Capella Hotel Group has appointed Lauren Tesch as Regional Director of Sales for Australia and New Zealand, strengthening its commercial leadership across two important luxury travel markets.
Based in Sydney, Tesch will work with the group’s portfolio properties, commercial teams and travel partners to expand its presence within the region’s luxury travel community. Her remit includes deepening trade relationships and identifying opportunities to grow revenue and market share across both countries.
Tesch brings more than 20 years of experience spanning luxury hospitality, aviation, travel, loyalty programmes and commercial partnerships.
She joins Capella from The Appointment Group, where she served as Commercial Director for Asia Pacific. In that position, she led the company’s regional commercial strategy and managed supplier relationships across the market.
Her earlier career included more than seven years with Qantas Loyalty. As Senior Product Manager and Commercial Partnerships Manager, she worked on strategic partnerships within the Qantas Frequent Flyer ecosystem, collaborating with hotels, tourism organisations and travel brands.
Tesch has also held product and commercial positions with Flight Centre Global Product.
That combination of hotel, aviation, loyalty and travel management experience is particularly relevant to her new role. Luxury hotel sales increasingly depend on relationships that extend beyond individual properties, encompassing travel advisers, airline programmes, tourism partners and wider distribution networks.
Tesch already has an established connection with Capella Hotel Group. During her time at The Appointment Group, she worked with the company and its properties as a commercial partner. Her move into the organisation therefore brings an existing understanding of its portfolio, partnership model and approach to luxury hospitality.
The appointment also reflects Capella Hotel Group’s continued investment in dedicated regional sales leadership. Rather than focusing solely on property-level performance, Tesch will support the wider Capella Hotels and Resorts and Patina Hotels & Resorts portfolio across the Australian and New Zealand markets.
For Capella, the appointment adds a Sydney-based commercial leader with experience on both sides of the travel partnership relationship. For Tesch, it marks a move from advising and working alongside the group to directly shaping its regional growth.
