Patrick Mendes graduated from INSEAD and holds an MBA in Management and Marketing from IAE Aix-en-Provence, and a Master in Management from the University of Chambery after studying at the “Hospitality Management School” in Bordeaux. After an experience in real estate development, Patrick started working for Edenred (Payment & Loyalty solutions) in 1994 supporting business development and moved from Paris to Lisbon in 2000 to run Edenred Spain and Portugal. In 2005, he joined Accor, to lead an international team as Senior VP Global Sales & Distribution. In 2011, he moved to Latin America – one of the Group’s key markets as COO Luxury and Midscale brands, based in Sao Paulo. In 2015, he became CEO Latin America and a member of the Group’s Executive Committee. In October 2020, he took over a global responsibility as Group Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) in charge of Sales, Marketing, Distribution, Digital, and Loyalty. In January 2023, Patrick joined Accor’s Premium, Midscale & Economy Executive Committee as the division’s CEO Europe & North Africa. French-born and citizen of the world, a father of 3, Patrick has worked in many geographies (Europe, Asia Pacific, USA, Latin America…) and has extensive global experience from the field to top management positions. In all his roles, Patrick strongly contributed to business performance whilst being a strong advocate of CSR and a Diversity Champion.
Award-winning hotelier, experienced, innovative, and unique Chief Executive Officer deeply passionate about the Hospitality Industry, Giovanni possesses a distinctive leadership style and exceptional decision-making skills. He consistently achieves outstanding company results, inspiring and directing teams with his passionate personality. Giovanni advocates for the use of emotional intelligence, adept at identifying, understanding, and managing emotions positively, facilitating stress relief, effective communication, empathy, overcoming challenges, and resolving conflicts. With an unwavering love for his work, Giovanni approaches each day with ever-increasing passion. He manages a portfolio of 15 operating hotels (expanding to 19 this year) and has garnered numerous awards within individual hotels and across renowned hospitality brands such as Hilton, IHG, Marriott, and Radissons. Prior to his current role, Giovanni successfully opened and consulted on over 30 establishments across the UK, USA, and the United Arab Emirates. Giovanni’s knowledge, ambition, and charm are the ideal recipe for a fast-growing hotel management company, penetrating new markets, and embracing new Hotel takeover models. His dynamic operational excellence and operating model experience are the perfect combination to adopt in this dynamic hotelier world. Operating in 5 countries with 3 global brands already and working with a wide diverse range of investment partners, based on hotel management agreements, owned and managed, co-investment, and leases, Giovanni’s vision will be to explore all the market dynamic operating business models, overseeing select service to full service, while reviewing boutique, luxury, independent opportunities throughout. Given his current team expertise, extended stay and service apartments could also come into our radar.
Juan is Director of Hotel Intelligence – Resorts and Southern Europe – at HotStats. HotStats provides monthly P&L benchmarking & market Insight for the hotel industry. Collecting monthly detailed financial data from over 12,000 hotels worldwide from over 100 brands and independent hotels, HotStats provides over 550 different KPIs covering all operating revenues, payroll, expenses, cost of sales and ultimately departmental and total hotel profitability. Juan is a finance professional with over 15 years of experience in hotels, real estate and financial products, and have a passion for performance and profitability optimization. Prior to joining HotStats in May 2021, Juan worked at Accor corporate office in Bangkok.
As Area Manager in Booking.com I am managing several teams in the Local Partner Services department that are responsible for commercial support of our accommodation partners in Romania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. At Booking.com our mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. We do so by empowering partners on how to use the system, tools and available products of Booking.com BV with the goal of optimizing their performance on the platform and creating an amazing experience for Booking.com’s customers.
Alex leads STR’s AM:PM platform and is focused on scaling the product across STR’s global supply and pipeline databases. He began his career in New York, gaining experience in fixed income with Lazard, Merrill Lynch, and Scotia Capital. He then moved into the hospitality industry when he joined Expedia’s sales and development team, working in both their New York and San Francisco offices. Alex subsequently moved to London for HotelTonight, with responsibility of managing partnerships with global brands and industry organizations. He joined STR in August 2016.
