• Careers
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  • Valor Culture
      • We're a rare group of bold, creative specialists who have reimagined an entire business.
      • We Are Hotelitarians
      • Our Story + Values
      • Join Our Team
  • Services
      • We bring a full set of services and do it with bold ambition.
          • Hotel Management
              • Pre-Opening
              • Marketing + Sales
              • Operations
              • Revenue Management
          • Asset Management
              • Portfolio Optimisation
              • Property Level Optimisation
              • Capital Transaction Support
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          • New Development + Rebranding
              • Location
              • Branding + Design
              • Technical Services
              • Hotel Repositioning + Renovation
          • Investments + Acquisitions
              • Hotel Investments
              • Investment Strategy
              • Turnaround + Distressed Situations
              • Capital Markets Expertise
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          • Dine, Design + Curate
              • Expertise
              • Concepts
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              • Operations
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          • Specialties
              • Luxury + Lifestyle
              • Golf + Leisure
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  • Case Studies
      • Our results speak for themselves.
      • Operations Value Add
      • Asset Management
      • New Development + Expansion
      • Rebranding + Renovations
      • Conversions
      • Environmental, Social + Governance
  • Global Portfolio
      • Around the world we are reimagining hospitality.
      • Global Portfolio
      • Properties Americas
      • Properties UK + Europe
      • Properties Middle East + CIS
      • Properties South Africa
      • Properties North + West Africa
  • ESG + Sustainability
      • We are committed to making a positive impact.
      • Mission + Objectives
      • ESG Initiatives
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      • There is always something happening here.
      • Latest News
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Lodge at Gulf State Park,
a Hilton Hotel, Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA

We Are   
Hotelitarians®

We’re hotel people—Hotelitarians—a team of curious, courageous thinkers and doers dedicated to helping your business thrive. As Hotelitarians, we have strategically built our reputation on relationships.

Our relationships with our guests are emotional.
Our purpose is for guests to feel better about themselves when they leave our property than they did upon arrival. We provide our guests with a spectacular place to sleep and eat, and strive to ensure every service interaction is handled with warmth, care, passion, and excellence, bringing a real sense of belonging to anyone crossing our threshold.

Our relationships with our staff are cultural.
Our corporate and property level culture is comprised of dedicated, compassionate, enthusiastic people who take ownership and act in the best interest of our guests. We treat every team member with dignity, respect and equal opportunity, and we are proud to be as widely recognised for our industry-leading culture as we are for our commercial expertise.

Our world-class global partners continuously share best practices, so everyone gains insight into the cultures, styles, and trends of countries in which we work, live and play. By leveraging expertise across the globe, our entire global team becomes more inquisitive, more imaginative, and more innovative than they ever believed possible.

Meet our team. We are HOTELITARIANS.

Global Partners

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Euan McGlashan

Global Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer

Following an award-winning career in luxury, resorts, independent and branded hotels, Euan formed Valor Hospitality Partners in 2012 with longtime friend and business partner Steve Cesinger. Since then, Euan and his dynamic team have executed on many distressed property turnarounds, new builds and re-brandings, resulting in a highly-regarded reputation for the quality of the Valor execution both commercially and culturally.

In 2013, Euan and Steve purchased a U.K. operating platform, which today operates 36 hotels and resorts throughout Great Britain. Utilizing their unique brand of culture and results delivery, highlights of the U.K. work includes taking an IHG portfolio of underperforming U.K. hotels to the number one operated franchise portfolio in Europe and throughout the entire estate; project managing multi-million pound renovations, upgrades, rebranding; and the concepting and development of ‘High Street Retail’ themed restaurants within select Hilton Hotels. In 2013, Euan formed PMR Hospitality Partners in Cape Town, South Africa with lifelong friends, Tony Romer-Lee and Michael Pownall, creating a bespoke, unique, full-service management company targeted at filling a huge need gap in the Sub-Saharan African hospitality market. In 2018, PMR became Valor Africa & Middle East turning Valor into what is now referred to as Valor Global with new office openings in Bangkok, Thailand and Dubai.

