Development Director
Development Directors’ main responsibility is to expand the hotel company’s portfolio across a given geographic region. Development Directors are often seen as the interface between the Operator and the Investment community.
Daily Life
Development Directors are part of the leadership team with the responsibility to grow the company’s property portfolio. Their daily life revolves around the key job of finding the right location, for the right brand, with the right owner. This often involves traveling to key markets to meet with investors and to review proposed hotel sites. A site analysis covers the review of the neighboring usage, demand generators, competitors, access and visibility. Development Directors are also in charge of reviewing the financial and market feasibility of a given opportunity to determine its economic viability and brand fit. Should there be an interest to proceed, they are responsible for negotiating and closing the deal with investors. This is often done through various agreements that cover a wide range of commercial, technical, legal and operational terms. Development Directors are also responsible for presenting the new deal to the relevant Board internally and for seeking its approval to execute the deal.
Required Skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication abilities
- Solid negotiation skills
- Hospitality operations background
- Real estate and/or hotel consultancy background – analytical and financial skills
- Good project management and organizational skills
- Bachelor’s degree or higher (ideally Master’s in business, hospitality or real estate)