In the region since 1995, David Jenkins joined the Radisson Hotel Group in 2015 as Vice President Business Development and now covers Balkans, Baltics and CAC (Central Asia & Caucuses). This followed on from a 10-year period as one of the most respected hotel consultants in the Russian market with JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, DTZ and Horwath. Prior to consulting, David spent 8 years with Interstate in Moscow working in operations for the 3 Marriott/Interstate properties. David has a degree in Hospitality Management and now has over 30 years of experience in the industry from operations, consulting and development. In recent years David has signed multiple hotel agreements in Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania amongst others.
Takuya Aoyama is Vice President for Development with Hyatt International (EAME) LLC, responsible for expanding Hyatt’s portfolio of brands in the markets of Central & Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the CIS. Takuya has been working in the field of real estate and hotel development since early ‘90’s and held positions with companies including European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Holiday Inn Worldwide, Andersen and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Since joining Hyatt, Takuya has successfully negotiated and closed over 30 management and franchise deals, including Andaz Prague, Parisi Udvar Budapest, Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay, Hyatt Regency Zadar, Hyatt Regency Novi Sad, Hyatt Regency Sofia and Hyatt all-inclusive collection properties in Bulgaria. Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of premier brands. As of September 30, 2022, the Company’s portfolio included more than 1,200 hotel, all-inclusive, and wellness resort properties in 72 countries across six continents.
Lebanese born, holding an MBA in hospitality management from Cesar Ritz University in Switzerland. Riad combines his operational expertise with commercial, financial, and strategic acumen to drive business transformations. Internationally experienced Executive Director of Operations who has operated with the Middle East more than 18 years, he is currently with One united property managing the hospitality portfolio . One United Properties rapidly emerged as the leading force in mixed-use development in Romania. The company’s purpose is to create thriving, sustainable communities by developing state-of-the-art, energy-efficient buildings and to drive enduring value growth for our stakeholders. In Doha with Power International Holding. He is responsible for the hospitality investment & expansion portfolio, managing the strategic priorities, maximizing owners returns, and leading general managers to deliver revenue growth and operational excellence. As an executive Director, he is heading the hospitality expansion, has been fully accountable for the operating hotels as well pre-opening activities of 10 hotels in various international brands. for example, the well-known Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi Maldives ultra-luxury to many other Hilton operating and preopening projects in Doha, Oman, Egypt, Bodrum, Caribbean & Maldives. Part of my responsibilities is to protect and strategize owner benefits, supports the end-to-end pre-opening lifecycle from initiation to project management through to final launch/opening, and monitoring CAPEX and OPEX budgets to safeguard delivery within tight deadlines. Riad has embraced the local culture and aligned himself with prestigious brands such as EMAAR Hospitality Group, progressing from Food & Beverage Director up to complex General Manager. He led many projects such as delivering operation excellence and financials returns, as well participating in corporate strategies. He held the position of Complex General Manager of Address Boulevard & Address Dubai Mall Hotel, and before, General Manager of Address Dubai Marina Hotel. As a GM of Vida Hotels and Resorts the newly launched brand of Emaar Hospitality Group, he oversaw the latest brand’s flagship boutique Hotel, Manzil Downtown Dubai. As for the future, Riad is known for being someone who delivers results and shape innovative business structures for multi business unit. As a business leader he provides insight for future growth and ensure organization to thrive and succeed.
Vassilis is the Regional Director for South & East Europe with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts based out of Athens, Greece. He is responsible for driving the expansion opportunities in the region and managing the relationships in a portfolio of 81 hotels, under 9 different brands, in 16 countries. Vassilis has been active in the hospitality industry for 25 years, joined Wyndham in 1998 and before his current role he gained valuable experience in the management and development of various touristic-real estate projects in a diverse region that spanned from the Nordics, Central and Southeast Europe to the CIS and the Middle East. Vassilis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and an MSc Postgraduate Degree in Tourism Management from the University of Surrey.