Euan’s vision for a truly bespoke global management company sharing resources, skills, and strategic thinking, as well as internally-created operating systems, procedures and guidelines which Reimagine Hospitality has come to life with Valor Global now managing, asset managing advising, or consulting on over 80 projects around the world.

emcglashan@valorhospitality.com

Euan McGlashan

Global Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer

Steve Cesinger

Global Co-founder & Chief Investment Officer

Steve Cesinger has over 35 years of experience in private equity, corporate finance, investment banking, distressed/workouts, treasury and operations, including a principal focus over the last 17 years in commercial real estate and hospitality. Since forming Valor with long-time friend and colleague Euan McGlashan, Mr. Cesinger has advised on client portfolio acquisitions and financings for more than twenty hotels representing over $1 billion in transaction value.

Previously, Mr. Cesinger oversaw treasury, asset management and private equity operations for the Dewberry Group, an Atlanta based firm whose $500 million+ investment portfolio includes hospitality, office, retail, and multi-family properties. Mr. Cesinger’s extensive investment banking experience encompasses a variety of industries, with notable transactions involving leading consumer facing companies such as Little Tykes, MGA Entertainment, Bumble Bee Seafoods and Whole Foods Markets. Mr. Cesinger has arranged mergers, acquisitions and public and private debt and equity financings, both as principal and agent, representing over $4 billion in aggregate value, including over $1 billion of debt restructuring and distressed transactions.

scesinger@valorhospitality.com

Steve Cesinger

Global Co-founder & Chief Investment Officer

Tony Romer-Lee

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Africa & Middle East + CIS

Since graduating in Hotel Management, Tony held General Manager positions with several industry icons such as Singita, Cape Grace; One & Only Cape Town; and most recently, serving as CEO for the Collection by Liz McGrath, with responsibility for three Relais and Chateaux Hotels in Cape Town, South Africa. After more than 25 years in luxury hospitality, Tony is known as one of the leading independent hoteliers in Southern Africa.

Now in a partnership with his old friends and colleagues Euan and Michael, Tony leads Valor Hospitality Africa with the goal of becoming one of Africa’s most well respected and highest performing hospitality development, consulting and management companies. Tony has three daughters and lives in Cape Town with his family.

tony@valorhospitality.com

Tony Romer-Lee

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Africa & Middle East + CIS

Michael Pownall

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Africa & Middle East + CIS

After receiving his Hotel management degree and growing his early management career within several of the UK's leading luxury hotels, Michael first emigrated to Cape Town in 1995, joining Southern Sun hotels.In 1998 he became General Manager of the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel, owned by Orient Express Hotels.

Staying with Orient Express, Michael moved to the USA in 2001 to become Managing Director of the recently aquired Keswick Hall Estate. Following a successful repositioning of the acclaimed hotel, golf club and luxury residential estate, Michael was offered the highly prized role of Chief Executive of Sandy Lane Resort, Barbados in 2005, overseeing many property initiatives and the hosting of the World Cup of Golf Championships. Late 2008 the family returned to Capetown when Michael was recruited to became the regional Managing Director for Taj Hotels, Palaces and Resorts, opening the Taj Capetown in 2010. Michael was a founding partner of Valor Africa (formerly PMR Hospitality) with Tony and Euan in 2013, seeking to be the leading hospitality management company in the region. Michael is based in Capetown, happily married to Caroline with three children, Tom,Hannah and Rebecca.

michael@valorhospitality.com

Michael Pownall

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Africa & Middle East + CIS

Julien Bergue

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Middle East + CIS

Originally from Mauritius, Africa, Julien has been in the hospitality industry for 20 years and has dedicated his career towards hotel project development for the past 17 years. During this time, he has been part of the development of various internationally recognized luxury hotels and mixed-use developments, which are some of the most iconic properties in the world.

Julien has over 17 years of international expertise directing significant mixed-used development, new hotel development and refurbishment projects for both new and established luxury projects in countries across the Middle East and Europe, including the One & Only Hotel & Resort, Armani Hotels, the Address Hotels & Resorts, Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts, and SLS Hotels Dubai.

Julien is a driven leader with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, creating value through ensuring adherence to operational and functional guidelines and brand standards during development, accelerating project deliverables, maximizing asset design development, mitigating investment cost and optimizing return on investment whilst accomplishing project objectives. Julien is an accomplished hotel individual poised to lead Valor Middle East.

jbergue@valorhospitality.com

Julien Bergue

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Middle East + CIS

Brandon Hatfield

Global Principal & Chief Financial Officer

Brandon has over 15 years of corporate finance, treasury and operations experience, including a principal focus over the last nine years in commercial real estate and hospitality.

