ONYX Group appoints Russell Cool as Area General Manager in Sri Lanka

Thailand-based ONYX Group has appointed Russell Cool as Area General Manager for all ONYX properties in Sri Lanka. Cool will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of ONYX Hospitality Group’s Sri Lanka portfolio of hotels and will provide strategic guidance to achieve the company’s vision, implement organisational processes for all divisions, and lead the local expansion drive.

To his new role Russell an Australian national brings more than 25 years of development and operational experience, with a majority of the roles based in Australia, China and the United Kingdom.

Before joining ONYX, he served as the area general manager of Stamford Hotels & Resorts in Australia.

Prior to that, he held multiple senior operational management positions in the Langham Hospitality Group, the last being general manager – special projects, The Langham Hotels and Resorts, based in Hong Kong.

During Cool’s expansive career, one of the main highlights has to be his placement as the BOH food & beverage manager, The Royal Opera House – London; where he had multiple opportunities to organise events for the British Royal House. Cool has worked as general manager of the Langham Hospitality Group in Melbourne, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing, where his main focus was to drive financial and service levels whilst maximising asset value to shareholders. He has a stellar track record of driving operational change and leading performance turnarounds.

ONYX Hospitality Group currently has 34 properties across eight brands in 12 countries. ONYX offers a wide portfolio of hospitality brands, including Amari hotels and resorts, Shama serviced apartments and the midscale OZO hotels.