{"id":22489,"date":"2026-06-01T08:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/22489\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T08:25:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T08:25:35","slug":"hilton-names-inaugural-waldorf-astoria-sydney-gm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/22489\/","title":{"rendered":"Hilton names inaugural Waldorf Astoria Sydney GM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hilton<\/a> has named the General Manager for its first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Australia as Marlene Poynder. A globally respected luxury hospitality leader, Poynder brings more than 30 years of international experience across the USA, Asia and Australasia as the inaugural GM of Waldorf Astoria Sydney, now confirmed to open in 2027.<\/p>\n

Most recently, Poynder served as Managing Director of The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, where she led a thoughtful evolution of the guest experience. She also held senior leadership roles at landmark properties including Waldorf Astoria Beijing and Chicago, Conrad New York Downtown, and Park Hyatt Sydney, earning a reputation for translating storied luxury brands into culturally resonant destinations.<\/p>\n

\"\"Waldorf Astoria Sydney, slated to open in early 2027<\/p>\n

In her role at Waldorf Astoria Sydney, Poynder will lead the hotel\u2019s end-to-end pre\u2011opening strategy, spearheading team building and capability development, shaping a distinctive service culture, and overseeing all elements of operational readiness and launch execution to ensure a successful market debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are delighted to welcome Marlene back to Hilton and to Australia as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Sydney,\u201d said\u00a0Paul Hutton, Area VP and Head of Australasia, Hilton. \u201cMarlene is a highly respected leader with an exceptional track record of guiding iconic luxury hotels in some of the world\u2019s most competitive markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an Australian and with a deep connection to the Waldorf Astoria brand coupled with a strong understanding of this region, she is uniquely positioned to lead this landmark hotel as we prepare for Waldorf Astoria\u2019s highly anticipated debut in Australia,\u201d Hutton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis appointment marks a significant milestone for Waldorf Astoria Sydney and reflects the calibre of leadership behind one of Australia\u2019s most iconic landmark developments,\u201d said Paige Walker,\u00a0CEO, Fiveight, the hotel\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n

\"\" \u201cAt Fiveight, we\u2019re committed to partnering with world-class operators to set a new benchmark for hospitality in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilton said Poynder is \u201cwidely regarded as a trusted custodian of luxury brands\u2026 known for balancing exacting operational discipline with visionary leadership. Her leadership philosophy centres on craftsmanship, emotional connection and people development, fostering cultures where teams thrive and guests feel both recognised and inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWaldorf Astoria is a brand defined by legacy, elegance and a deep sense of place. To be entrusted with introducing Waldorf Astoria Sydney is both an honour and a responsibility,\u201d Poynder\u00a0said. \u201cI look forward to working with our partners and team members to create a hotel that feels distinctly Sydney, while remaining unmistakably Waldorf Astoria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Located at One Circular Quay, Waldorf Astoria Sydney will occupy one of the city\u2019s most coveted harbourfront addresses, offering uninterrupted views of Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.<\/p>\n

Other converage in LATTE on Waldorf Astoria Sydney;<\/p>\n

Read more: Waldorf Astoria Sydney\u2019s opening pushed back to early 2027<\/a>
Read more: New owner for Waldorf Astoria Sydney<\/a>
Read more: Sneak peek of the Waldorf Astoria Sydney<\/a> design<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hilton has named the General Manager for its first Waldorf Astoria hotel in Australia as Marlene Poynder. A…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[21253,6560,21023,21254,21255,247,21024,21025],"class_list":["post-22489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sydney","tag-fiveight","tag-hilton","tag-marlene-poynder","tag-paige-walker","tag-paul-hutton","tag-sydney","tag-waldorf-astoria","tag-waldorf-astoria-sydney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}