Prior to joining Valor Hospitality, Brandon was Senior Vice President, Finance with Dewberry Capital Corporation, where he oversaw all asset management functions and was directly involved in the proposed conversion of a historic office building in downtown Charleston, SC into a 155 room independent luxury hotel.

Previously, Brandon served as Senior Financial Analyst with Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, where he was responsible for the preparation of equity fund returns and fund composites for the U.S. equity business, which had approximately $17 billion in assets under management.

bhatfield@valorhospitality.com

Brandon Hatfield

Global Principal & Chief Financial Officer

McLean T. Wilson

Global Partner

McLean T. Wilson is a principal of Kemmons Wilson Companies, and in that role he provides oversight to the company’s hotel and real estate development interests.

He is President of Valor Hospitality Partners, our hotel management company based out of Atlanta, as well as the Chief Investment Officer of Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners, a hotel fund. And for the better part of the past decade, McLean co-led the redevelopment efforts of the 1.5 million square foot and $250 million Sears Crosstown Redevelopment Project in Memphis, now known as the award-winning Crosstown Concourse.

McLean’s professional board involvement includes Valor Hospitality Partners, Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners, as well as Billy Reid. He is also a former board member of the InterContinental Hotel Groups Owner’s Association, and was previously a chairman of the Revenue Performance Committee and Holiday Inn Committee (IAHI).

mwilson@kwilson.com

McLean T. Wilson

Global Partner

Kem Wilson

Global Partner

Kemmons ‘Kem’ Wilson, III joined KWC in 2005 as a Principal. He is currently the President of Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partner Funds.

After college Kem grew his investment experience as a research analyst for a hedge fund of funds and as a financial analyst for an investment consulting firm.  He then spent two years working with the disabled community at a 501(c)(3) where he gained some invaluable life skills.

For his first couple years at KWC, Kem’s primary focus was on the company’s private investment endeavors.  He then transitioned to help build out KWC’s wealth preservation  functionality by focusing on the individual marketable securities portfolios for the family and a selection of Wilson-related corporate & charitable entities. With over 20 years of investment experience, Kem’s expertise in private equity initiatives and hospitality investment opportunities is instrumental throughout the KWC portfolio.

In addition to his seat at KWC, Kem serves on the Boards of Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Valor Hospitality Partners, Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners, Peak + Energy Solutions and Wilson Investment Management. He is actively involved in philanthropy as Chairman of the Board for Repairing the Breach and serves on the Board of Trustees for Furman University where he is the current Chairman of the Investment Committee.

Kem holds a BA in Business Administration from Furman, a Master of Management in Hospitality from Cornell and an MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell.

kwilson3@kwilson.com

Kem Wilson

Global Partner

Brian McCarthy

Managing Director, UK & Europe

Brian has over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Educated in Ireland, he is a graduate of the Galway Hotel School. Brian spent many of his formative years with Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, including time as General Manager of the Copthorne Hotel Cardiff. He then took a change in direction and spent several years in the health and fitness industry, which included the role of Operations Director for Esporta Health Clubs. From there he went to De Vere and was COO of De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts.

Brian has experience in both public and private equity funded companies and most of his career has been spent in multi-site roles with lots of experience in new openings and repositioning projects. Brian is the first Managing Director of Valor Hospitality Europe and shares the same desire as its founding partners and his European team, to create and maintain a leading management company, recognized for the quality, energy and engagement of its employees.

brian.mccarthy@valoreurope.com

Brian McCarthy

Managing Director, UK & Europe

Tapan Piplani

Partner & Regional Director

Tapan's hotel management studies were completed at the world-renowned Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development in India, followed by Certification in Hotel Real Estate and Revenue Management from Cornell University (USA) & the Revenue Academy UK. His successful hotel management career has demonstrated his very strong leadership abilities, with proven expertise in managing all aspects of various luxury hotel operations, training and developing staff, overseeing annual budgets, and implementing successful sales strategies.

