Vincent Billiard appointed Chief Operating Officer of Cheval Blanc

The managing director of Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel joins LVMH Hotel Management’s executive committee on 5 October, with responsibility for the general managers of every Cheval Blanc Maison.

LVMH Hotel Management has appointed Vincent Billiard as Chief Operating Officer of Cheval Blanc, the group’s ultra-luxury hotel brand. He takes up the role on 5 October 2026 as a member of the executive committee, reporting to Olivier Lefebvre, President and CEO of Cheval Blanc and Deputy Managing Director of LVMH Hospitality Excellence.

Billiard joins from Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, where he has led Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris since 2020. Since January 2024 he has combined that post with a regional vice president role covering Rosewood’s operations in Europe.

Scope of the role

As COO, Billiard will oversee the general managers of the Cheval Blanc Maisons, the term the brand uses for its hotels. He will also lead LVMH Hotel Management’s Operations & Quality, Revenue & Distribution and Sales teams.

The expanded remit includes directing operational strategy and its rollout across both existing and future Maisons, bringing operating standards and commercial performance under a single executive.

Announcing the appointment, LVMH Hotel Management said his “extensive operational expertise and deep understanding of international luxury hospitality will be instrumental in supporting Cheval Blanc’s continued growth and development.”

Billiard’s career background

A graduate of EHL Hospitality Business School, Billiard brings more than 20 years of international luxury hospitality experience. He joined The Ritz-Carlton in 2003, working across the United States and Asia, and took his first general manager role with the brand in 2013.

He was appointed General Manager of Bulgari Hotel Shanghai in 2016 and moved to The St. Regis Singapore as General Manager in 2019, before taking charge of the Crillon in 2020. Rosewood credits him with leading the Place de la Concorde hotel through its reopening, the launch of several food and beverage venues, and the renewal of its Palace distinction alongside Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star recognition.

In his regional role he oversaw Rosewood properties in Europe and supported major openings and projects, which the announcement lists as Schloss Fuschl, Amsterdam and Courchevel.

The Cheval Blanc collection

Cheval Blanc opened its first Maison in Courchevel in 2006. It has since added Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives (2013), Cheval Blanc St-Barth (2014), Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (2019) and Cheval Blanc Paris (2021).

The sixth, Cheval Blanc Seychelles, is a 52-villa resort on Anse Intendance beach on Mahé, designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy, according to LVMH. LVMH Hotel Management also operates White 1921 in Courchevel and Saint-Tropez, and the group cites Sardinia among its forthcoming projects.

LVMH’s hospitality interests also include Belmond, which has also made senior leadership changes this year, including the promotion of Nicolas Streff to Senior Vice President, Strategy & Transformation.

Why the role matters

Cheval Blanc has grown slowly and deliberately, with each Maison built around a distinct destination. A COO with authority over both the general managers and the commercial functions gives the brand a single point of operational leadership as that portfolio extends into new markets.

For Billiard, the move is from running one of Paris’s best-known Palace hotels to overseeing a collection that spans the Alps, the Riviera, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.