American and Malaysian hoteliers appointed to manage Pan Pacific hotels

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed new General Managers for two of its hotels in Australia and China.

American hotelier John Kockan moves to Pan Pacific Perth after four years at Pan Pacific Xiamen, which will now be headed by Malaysian industry veteran Eric Kee.

Situated along the city’s famous Swan River, the 486-room Pan Pacific Perth in Western Australia offers a refreshing guest environment and convenient access to the main dining, retail and entertainment precincts downtown. Pan Pacific Perth is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar refurbishment and will unveil remodeled guestrooms, enhanced technological connectivity and upgraded conferencing facilities within the next few months.



A U.S. citizen and Australian permanent resident with over 25 years of industry experience, John had also previously spent six years as General Manager of PARKROYAL on Beach Road in Singapore, another hotel under Pan Pacific Hotels Group. In addition, he has managed Langham International Eaton Hotel in Hong Kong and InterContinental Hotel Plaza in Jakarta, Indonesia.

John has a strong background in F&B operations as well as catering, banquet and convention services, having held management positions with The Westin, Ritz-Carlton, Grand Hyatt and Sheraton hotels in Australia, Malaysia and the U.S.A.

Taking over from John at Pan Pacific Xiamen is Eric Kee, who joins the Group from his role as Hotel Manager of the expansive 884-room The Excelsior in Hong Kong.



A seasoned Malaysian hotelier, Eric has close to two decades of Rooms, Front Office, Operations and general management experience in Greater China and Malaysia at luxury hotels such as The Westin Kuala Lumpur, Mandarin Oriental Macau, Wynn Resort Macau, Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing and The Regent Beijing.

Located just 20 minutes away from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Pan Pacific Xiamen offers 354 guestrooms and serviced suites with spectacular views of the city’s coastline. A discreet, modern retreat at the heart of the financial and entertainment district, the hotel features a comprehensive range of amenities including a popular steakhouse, fine-dining Chinese restaurant, award-winning spa and eight flexible meeting spaces spanning over 1,000 square meters.

“We are delighted to announce the appointments of John and Eric to our expanding talent pool of General Managers,” says Bernold O. Schroeder, Chief Executive Officer, Pan Pacific Hotels Group.

“John’s move to Pan Pacific Perth reflects the Group’s commitment to provide our high-performing associates with career development opportunities across our global portfolio. Meanwhile, we warmly welcome Eric to the team and look forward to harnessing the depth of his Greater China experience and networks to drive all-round growth and performance at Pan Pacific Xiamen.”

Published by Ozgur Tore & Source ftnnews.com