Crystalbrook, one of Australia's leading sustainable hospitality companies, has appointed Geoff York as Chief Executive Officer, following his role as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

Geoff brings to the role over 35 years of experience in general and regional management with previous appointments across the Asia Pacific region with Accor, Hilton and Event Hospitality & Entertainment. He is also a National Board Member of Tourism Accommodation Australia, a peak body of the hospitality industry.

Geoff joined Crystalbrook Collection as Group Director of Hotels in July 2017. As a founding member of the company, Geoff has driven the development of the Crystalbrook brand, led five Crystalbrook hotel openings and acquisitions and is responsible for the strategic growth plan and direction of the Group.

In his role as Chief Executive Officer, a focus will be to elevate the Group's dedication to sustainability under the ethos of Responsible Luxury.

“I look forward to driving Crystalbrook to further becoming a thought leader on sustainable luxury hospitality in Australia” said Geoff of his appointment.

“Travelling with a lighter environmental footprint must be at the forefront of everything we do. For Crystalbrook, this is all about empowering all our staff to think environmentally,  acting smarter to create less waste such as the removal of plastics, embracing renewable resources, running paperless teams and working with local suppliers to reduce our carbon impact ” he said.

As CEO, Geoff will continue to seek out opportunities for additional hotels to join the Crystalbrook portfolio and will also be responsible for the opening of Crystalbrook's 5-star Kingsley in Newcastle and the acquisition of Fantauzzo in Brisbane.

Speaking on Geoff's appointment, Crystalbrook owner Ghassan Aboud said “Geoff has built a strong management team, he has been instrumental in developing the brand and acquiring new hotels and he has successfully navigated Crystalbrook through one of the most challenging years for the industry, which has him perfectly positioned to continue our expansion across Australia and beyond”.

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About Crystalbrook

Crystalbrook is one of Australia's leading sustainable and innovative independent hospitality companies. Each hotel in the portfolio carries an authentic expression of its location, a passion for responsible luxury, considered design and a twinkle of fun for a uniquely enriching experience. 

Crystalbrook's portfolio includes:

• Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, Cairns, Queensland
• Little Albion, a Crystalbrook Collection Boutique Hotel, Sydney, New South Wales
• Byron at Byron, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, Byron Bay, New South Wales
• Bailey, a Crystalbrook Collection Hotel and Residence, Cairns, Queensland
• Flynn, a Crystalbrook Collection Hotel, Cairns, Queensland
• Kingsley, a Crystalbrook Collection Hotel, Newcastle, New South Wales – opening Q2 2021

The Group also owns and operates a collection of ten restaurants, three spas, Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina in Port Douglas along with Crystalbrook Station and its subsidiary pastoral businesses.

Responsible Luxury

Responsible Luxury and sustainability is at the forefront of the way Crystalbrook thinks and operates. At a glance:

• Operating a single use plastic free environment. No plastic straws, water bottles or single use bathroom amenity bottles (in the past two years the Group has saved over three million plastic bottles from entering landfill)
• Farming their own beef
• Sourcing at least 80% of produce from within a three hour drive of each hotel
• Use of technology, such as in-room iPads and mobile check-in to create paperless environments and experiences
• Use of recycled and upcycled materials. Examples include keycards made from recycled wood, coathangers made from recycled paper and toothbrushes made from sweetcorn

Mindfully Safe

Mindfully Safe was launched by Crystalbrook Collection in response to Covid-19. The programme focuses on reducing travel anxiety by providing mindfulness and meditation tools developed in partnership with mental-wellbeing group The Indigo Project. As part of Mindfully Safe, Crystalbrook Collection is Australia's first cash-free hospitality company.

Learn more here: crystalbrookcollection.com/mindfully-safe

Crystalbrook Collection and Ghassan Aboud Group

Crystalbrook Collection is part of Ghassan Aboud Group promoted by international entrepreneur and philanthropist Ghassan Aboud. The group is a multi-business conglomerate engaged in automobiles, real estate, hospitality, FMCG, food, retail, bespoke catering, media and logistics. In business for more than two decades, the group operates from its global headquarters in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Australia, Belgium, Jordan and Turkey.