Christophe has been with Niro Investment Group since 2021 as Head of Hospitality Department leading the Company’s Operations’ teams across its hospitality portfolio providing support and expertise.
He has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, primarily focusing on Operations & Development efforts and growing brands across Africa and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining NIRO Investment SA, he served as Vice-President Operations Management for South Eastern Europe within Accor Group. During this time, Christophe was responsible for all Operations in Romania and in the SEE and led above 50 hotels for operations excellence & profitability. In his new leadership position, Christophe will be leading the implementation of our expansion business strategy in order to attain the investment and development goals of the board and shareholders. His responsibilities include driving the development of our current hospitality projects which encompass Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard, Swissotel, Corinthia Maldives Resort, and future international or local investment projects.
Ivan is responsible for development of Marriott International in CIS countries and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining Marriott International development team in 2015 Ivan held the position of Vice President at Jones Lang Lasalle.
Brigita has got a vast experience in hospitality business. With a proven success at creating business development strategies and promoting data-driven decision making, she currently holds a position of Development Director at Apex Alliance Hotel Management. She is skilled in leadership of strategic thinking, environmental analysis (competition, macro and micro economic), business case development, marketing alignment and financial modeling and is now responsible for business development of Apex Alliance Hotel Management services in Europe. In the past she worked as Development Projects Manager for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia at Orbis Hotel Group/ACCOR, executing rebranding, development, and acquisition of hotel projects in the region. Brigita has successfully graduated Vilnius University Economy Faculty bachelor and International Business Master Degree. She has successfully obtained postgraduate degree on Hotel and Restaurant Management at Swiss Hotel Management School. She had her internship at a 5* Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne, Switzerland, and two years managerial training at the Thompson Hotel Chicago (ex-Sutton Place Hotel Chicago), United States. Vast majority of her operational experience came from a long-term work experience holding different executive positions at Novotel Vilnius Center Hotel, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Małgorzata Morek is an accomplished professional in the hotel industry with extensive experience spanning over 30 years. She has held various roles in operations, sales, and development within renowned hotel chains. She has been associated with the Hilton network since 2017. During her tenure, she has contributed significantly to the company’s growth and development. Initially, she served as the Director of Poland & Eastern Europe at Hilton. Recently she was promoted to the position of Senior Director Development Central & Eastern Europe. She gained valuable experience working also with Intercontinental Hotels in the USA and Accor/Orbis in Poland and Eastern Europe. Her journey exemplifies dedication and achievement in the dynamic world of hospitality.
In 1994, Adrian Craioveanu started working as an HORECA sales agent in an industry for which there was no school at the time, learning along with the industry. From 1994 to 2003, he was involved in HORECA projects, and since 2003, he has been coordinating sales teams and marketing activities at DAAS. In 2017, he also took on the task of developing the Concept Design and Architecture department. With DAAS’s acquisition by Epta Group in 2018, the CDA department became a reference in the group, and since 2020, he has been leading the Concept & Design department at Epta EMEA. Adrian is an economist, has a degree in Tourism and Commercial Management, is a Professional Project Manager, and has a Diploma in Management from the Open University Business School.
Nina Moldovan is General Manager and President of the Board at Winners First SA, ongoing investment: Radisson BLU Cluj. In the past, she held positions such as: CEO of Liberty Technology Park, President of the Board at Spherik Accelerator and General Manager at City Hotels. Experienced manager and strong business development professional with a demonstrated history of working also in the non-profit organization that focuses in supporting entrepreneurship in Romania. She has an extensive experience in new business development and a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the start-ups, because she always had the opportunity to be involved in all the Projects from very early stages. In the past 19 years she led the development of several business and projects in areas such as tourism, real estate and hotels.
Andreea Balaj has over 15 years of experience in the hotel field, both in Romania and internationally, being a graduate of the London Business School and the Lausanne Hotel School. “Work hard, laugh harder!” is what she stands by every day. Passionate about hospitality, Andreea believes in the opportunity to develop this industry professionally in Romania and Central & Eastern Europe. Since January 2017 she is General Manager at Transilvania Trek, a local start-up focusing on opening and managing hotels, both affiliated and non-affiliated with international brands. Founded in 2014 in Cluj, Transilvania Trek is a company specialized in hotel management.
