Simon McGrath is the New Crown Sydney CEO
Crown Resorts has appointed Simon McGrath as the new Crown Sydney CEO. McGrath’s employment commences on February 1, 2022. It sees him juggle his role of Crown Sydney CEO with Group Head of Hospitality. McGrath reports directly to Crown CEO Steve McCann, who said this about the new appointment.
“We are very excited to welcome Simon to the executive team at Crown, to lead our newest Australian resort in Sydney and oversee our hospitality offer. Simon is a highly regarded executive who will bring to Crown his wealth of experience in the operation of luxury hotels and global hospitality businesses. With Simon’s stewardship, we are confident that Crown Sydney will set the standard of excellence for all our customers and guests.”
Who Is The New Crown Sydney CEO?
McGrath embarks on a journey as Crown Sydney CEO with almost unrivalled experience in the luxury hospitality sector. He has worked in the tourism and hospitality sector for three decades, including in Malaysia and Thailand. McGrath was the CEO for Accor Pacific, and responsible for 397 hotels featuring almost 63,000 guest rooms, and 18,000 employees.
The new Crown Sydney CEO speaks highly of Accor on his LinkedIn profile.
“I go to sleep every night proud of Accor and obsessed about what we can do better. When I consider our strategies for innovation and growth, I always come back to the belief that everything we achieve is down to our great people. Our people bring diversity, experiences and stories to our culture, which makes Accor a richer and better community, a safe place for all to excel. Accor’s culture is one of the things that I am most proud to be a part of, it is unique and strong, a daily source of inspiration which we protect like gold.
“At the heart of hospitality is our obsession and focus on making sure the guest has the best possible experience with us. We listen carefully to our guests to understand what they want. In our business, the closer you are to the customer the more crucial you are in our business. Therefore our frontline team are key – and I have so much respect and admiration for everything they do, a fundamental part of my role is to support our talented people.”
McGrath Does Not Have To Worry About the Sydney Casino
The new Crown Sydney CEO does not need to worry about the casino on the property because it remains locked. Crown Sydney at One Barangaroo Avenue cost $2.2 billion to build, and each of its 349 guest rooms are out of this world. In addition to the guest room, the property has luxury apartments that are changing hands for $20 million. However, its lavish casino remains closed and will be for the foreseeable future.
Regulators deemed Crown unfit to hold a Sydney gaming licence and, therefore, unable to operate the Crown Sydney casino. None of Crown’s recent financial reports put a figure on what its closed casino is costing. But estimates of tens of millions of dollars per month in lost revenue seem accurate.
Appointing a new Crown Sydney CEO could be a move to help appease the regulators. Crown Melbourne’s board is unrecognisable from the one slated in the press and royal commission. Having new executives at the helm is one reason Crown Melbourne remains open despite its obvious failings.
Could Crown Perth Get a New CEO?
There is every chance Crown Perth finds itself under new management soon. The royal commission into the venue is turning up as much negativity as the Melbourne edition. A report into the psychological safety of Crown Perth staff revealed major problems. Only 55% of respondents are confident they would not be penalised for raising concerns with their manager.
Crown Perth, like Crown Melbourne, seems rotten from the core. Ripping out the current team and replacing them may be the only way to save the property’s gaming licence.
