CBRE has hired a new head of its European hotels business from Belmond, a luxury hotels firm owned by fashion house Louis Vuitton’s parent company LVMH.
Kenneth Hatton will start as the property giant’s head of hotels across EMEA in June, moving from his current role as executive vice-president at Belmond, where he has worked for four years.
He will take on the role at a pivotal time for the global hotel industry, which has undergone a “substantial evolution” in recent years, according to CBRE’s European capital markets head Chris Brett.
Brett added: “With our clients evermore connected globally, they need a hotel advisory team that can augment market-leading real estate advice with M&A, debt and strategic advisory services.
“Kenneth will not only bring his global insight, management and leadership but also help shape our hotel services offering to match the post-Covid priorities of global hotel owners, operators and investors.”
Hatton has had a hand in more than 350 hotels and mixed-use projects across the globe on both the advisor and principal side.
Kenneth Hatton added: “The strength of CBRE’s pan-sector, global platform is truly impressive. As a client, I have seen first-hand the power of when the hotels team joins forces with the wider business.
“As the entire world of real estate looks at itself in the mirror in light of the pandemic and its aftermath, I can think of no firm better placed to help hotel industry stakeholders navigate the new realities.
“The sense of anticipation in the industry has never been greater, and I am excited to join CBRE at this extraordinary moment in time.”
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