Simona Constantinescu is CEO of ANA Hotels and President of FIHR – Hotel Industry Federation in Romania. She is an experienced Executive Director with a demonstrated working history of over 26 years in Finance & Hospitality services, skilled in Business Planning, Crises Management, Hospitality, Investment Banking, Wealth Management, Capital Markets and Securities. Holding an EMBA with University of Washington in Seattle and a Postgraduate Diploma in Board Practice & Governance with Henley Business School, she appreciates that any executive must look for continuous education, upskilling, networking with high quality professionals in order to better adapt and respond to challenges and opportunities of nowadays business environment. ANA Hotels is the biggest Romanian hotel chain by turnover 2019-2022, owning 6 hotels and 4 SPAs. The portfolio spreads in Bucharest – 2 city hotels InterContinental Athénée Palace & Crowne Plaza, and in resort destinations – mountain in Poiana Brasov (with 3 hotels) and Black Sea side in Eforie Nord – Hotel Europa. Each property has a SPA, part of ANA SPA collection, 3 of them being wellness SPAs in Poiana Brasov and in Bucharest and one being Health, Wellness and Antiaging Spa on the seaside. Also, the group owns businesses in real estate market of Bucharest – commercial and office building and the ski-lift company of the resort Poiana Brasov.
Alexandra is a Director at the London office of HVS, the leading global specialist hotel valuation, consulting, asset management and brokerage firm. She joined HVS at the end of 2023 from Hilton, where as a Senior Manager in the Feasibility Department she performed numerous projections for all brands in Hilton’s portfolio and across countries mainly in Europe, acting primarily as an internal consultant for one of the largest international hotel operators. Originally from Belgium, Alexandra holds a Bachelors degree in Law from The Universite Libre de Bruxelles, a MBA from IMHI and is a graduate from the Chaire Immobilier at ESSEC Business School, France. Since joining HVS, she has advised on hotel investment projects and related assignments throughout the EMEA region.
Miguel Martins is the Head of Development for Northern Europe at IHG, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for leading and developing IHG’s brand portfolio across Northern Europe, covering 17 countries, and identifying new business opportunities. Miguel and his team work collaboratively with development partners to deliver value for both franchised and managed hotels across luxury, upscale and mainstream brands. In his tenure with IHG, he has since signed over 45 new deals across the Northern Europe region. With extensive international experience in hotel development and hotel operations, he has been involved in over 20 projects in Europe, including Portugal, Spain and Poland. Prior to joining IHG in 2015, Miguel co-founded Polish Hotel Company, a strategic growth Partner, responsible for the roll out of some of IHG’s most well-known brands in Poland, such as Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and Crowne Plaza. Miguel also worked as a Senior Consultant at an international hotel & asset management company based in Portugal where he was involved on various projects under local and international brands and experienced several functions in hotel operations.
Tsvetelina Nikolova has undergone extensive professional training in the Wine Marketing Training Program at the University of California, Davis (USA). She has completed Executive Education in “Marketing in the Digital Era” at Harvard Business School. One of Tsvetelina Nikolova’s priorities is to enhance the image of Bulgarian wines worldwide. She has initiated and led various projects related to promoting Bulgaria as a producer of quality wines, both domestically and internationally. She authored the richly illustrated book “Wines of Bulgaria,” a unique guide to the world of winemaking in Bulgaria, which received widespread acclaim and high praise at the national level. Among Tsvetelina Nikolova’s recent projects is the creation of La Maison de Katarzyna, a unique wine house combined with a shop, exhibition, and tasting area. The main idea behind this project is to have direct interaction with customers, allowing them to firsthand experience Katarzyna’s wines, the variety of grape varieties and brands produced by the winery, and the different processes involved in their production. La Maison de Katarzyna hosts various wine events and tastings with the aim of enhancing the wine culture among Bulgarians. Tsvetelina Nikolova’s current significant project, through the newly built five-star boutique hotel L’Ambassade de Katarzyna, is to establish Bulgaria as the next exotic destination on the world map of wine tourism. Her idea is to offer hotel guests an interesting opportunity to explore the local terroir, wines, culture, cuisine, and uniqueness of our land.
