Hotel Market Overview: Investment & Transactions In 2022 & Beyond

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  Dimitris Manikis

  Dimitris Manikis was appointed President and Managing Director for EMEA in April 2018. In his current role as President of EMEA, he is responsible for the development of all of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ brands in the EMEA region as well as maximising the performance of all new and existing franchise and managed hotels. He focuses on driving the strategic objectives of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts including quality and technology solutions as well as new business, loyalty, sales and marketing. Dimitris Manikis has a long-standing career and deep knowledge of the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, he spent over 27 years with RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, across a number of senior roles, and most recently served as Vice President of Business Development for EMEA. Earlier in his career, he also held a number of key positions in the region as Managing Director of RCI Greece and RCI South Africa. Dimitris is an Industry Advisory Board member for Hotelschool the Hague, a Senior Advisory Board member for the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and a Board member for Christel House Europe.   A Greek national, Dimitris was born in Athens and holds a Bachelor degree in Tourism and Administration from the Technical University of Patras in Greece, and an MSc Postgraduate degree in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey. His passion for people and work ethic comes from his father, who built up a grocery retail business in Athens where Dimitris learned the value of elevated customer service, having a positive outlook and hard work as being the foundations of success in both business and life. He is based at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ London office.

  Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

  President EMEA

  Dimitris Manikis

  President EMEA

  Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

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  Safinaz Zakaria

  Safi joined Crosstree in 2013 and is responsible for sourcing, execution and delivery of investments. Safi has worked on deals across most asset classes including office, retail, hotel, industrial, residential, co-living and student, investing across the capital stack. Prior to joining Crosstree, Safi was with Rothschild in the Real Estate and Leisure Investment Banking team. Safi holds an MA in Economics and Arabic from the University of Edinburgh.

  Crosstree

  Partner

  Safinaz Zakaria

  Partner

  Crosstree

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  Luc Boschmans

  Luc oversees the hospitality investments on behalf of Tristan’s funds, bringing 24 years of experience in the European hotel industry, Previously, Luc worked for 10 years at Archer Hotel Capital and its successor, Host Hotels & Resorts, as a Director in charge of the asset management of a €2bn luxury hotel portfolio across Europe. Prior to Host Hotels & Europe, Luc led the hotel operations for a portfolio on behalf of Blackstone in France and another portfolio in Germany for Lone Star Funds. Luc has also gained substantial operational hotel experience from hotel operating companies including Hilton and Hyatt. Luc holds a Hotel Management Diploma from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland as well as an MBA of the Open University. Luc has been a CHAM, Certified Hotel Asset Manager, since 2019 and a board member of HAMA Europe (Hospitality Asset Manager Association).

  Tristan Capital

  Managing Director, Hospitality Investments

  Luc Boschmans

  Managing Director, Hospitality Investments

  Tristan Capital

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  Liutauras Vaitkevicius

  In his numerous previous roles, Liutauras has left his mark all over the launch of number of brands in the UK as well as working within international chains during periods of rapid change. He holds a wide range of operational and commercial skills, which he built across variety of roles across number of different organisations. Among his key achievements, Liutauras was part of commercial team that successfully repositioned existing assets and launched the Point A Hotel Brand. There, he was responsible for groups revenue and distribution activities. He was also person leading the cementing and growth of the Good Hotel brand in the UK, with its unique profit-for-non-profit commercial concept. More recently, Liutauras was working on repositioning of Theobalds Estate in order to launch very first Birch hotel. Liutauras is currently responsible for leading the Zetter Group’s operations and commercial across its existing assets, with particular focus on creating high functioning commercial and operational teams to enable group’s further expansion. Liutauras is a seasoned hospitality professional, having been featured in Forbes, Boutique Hotelier, Fortune, Financial Times amongst numerous other interviews and presentations. Having spent his whole career in UK while running complex, multi-disciplined businesses

  Zetter Hotels & Co

  Managing Director

  Liutauras Vaitkevicius

  Managing Director

  Zetter Hotels & Co

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  Louise Burney

  Alternatives Sector Lead

  LGIM Real Assets

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  Georgia Contogoulas

  Georgia is a Director at BBS Capital where she focuses on arranging debt for operational real estate. Prior to BBS Georgia spent 4 years at CBRE Capital Advisors, on the Debt & Structured Finance team, where she lately worked alongside the Hotels team to establish the firm’s debt advisory services in the sector, on a pan-European basis. Prior to CBRE Georgia worked at Rothschild Bank for 5 years where she led various loan renegotiations, covenant re-sets and restructurings after the outset of GFC. Whilst at Rothschild Georgia was also involved on various M&A mandates, including as financial advisor to the Board of the King’s Cross Partnership and advising Shell plc on the disposal of its South Bank site to the JV between Qatari Diar and Canary Wharf Group. Prior to Rothschild, Georgia was with EY on their Real Estate Finance team in London for 7 years where she arranged debt for a number of sale and leaseback transactions.

