Associate Director - Hotel Consultancy - London

About Christie & Co

Christie & Co has provided valuable advice to clients within their specialist sectors for 90 years. The business was established in London in 1935 and has successfully expanded to provide professional brokerage and advisory services throughout an extensive network of offices in the UK and Europe.

Christie & Co’s Hotel division is the largest in Europe and is a pan-European business which supports investors, owners, operators, and partners shape investment strategies that optimize hotel real estate values. At Christie & Co we provide our clients with a one-stop shop for strategic market research, acquisition and development advice, performance monitoring and asset optimisation services, expert witness services, investment sales, operator selection and contract negotiation, strategic advice, and valuations.

We are solution driven to exceed our clients’ expectations and work in collaborative, trustful and highly demanding quality services environments with the goal to develop long lasting client relationships.

Purpose of the role

To conduct consultancy assignments throughout the UK and internationally, to develop client relations and to promote Christie & Co’s Consultancy, Valuation Services, Agency and other services. This role is ideal for a Senior or Managing consultant that is looking for a step-up in their career, combining ownership of complex/sizeable projects whilst developing the business and your managerial skills.

In addition to conducting projects, the role requires an element of active collaboration and to lead and mentor junior members of the team, provide support to other functions in the region and on our European projects including brokerage and valuation, as well as active contribution to developing the consultancy business in the region.

One of the Unique Selling Points of Christie & Co is our adaptability; every project is different and bespoke to the client’s profile and requirements. Christie & Co encourages the team to be creative and to deliver a personalised service/product that has always resulted in excellent feedback and has positioned the company as a leader in the marketplace and as an advisor of choice for many major clients. As an employer, the company encourages an entrepreneurial mindset and always challenges employees to continuously find ways to improve our service standards.

About the team

The candidate will be part of the UK hotel consultancy team of Consultants and Analysts, under the leadership of the Head of Consultancy for Europe. Functionally the role will also involve close collaboration with the European consultancy team.

General responsibilities

• To organise, plan, execute and take ownership of the key hotel consultancy assignments and/or supervise the work of junior team members, including pre-fieldwork and planning, desk and field research, financial analysis, report writing & assignment completion.
• Overseeing new hotel consultancy projects from inception (client first contact, scope and commercial proposal) to final delivery (including review and interaction with other internal experts, and presentation to client)
• Engaging in business development initiatives to secure further opportunities in the hotel sector
• Building and maintaining client relationships within the hotel sector
• Managing pre and post contract duties
• Work efficiently and manage a multiple range of projects to a high standard, coordinating the support of junior team members and juggling timescales, priorities and project lifecycles
• Plan, request and manage the input of senior management and other functional & cross-functional colleagues and resources to ensure the quality and timely delivery of each assignment
• To work together with the valuation, investment and agency teams during the pitch and information memorandum stage or when analytical or consulting input is required;
• To actively involve the agency team in any consulting assignment where a brokerage angle is required including commercial strategies;
• Represent Christie & Co as a professional organisation with the highest standards of excellence and client care;
• To develop both an internal and external network, with a view to enhance collaboration and upselling across the organisation and develop the business in and the UK and across Europe. Business development activities will also include the participation to hotel related conferences and events, business networking activities, cold calling, industry publications and other such duties as may be required;
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of Christie & Co’s Consultancy at both local and international level, including participating or leading initiatives across European offices (ex: team development, tools, operating procedures and best practices)
• Assist or lead the management of client relations and client contact during the lifetime of an assignment;
• Monitor relevant industry trends and their potential impact and contribute to the maintenance of Christie & Co research, data collection, resources and database, directly or through the coordination of other members of the team
• Participate and support the onboarding, training and development of the consultancy team, including peer-reviews and delivery of project feedback (where appropriate)

Desired skills & experience

In this role you will need:

• At least 5+ years' experience in hotel and investment related roles, including consultancy, investment analysis, asset management
• An educational background from a hotels school
• Strong knowledge of and curiosity for the UK market (primarily) and European Hotels market (preferred) including industry trends, key actors of the sector
• Robust experience in Hotel Real Estate with previous exposure to hotel consulting. They will ideally combine some experience in hotel operations and/or above property analytical functions (ex: revenue management, asset management, finance).
• Commercial acumen and understanding of the parties involved in hotel development/ investment/ hotel contracts (HMA, FA & Leases)
• A high level of numeracy, data and analytical skills, combined with a robust understanding of hotel operating statements
• Advanced Excel modelling, data mining, financial analysis and modelling skills
• Thorough understanding of investment and real estate principles and analysis methods
• Confident use of other Microsoft Office programs including Word, PowerPoint
• Strong Project management skills, planning, multi-tasking, time management and organisational skills along with the ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines, adaptable to change
• A pro-active and creative approach to research, analysis, and problem-solving
• Initiative, self-motivated, and always looking for ways to improve standards and service offering
• Provide leadership and therefore must foster collaboration, encourage open communication and nimbly find collective solutions within the immediate team and with adjacent Christie & Co teams,
• Positive and approachable attitude to leading projects and collaborating, promoting and enhancing productivity and morale
• A team player attitude with excellent presentation and communication skills
• A strong appetite for business development and generating his/her own pipeline
• Ability to critically review the work of peers and deliver constructive feedback
• Valuation experience and real-estate certifications are valued

What we offer

• Discretionary team bonus
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Holiday carryover & additional Christmas leave
• Life assurance
• Employee wellbeing assistance via Plumm
• Cycle to work scheme
• “Recommend a Friend” employee referral bonus
• Enhanced family friendly leave

To apply or receive more information, contact: jobs@christie.com

Christie & Co is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is clear: there shall be no discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, or sexual orientation.