Tapan has won numerous awards for hospitality assets under leadership including a "Best Hotel in the World" honour whilst with Oberoi Hotels. He has successfully opened two international hospitality projects on-schedule, working closely with asset owners, operators, licensing authorities, and various contractors.

Tapan is an accomplished and goal-orientated professional. He joins the Valor team as Regional Operations and Business Development Director in the Middle East. He is based in Dubai with his wife and two young children.

tpiplani@valorhospitality.com

Tapan Piplani

Partner & Regional Director

Regional Team

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Moira Laird

Global Human Resources Director

Specialising in human resources for the last 30 years, Moira is an award-winning hospitality graduate from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. With over 32 years of hospitality experience, Moira is a key member of the UK and Valor Global executive team, and is responsible for global HR activity, bringing operating standards, HR Imanagement systems and parity across all hotels. As a driver of change and innovation, Moira continues to reimagine the human resources strategy ias it evolves and aligns to support the business objectives. Our culture as Hotelitarians and employee engagement are at the heart of all that we do. This is our differentiator where Valor Hospitality Partners continues to be recognised as one of the best hospitality companies to work for globally. This resulted in Valor Hospitality Europe receiving a prestigious accolade within the industry, winning Best Employer at the Catey Awards.

Moira has played a major role in the restructure and repositioning of the organisation during previous company takeovers, and to Valor Hospitality Europe where she helped to realign and support the business merger initially from a PLC structure and between private equity ownership.

Moira’s accolades include national training award winner, Best Employer in Hospitality, and Catey winner. She now judges Catey awards and other industry people awards. She is an active member of the Hotel Employers Group.

moira.laird@valoreurope.com

Moira Laird

Global Human Resources Director

Brian Lanham

Special Projects Manager

Brian joined the Valor team in August 2017 as Special Projects Manager. He possesses more than 15 years of hospitality experience in various roles and has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Management.

Beginning in August 2002, he joined Euan McGlashan at Barnsley Gardens Resort as a Guest Services Representative. Soon after joining Barnsley, Brian was promoted to a role assisting Euan with special projects and initiatives at the property. He also has experience with event planning, catering, and private country club management.

Brian’s role as Special Projects Manager at Valor focuses on the successful execution of tasks necessary to prepare new hotel properties for opening under Valor management. Brian utilizes exemplary communication and software skills to track project tasks and keep the team as a whole connected.

blanham@valorhospitality.com

Brian Lanham

Special Projects Manager

Alex Stribling

Global Director of Digital & Brand Strategy

Alex joined the Valor team in late 2020 as the Global Director of Digital & Brand Strategy, looking after the global Valor brand and Americas region hotels. A native Atlantan and graduate of the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business, she continues to evolve her studies in our industry, gaining certifications from the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.

Alex has been in the hospitality industry for 7+ years, most recently with IHG supporting their loyalty program and luxury brands marketing efforts. She brings with her experience from all facets of hospitality marketing, from introducing new loyalty partnerships and managing ancillary hotel products, to thoughtfully adding new and acquired brands to the digital portfolio from a global perspective.

Her passion for serving others has translated well in hospitality, always striving to deliver the best services in every aspect of a guest’s hotel journey: from the dream state of travel planning all the way through to check-out.

astribling@valorhospitality.com

Alex Stribling

Global Director of Digital & Brand Strategy

Matt Gray

Global Culinary Director

Matt Gray joined Valor Hospitaliy in January 2013 and was Valor's first First Food and Beverage hire. He brings a wealth of world-class resort and restaurant experience to his leadership role as the guiding force behind Valor Hospitality’s food operations. Matt oversees menu and recipe creation, pricing, procurement, kitchen design and flow, staff recruitment and training and total cost controls across all disciplines.

Matt was the Executive Chef at the world-famous Inverlochy Castle Hotel, Fort William, Scotland. Under Matt’s direction, the hotel was awarded a Michelin Star rating for nine consecutive years. Travel and Leisure rated Inverlochy as ‘Best Hotel in Europe 2006’ and was voted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ by Decanter Magazine in 2003.