With over 20 years of experience in the Hospitality industry, André specializes in empowering hotels and hospitality groups to streamline their operations, enhance guest experiences, and achieve strategic goals through our cutting-edge platform.
As CEO and GM at Aro Palace SA, with an experience close to 20 years in the industry of hospitality, Attila, who graduated with an MBA in Management from the University of Sheffield, is currently enrolled in his second MBA in Hospitality Management at the École Hôtelière de Lausanne, currently being involved in two major development projects: Mercure Brasov City Center and Hyatt Regency Aro Palace Brasov. Attila is a seasoned executive in the hospitality industry, specializing in the management of luxury and exclusive hotels. Attila’s career in hospitality spans several key leadership positions, where he has demonstrated his ability to lead and motivate teams, manage large-scale operations, and ensure exceptional customer service across various properties. His expertise includes overseeing operations that encompass up to 3000 beds. He has a deep understanding of the luxury market, which he has complemented with strong operational skills. His proficiency in conceptualizing and supervising medium-large operations has played a pivotal role in his successes. Attila’s leadership style is characterized by a positive, proactive approach, excellent communication skills, and a structured method in planning and executing business strategies. In addition to his operational expertise, Attila is known for his analytical approach and his rigorous project management skills, having initiated, managed, and finalized numerous projects that have significantly enhanced business performance. As a leader, he has been instrumental in driving changes and re-engineering business processes to foster growth and improve operational efficiency. His global perspective, underpinned by his work in diverse cultural settings, adds to his effectiveness in multi-property management and contributes to his holistic approach to hospitality management. Attila continues to influence the hospitality industry through his dedication to excellence, commitment to continuous improvement, and advocacy for effective management practices.
Ivaylo Kozhuharov is hospitality professional with 15+ years of managerial experience, driven to boost company profitability through innovative techniques. In the past, he held the positions of Мanaging Director of domestic hotel chain, General Manager of leisure and business hotels – both part of international hotel and resort brands. Ivaylo is currently providing Business Development & Operations Management, People Management, empowering hospitality ecosystems with intelligent hospitality solutions for his partners in the CEE Region.
Anna Bozhkova, with more than 10 years of experience in hospitality, is the General Manager of two award-winning 5-star hotels in Velingrad, Bulgaria. Her hotels include Arte Spa&Park Hotel, which has been named ‘Best Spa Hotel in Bulgaria’ seven times in a row, and the only year-round Spa&Wellness Adults-only hotel, Kashmir Wellness&Spa. She graduated in Bulgaria in the field of International Economic Relations, as well as International Tourism.
Iulia Szabo is an experienced Consultant in the Capital Markets department at CBRE Romania, with a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector. Graduating from Hotelschool The Hague, she seamlessly transitioned into real estate while working at CBRE Hotels in London. Since 2022, Iulia has been a key asset to the local CBRE team, focusing on Investment Properties and contributing to the closure of significant deals. Her deep-rooted connections in the regional Capital Markets network provide her with invaluable insights into the hotel market and its evolving trends, further enhancing the department’s expertise in hotel investments and transactions. Currently, she is closing the loop on her expertise by pursuing a Master’s in Real Estate Investment Finance at Oxford Brookes University.
Ivelina has been in the Executive Director position and a member of the Management Board of Festa Hotels Group since 2015. Since 2008, she has been part of Festa Hotels team responsible for the Sales and Marketing department. Ivelina has 20 years of experience in tourism and hospitality, in which she was personally responsible for a variety of investments, organizational projects, marketing, and communications strategy implementation. Ivelina is constantly working to update and develop her management and leadership knowledge and competence, and she truly believes that leadership is a lifetime devotion and the key resource for any company’s growth.
