InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel (known as The Barclay), owned by 111 East 48th Street Holdings, LLC and managed by IHG, has announced the appointment of Sofia Vandaele as regional director of operations, luxury & lifestyle, NYC. In her new role, she will helm the luxury brand’s strategic direction and brand awareness for both InterContinental New York Barclay and InterContinental Times Square.
Vandaele launched her career in her native country of Belgium and held numerous sales and marketing roles which paved the groundwork for her acumen, working at properties including Sheraton Hotels Brussels and Starwood Hotels Central London. She continued to advance her career with managerial positions in competitive markets including Sheraton Belgravia Hotel (London, UK); W New York, The Court & The Tuscany (NYC); W New York - Downtown (NYC) and The London NYC. Prior to The Barclay, Vandaele served as general manager at Hilton Paris Opera (Paris, FR), where she led a $50 million renovation at the 268-room full-service hotel. Presently GM of The Barclay since 2018, Vandaele leads a team of 400 staff for the flagship luxury property.
A hospitality veteran with 25+ years of experience, Vandaele serves on numerous boards including Hotel Association of NYC, Board of Directors & Executive Committee member (2018), New York Tourism & Conventions, Board of Directors & Executive Committee member (2020), and IHG Americas DE&I Board Member (2019).
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Sofia Vandaele as regional director of operations, NYC within the IHG family,” Peter Clarke, VP, Americas luxury & lifestyle hotel operations at IHG said in a statement. “Her wave of positive energy in tandem with a visionary mindset and proven track record of exceptional results makes her a perfect fit to lead our hotel group to new levels of achievement.”