Matt was later recruited in 2009 to the U.S. by world-renowned French Chef, Albert Roux, to head up Chef Roux’s first American restaurant, Chez Roux at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa in Houston, Texas. Under Matt’s leadership and direction, Chez Roux was voted ‘Best New Restaurant’ in Houston 2009. In his spare time Matt is avid Formula One fan and has become a great lover of his Big Green Egg which he plays with at any opportunity he has come all weathers.

mgray@valorhospitality.com

Matt Gray

Global Culinary Director

Mark Thacker

Operations Director

Mark became Operations Director at Valor in 2015, after spending over 20 years in various operational and leadership roles in the hospitality industry. Mark has been instrumental in the growth of Valor in the UK and has overseen extensive refurbishment, rebrand and extension projects, as well as the integration of many new hotels into the UK portfolio. He is obsessive about service and quality standards and, as a result, Valor is recognised by our brand partners as one of the leading hotel management companies in the UK. Mark strongly believes in developing and mentoring his team and several of our current General Managers have risen through the ranks to achieve their positions under his leadership.

mark.thacker@valoreurope.com

Mark Thacker

Operations Director

Craig Strickler

Managing Director – Americas

Craig joined Valor as Director of Operations in 2018 after spending more than two decades in various facets of the hospitality industry. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Webber International University where he attended on a basketball scholarship, Craig began his career in the hospitality industry with Hyatt Hotels and worked his way through the Rooms Division with leading roles in housekeeping, front office, reservations, revenue management, and security. Craig’s Hyatt tenure spanned more than 13 years and five hotels across the U.S. and the Caribbean.

From there, Craig left the brand-managed world of Hyatt and was one of the first corporate leaders of Kokua Hospitality, a third-party management company based in Chicago. Craig was initially in charge of Transitions and Special Projects, where he oversaw new acquisitions and renovations. During the downturn of 2008, Craig moved back into the property level as General Manager of two of Kokua’s assets in downtown Chicago. Then as Kokua began to grow again, he was asked to move back to above-property oversight, where he finished his tenure with Kokua as Vice President of Business Development.

In early 2015, Craig joined Charlestowne Hotels in Charleston, SC as Regional Director of Operations. In this role, he was responsible for all areas of hotel operations, from pre-opening development through post-opening operations. Craig assisted in the initial launch of Graduate Hotels, overseeing the operations in five of the first six properties in this new and growing brand. During his tenure with Charlestowne Hotels, Craig led operations at luxury inns and independent and branded properties in locations across the U.S.

At Valor, Craig oversees all facets of Valor’s operation in the Americas. He strongly believes in the development of his team and focuses his time on grooming and mentoring leaders throughout the company, as well as Valor’s strategy for growth and operational excellence.

cstrickler@valorhospitality.com

Craig Strickler

Managing Director – Americas

Paul Nisbett

Finance Director

Paul Nisbett is a high-performing senior hotel executive with over 20 years in the industry and a proven track record in the management and construction of financial services. Paul recently held the role of CFO of the Hotel Collection from April 2012 till February 2015, and was appointed as acting CEO to manage the group’s transition from Barceló to Puma Hotels Collection.

Whilst in this role, Paul was instrumental in establishing a focused entrepreneurial management team and repositioned the Hotel Collection as a leading four-star provincial hotel company.

Prior to joining the Hotel Collection, Paul spent four years at Principal Hayley Hotels, initially as Chief Operating Officer and then as Special Projects Director. This was preceded by five years as Commercial and Finance Director at Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin Hotels where he developed a six hotel, £150m business into a 28 hotel, £500m business in five years.

Paul’s earlier career included positions with Le Méridien Hotels, Forte and Hilton.

paul.nisbett@valoreurope.com

Paul Nisbett

Finance Director

Louise Clarke

Revenue Director

Louise has 20 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry for a number of leading brands. Having graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Sciences, Louise’s early career was centered on profit analysis before she moved into roles with more of a focus on revenue generation. Louise has held senior management positions with Travelodge and Thomas Cook, and her career to date has given her an in-depth knowledge of all areas of revenue management, coupled with strong analytical skills. Her knowledge of different industries allows her to share alternative approaches to maximising revenue.

