly within the industry by his peers.

Marco Cristian Larenas Muller

President – The Americas

He is a visionary with more than 25 years of experience and an expert in creating outstanding hospitality concepts and visions for lifestyle projects. He, as very few, unites a deep understanding of strategic vision and concept creation, project feasibility together with master planning and design.
His engagements in the development of hotel projects, real estate, and luxury projects have allowed him to acquire deep knowledge about the strategy of vision, concepts, the interaction of synergies, and how this deeply influences the master planning and architectural design in all its stages, resulting in the creation of financially and environmentally sustainable solutions.

Apart from this, Marco Larenas has acquired profound knowledge in the spiritual field over the last 3 decades. He has extensive knowledge and realization about the unity and complementation of all spiritual teachings on their most fundamental level and their importance in changing the wrong paradigm of society.
Marco Larenas is based in Quito, Ecuador