In 2002, the owner of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was Mr. Christoph Mares. Promoted to the group chief operating officer, the appointment will officially take effect from January 1, 2018. He will be responsible for the operations of all the group's hotels, overseeing all food and beverage, guestrooms, service quality and spa and wellness operations. Mr. Mares currently serves as Group Executive Vice President in London, responsible for hotel operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. After that, he will work in the group's Hong Kong office. Mr. Mares has over 25 years of global luxury hotel management experience. Since first joining the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in 2000, he has held senior management positions in Mandarin Oriental hotels in London, Paris and Munich. In 2008, he joined Emaar Hotels Group as Chief Operating Officer, and returned to Mandarin Oriental in 2009 to assume his current position.