As Revenue Director, Louise is responsible for driving a total revenue culture by developing the group’s revenue team, optimising distribution and setting the strategy for pricing and inventory allocation.

louise.clarke@valoreurope.com

Louise Clarke

Revenue Director

Vanessa Jackman

Sales & Marketing Director

Vanessa is an experienced sales and marketing leader, having spent over 25 years within the hospitality industry. Vanessa joined the business from Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where she held the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing UK and headed up the sales and marketing function for over 60 hotels. The portfolio encompassed franchised hotels with Hilton, IHG and Accor, as well as several independent hotels and a wide range of restaurants, leisure clubs and spas.

Prior to Interstate, Vanessa was Director of Sales UK for Chardon Management which, at the time, operated over 30 hotels across 10 brands. Other career highlights include four years as Director of Sales Development for 36 IHG hotels and six years with Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

In a brief departure from the hospitality industry, Vanessa was very successful as a Regional Director for one of the UK’s largest training providers, where she grew her region from seven to twenty centres in two years. It didn’t take long though, before her love of the hotel industry brought her back.

Vanessa is passionate about leading her exceptional team of highly engaged and motivated sales and marketing professionals, and, as a result, driving increased revenue to Valor hotels.

vanessa.jackman@valoreurope.com

Vanessa Jackman

Sales & Marketing Director

Casey Crowley

Director of New Builds & Transitions

Casey joins Valor with over 26 years of hospitality experience. Prior to joining Valor, Casey worked for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in various executive leadership roles in the key cities of New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Atlantic City. Most recently, Casey served as Operations Manager for the new builds and transition team where he assisted in opening both full and select-service hotels for multiple Starwood brands.

Casey has a strong background in all aspects of operations, and he is a certified black belt in Six Sigma. At Starwood, he was a member of the Lean Hotel Operations Team, as well as a member of the Food & Beverage Council. Casey operated hotels under numerous brands, including Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Aloft Hotels and Four Points where he worked in many different markets including convention, airport hotels, downtown and resort properties.

Casey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Providence College.

ccrowley@valorhospitality.com

Casey Crowley

Director of New Builds & Transitions

Annabelle Richalet

Global Director of Learning & Development

Originally from Montauban, France, Annabelle began her career studying Hotel Management at the internationally recognized Paul Bocuse Institute of Hospitality. Annabelle brings 20 years of hospitality experience to her role, including experience in award-winning restaurants, bars, luxury and lifestyle hotels.

She specializes in analyzing organizational needs for development, aligning learning & development activities within the organization, and drafting and implementing that strategy. Annabelle is a well-respected leader in the industry with a proven history of motivating award-winning teams to peak performance in efficiency and service.

Annabelle is an integral part of Valor’s culture, her role has been intrumental in people development in all functions and regions across the organization.

arichalet@valorhospitality.com

Annabelle Richalet

Global Director of Learning & Development

Bill Bennett

Regional Director & General Manager

Bill Bennett joined Valor Hospitality Partners in June of 2013 as General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Charlotte. He brings a wealth of experience in hotel sales and marketing, hotel operational effectiveness, revenue management and asset repositioning. As General Manager of the Crowne Plaza, Bill successfully repositioned the asset to the forefront of the Crowne Plaza brand rejuvenation effort leading his team through a $10 million property-wide renovation and completely transforming a 30-year-old Marriott Hotel into a top Crowne Plaza brand performer.

Prior to joining Valor, Bill’s career includes time with Sage Hospitality Resources, Peabody Hotel Group and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in a variety of sales and administrative leadership roles, including Director of Sales, Regional Director of Sales and General Manager for various brands such as Marriott, Westin, Sheraton and Hilton. He has won numerous accolades for his efforts including Hotel of the Year, Sales Team of the Year, Director of Sales of the Year and the prestigious All Green Zone award with Hilton for four consecutive years.

His knowledge and experience of hotel sales and marketing, asset repositioning and hotel operations, including city-center, suburban and resort destinations, provide a sound foundation for his current role with Valor.

bbennett@valorhospitality.com

Bill Bennett

Regional Director & General Manager

Andrew Melville

Director & Company Secretary

Andrew has over 47 years of experience in the UK as a Chartered Accountant in the Glasgow-based, professional firm of French Duncan, LLP. He worked solely with this firm progressing through senior management to senior partnership level, and for his last five years in the firm, he acted as Chairman with 14 partners and 80 staff. During his career, he specialized in advising SME companies’ restructure finance, corporate governance and taxation together with advising and directing the directors of the companies in all business matters. Andrew also had extensive involvement in personal taxation and wealth management for private clients and continues to advise some remaining clients regarding personal taxation. Currently, he acts as advisor to companies in hotel and construction markets involving taxation, finance, company development and general management.

