Appointing a Transformational CEO for a European Luxury Hotel Platform

Our client is a US-based alternative investment firm specialising in credit and value investing strategies. Founded in the early 1990s, the firm manages multi-billion-dollar capital on behalf of a global investor base and has a long-standing, active investment presence across Europe. The European platform operates across several major cities and has invested and managed significant capital in both corporate restructurings and real estate, including hospitality assets.

At the time of our engagement, the client was in the final stages of acquiring control of an upper-upscale European hotel group with a portfolio of properties located across major gateway cities. Although the business remained profitable, it had experienced a prolonged period of financial distress, resulting in under-investment and under-management. The client identified a significant opportunity to unlock value through the appointment of a high-calibre, internationally experienced Chief Executive Officer with deep expertise in the luxury and upscale lodging sector. Our mandate was to identify and appoint a transformational leader to take full P&L responsibility and work alongside the investment team to reposition and revitalise the platform.

We conducted a targeted international search focused on identifying proven luxury hotel CEOs with experience in turnaround, brand repositioning, and operating within investor-owned environments. Our assessment process focused on:

• Demonstrated success leading upscale or luxury hotel platforms
• Ability to drive strategic transformation and cultural change
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including full P&L ownership
• Leadership resilience suited to complex, multi-country portfolios

We successfully appointed an internationally recognised luxury hotel CEO to lead the European hotel group. Since joining, the CEO has:

• Repositioned the business and launched a new luxury brand
• Modernised the guest proposition to reflect evolving, experience-led demand
• Assembled a new executive leadership team
• Created a new brand
• Subsequently led the sale of the business – achieving the investors aspirations