April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Accommodation booking platform operator Yanolja said on Jan. 21 it has named Kim Jin-jeong, former head of electric car maker Tesla Motors’ Korean office, as chief of offline operations.

Kim, who holds an MBA from Yonsei University, worked for 18 years at Starbucks Korea from 1999 to 2017, taking charge of sales and marketing. His last role at the coffee giant was operational chief. He then moved to Tesla Motors in 2017, helping the electric car maker establish its footing in the local market.

Kim Jin-jeong, chief of offline operations at Yanolja.

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Yanolja said the new offline business chief was credited with having successfully managed more than 1,000 Starbucks coffee shops in Korea and 10,000 staff members and launched Tesla’s new electric vehicle models in the nation.

At the accommodation company, which has been spearheading the budget hotel booking segment here, Kim will be in charge of overseeing hotel franchise operations.

“Joining Yanolja, which is evolving as a global leisure platform company, comes with a sense of both excitement and responsibility,” said Kim, vowing to offer quality accommodation services that can appeal to not only Korean users but also in global markets.

The hotel booking company has been partnering with global firms, including Rakuten Lifeful Stay, a Japanese vacation rental services provider. It teamed up with Ireland-based Hostel World, which runs 36,000 hostels and guesthouses in 170 nations. In August, the Korean company invested in Southeast Asian budget hotel booking firm Zen Rooms.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)