andrew.melville@valoreurope.com

Andrew Melville

Director & Company Secretary

Tomas Kastberg Andersen

Regional Director of Operations, Middle East + CIS

With nearly 30 years of practical experience in some of the finest properties such as the Connaught, Berkeley and Stafford Hotels in London, Huka Lodge in New Zealand and ECHO Resorts in Sabah Borneo, Tomas is well poised to oversee the operations of Valor Asia. Tomas has a proven and solid 5-star hotel and resort upbringing with both branded and independent properties all around the world. Besides a sound operational understanding, Tomas brings with him the cultural knowledge of what it takes to successfully manage a multi-national human resource from around the world.

In January 2000, Tomas joined the famous Huka Lodge in New Zealand as General Manager. Huka Lodge is consistently rated amongst the best small luxury resorts in the world, and its attention to detail is second to none.

In 2009, Tomas began a new position which brought he and his family to East Malaysia. For the next nine years, he oversaw the operation of three luxury island resorts off the coast of Kota Kinabalu under the banner ECHO Resorts. Tomas also acted as the spokesperson for all sustainable practices within ECHO Resorts, especially the Marine Ecology Research Centre.

Having worked with different owners for the past 20 years, Tomas has learned the art of listening, negotiating and carrying out difficult tasks on behalf of owners. Harnessed with all this experience and understanding the importance of running a business on behalf of owners, as well as appreciation for staff and their different cultures, Tomas leads the Valor Asia operations.

tkandersen@valorhospitality.com

Tomas Kastberg Andersen

Regional Director of Operations, Middle East + CIS

Chris Martha

Global Director of Food & Beverage

Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, Chris Martha started working in hospitality at an early age. He developed a passion for the business at age 14, when he scaled the ranks from dishwasher, bus boy, and line cook to waiter as a high schooler. He went on to earn a business degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Penn State University and studied abroad in Switzerland where he fell in love with food and its deeply rooted connection with family and culture. Throughout his career, he has worked in nearly all facets of the industry, from casual to fine dining, within both hotels and restaurants. With this foundational experience, Chris today also enjoys his own venture – Scout – an Atlanta restaurant just around the corner from his family’s home.

Chris’ career began with an internship with Hyatt Regency Resorts in Hilton Head, SC, which led to a permanent position at the hotel’s location in Beaver Creek, CO. Hyatt proved to be an excellent training ground, but his heart was in smaller, independent eateries. He moved to Atlanta during the tourism surge brought on by the 1996 Olympic games and spent seven years with Fifth Group Restaurants, including Atlanta favorites such as South City Kitchen, LaTavola and the Food Studio.

His extensive experience has helped Chris focus on driving operational efficiencies without compromising the overall experience and satisfaction of his guests, an attribute that serves him well. Chris is well-versed in the industry and heads Valor’s Food & Beverage company.

cmartha@valorhospitality.com

Chris Martha

Global Director of Food & Beverage
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AMERICAS
3200 Windy Hill Road SE, Suite 750  Atlanta, GA 30339

Phone: +1 404.846.0700
Email: info@valorhospitality.com

AFRICA
Surbiton Road, Rosebank
Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa

Phone: +27 21 4614587
Email: infoafrica@valorhospitality.com

 

Siège Casablanca
Angle avenue de la Côte d’Emeraude & rue de l’Ile de Timor
Anfa – Casablanca | Maroc
Tel : +212 (0) 5 22 799 790

UK + EUROPE
Queens Court – 9-17 Eastern Road
Romford, Essex RM1 3NG

Phone: +44.(0)1708.730.522
Email: info@valorhospitalityeurope.com

MIDDLE EAST + CIS
Valor Hospitality Middle East DMCC
Platinum Tower, Level 6
DMCC Jumeirah Lake Towers
P.O. Box 181921 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Phone: +971529230820
Email: middleeast@valorhospitality.com

MIDDLE EAST + CIS
8, Mehrjon Street
Mirabab District
Tashkent Uzbekistan
Office : Tel: +998 934752246

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