Stephen Joseph
Associated Partner - Hotel Loyalty Programs
Born in the Middle East, of mixed heritage, Stephen grew up in the UK and launched his career in the Hotel Loyalty Membership space in 1995, as a Project Manager at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London. After lifting performance on this program, he then went on to manage similar projects in Europe, The Middle East and Asia, before working his way up to Operations Manager for the Middle East in 1999.
After a successful stint in Dubai, Stephen moved his focus to Business Development and was promoted to BD Director for Asia Pacific in 2001. Stephen has taken on several other regional management roles including being made General Manager, Greater China for Accor Plus in 2017 and more recently as Chief Business Development Officer for GMS Group, expanding the company’s footprint to new markets which include The Middle East, CIS, Africa and South Asia.
Now, based again in the United Arab Emirates, Stephen brings over thirty years successfully designing and managing Loyalty Membership programs across multiple regions, focusing on engaging active member bases to help drive much needed food and beverage footfall to hotel restaurants and working with hotel partners to generate awareness and incremental revenue throughout their property.
His specialist areas are sales and project management, product development, strategic partnerships and team management, using good client/colleague liaison skills to ensure strong project performance to reach the clients objectives. Additionally, he has a particular focus on employee development & training, customer loyalty, call-center management and CRM technology.
Away from work, Stephen likes sport, both competing and as a spectator. He also enjoys travelling and visiting new places, family and friends around the world. Through a mix of business and pleasure, Stephen has been fortunate to experience many wonderful cities, taking long driving trips, meet interesting people and learn about new cultures along the way.