  BBS Capital

  Director

  Georgia Contogoulas

  Director

  BBS Capital

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  Peter Sugden

  Peter Sugden focuses his practice on real estate investment, finance and development, hospitality and leisure, real estate joint ventures and other corporate real estate transactions in the UK and across Europe. Peter represents private equity funds, institutional investors, property companies, overseas investors, pension funds and hotel owners and operators. His transactional experience extends over more than 30 years and spans all asset classes and transactions, including asset and corporate sales and purchases, fundings and financings, joint ventures, debt purchase, portfolio transactions and complex development. Peter has very significant experience in relation to the hospitality and leisure sector. Clients appreciate the personal touch that Peter brings to his work. He is known for the pragmatic application of his deep experience in transactional work and ability to focus on key issues, and for personally handling many of the matters that cross his desk.

  Katten

  Consultant

  Moderator

  Peter Sugden

  Consultant

  Katten

Developing & Designing Hotels For A New World: Driving Revenue Beyond The Room

Presented by CallisonRTKL

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  Felicity Black-Roberts

  Felicity is responsible for developing Hyatt’s diverse brand portfolio across EAME, heading a diverse team of subregional development experts. Since joining in 2016, Felicity has overseen Hyatt’s market entries into 31 markets, including Barcelona, Biarritz, Dublin and Madrid, along with brand debuts in 23 markets including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris and the French Alps. With 25 years’ experience in real estate and hospitality – spanning acquisitions, development, asset management – she understands the market from multiple industry perspectives. Prior to Hyatt, Felicity led acquisitions and developments for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Western Europe, supported prominent brands including Forte, Le Méridien and worked with the investment fund Starman.

  Hyatt

  Senior Vice President, Development, EAME

  Felicity Black-Roberts

  Senior Vice President, Development, EAME

  Hyatt

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  Maurice Petignat

  Maurice is involved in the firm’s capital expenditure programs and asset management functions. He joined from Principal Real Estate‘s Hotel and Leisure Division where he was responsible for the management of major capital expenditure projects across their portfolio. Previously he was responsible for capital expenditure projects across Hilton’s European owned, leased and joint-venture estate and he provided support to the Feasibility & Investment department. Maurice holds a BSc in International Hospitality Management (Hons) from the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, with a specialisation in real estate finance and a MSc in Construction Economics and Management from University College London. He speaks English, German, French and Italian.

  Cedar Capital Partners

  Vice President

  Maurice Petignat

  Vice President

  Cedar Capital Partners

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  Todd Lundgren

  Building on three decades of hospitality led mixed use project experience, Todd is a recognised industry leader, having delivered iconic projects that blend hotel, retail, residential, and other uses to create viable, sustainable mixed-use communities. His extensive worldwide experience from Asia, to Europe and the Middle East, Latin America and North America, covers the full spectrum of hotel brands and includes convention hotels, boutique resorts, extensive property repositioning, renovations and master planning as well as multiple significant mixed-use projects.

  CallisonRTKL

  Principal, EMEA Hospitality Lead

  Todd Lundgren

  Principal, EMEA Hospitality Lead

  CallisonRTKL

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  Tom Hughes

  Withers LLP is a leading international law firm dedicated to supporting successful businesses. Tom is a commercial real estate partner with particular experience working with hotel, hospitality and leisure clients. Tom works with investors, owners and operators across the sector as part of Withers' multi-disciplinary hotels team helping clients with all aspects of acquisitions, disposals, development, re-positioning, funding and management.

  Withers Worldwide

  Partner

  Moderator

  Tom Hughes

  Partner

  Withers Worldwide

Opening Remarks

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  Karmen Freimuth

  Karmen is a Embedded Capital Allowance Specialist and Head of Partnerships at HMA Tax. Since moving to the UK in 2012, she has built a career in commercial property having worked in acquisitions and going concern business property sales and valuations. Since joining HMA Tax in 2019, Karmen has become Head of Partnerships, managing ongoing and new partner relationships across the country. She works with some of the UKs largest accounting and legal firms, as well as a network of property professionals, helping their clients maximise available Embedded Capital Allowances on their commercial property portfolios and planned developments.

  HMA Tax

  Head of Partnerships

  Karmen Freimuth

  Head of Partnerships

  HMA Tax