Experts

Fred Novella / Europe & Middle East

A graduate of International Hotel School, Mr. Novella is a founding member of Global Asset Solutions and currently Managing Director overseeing clients relationship and asset management. A specialist in pre-opening hotels and airlines, operations, hotel investments, sales and residential marketing. He has worked in several hotels as Operations Manager, in addition to several airlines, he carried out the launch of Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi), which brings him the experience of having worked with multiple cultures around the world. Mr. Novella launched the division of Global Asset Solutions in Europe and Middle East, back in 2015 and was initially in charge of the Katara portfolio including six iconic hotels throughout Europe (namely the Carlton in Cannes, the Amstel in Amsterdam, the Galia Excelsior in Milan amongst others). He provided oversight and asset management for many hotels across Europe (e.g., Fairmont Montreux Palace) and North Africa (e.g., Atlas group – 27 hotels in Morocco). Founding member of HAMA MEA, he is now a board member for HAMA Europe (Hospitality Asset Managers Association). English, French & Spanish.

Dimitris Mittas / Europe

He holds a MSc in International Hotel Management and acquired a wide experience of the tourism industry as he has spent more than 20 years in multinational companies ( Conrad, IHG, Swissotel, Dorint, Nobu) in Europe (Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain) and Africa (Rwanda, Senegal). In 2012 he became Regional in IHG heading Iberia and later the Katara Hospitality Portfolio of the company which includes hotels such as the Carlton Cannes and the Amstel InterContinental. A year later he becomes one of the four responsible of the program “Future Finance Leaders“ in IHG and is awarded “Hotel Financial Controller Europe”. In 2015, he decided to diversify his career by joining one of the most luxurious marinas in the Mediterranean, the one of Barcelona, and three years later he joined the most deluxe hotel in the Southern Europe the Nobu Ibiza. Mr Mittas is in charge of all Financial Structure and oversight for individual hotels within Global Asset Solutions as well as large corporate clients. English, French, Spanish & Greek

Robert Walters / Global

Mr Walters commenced his career at Swiss Bank Corporation International, in London, followed by roles at major institutions (Eagle Star, Equitable Life and HBOS plc); as well as boutique businesses (Cavanagh and Pantheon). From 2004 he was Investment Director, Property, for BDO Investment Management Limited (part of the BDO global accountancy practice) responsible for all aspects of the firm’s real estate investment strategy, including the firm’s eight in-house real estate funds managing, directly and indirectly, c.£1.25bn of assets. Also, a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Mr Walters joined New York based Beacon Hospitality Partners in 2011, a specialist hospitality asset management and advisory business working with institutional clients on a wide range of hotel asset management, development and capital market assignments. In addition, Mr Walters was Senior Advisor to the CBRE EMEA Hotels team between May 2017 and July 2018 and has been a partner at Estrela Capital Partners, a Madrid based private equity business, since January 2020. He joined the Global Asset Solutions team, in an advisory capacity, in December 2021.

David Boveda / Europe & Middle East

With more than 10 years in the hospitality industry, he holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality business management from Centro Superior de Hosteleria de Galicia as well as a Degree in Finance and Business Administration.He continued his studies with a master’s degree in International Financial Markets and another one in Data Science and Business Intelligence.He began his career at Carris Hoteles in Galicia, before joining IHG as income auditor, where he spent more than four years and revamped the whole income audit process.He later joined Mandarin Oriental as financial accountant to be part of the preopening team of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid. He oversaw the Accounts Receivable and Income Audit roles.Almost three years later he came back to IHG as Assistant Director of Finance at the Intercontinental Madrid, where he also had to take over from the Director of Finance for more than eight months as interim Director of Finance.IHG 2022 Finance Impact Award winner, David joins Global Asset Solutions driven by his passion for Hotel Management. English, Spanish

Lionel Anidjar / Global

Lionel Anidjar is a seasoned professional in the hospitality industry, known for his expertise in project management and hotel renovations. A graduate from Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland, Lionel began his journey in hotel operations, where he honed his skills before transitioning into project coordination overseeing successful renovations and openings of 24 hotels in 13 countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Lionel worked with prominent companies like Hyatt International, GLA Hotels, Shangri-La, Millenium and Rosewood and more recently as Project Director for Katara Hospitality Europe One of his most notable achievements was the full-scale renovation of the renowned Hotel de Crillon in Paris, highlighting his commitment to excellence and attention to detail. Throughout his career, Lionel has worked with prominent industry figures and played a vital role in shaping the success of several high-profile projects. English and French

Katie Benson  / Global

Katie is a hospitality professional with extensive international operational, development and asset management experience including assignments in Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe, UK, and USA having held senior executive positions variously with Langham hospitality Group, Jumeirah International, Starwood and ITT Sheraton. With a career rooted in tourism and hospitality, Katie understands the intricacies of hospitality and property asset management across multiple markets. With in-depth knowledge of various styles of hotel operations, with a particular focus on luxury, Katie builds corporate shareholder value by defining and executing growth and profit strategies.  She has spearheaded business transformations, led teams and stakeholders during complex hotel start-ups, renovations, turnarounds, and guided acquisitions, and asset management decisions, across diverse cultures and markets. Katie is an experienced non-executive director and has a particular interest in ESG strategies. Katie is a Fellow of Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative, holds an MBA and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors.

Alex Slors / Europe

More than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, has great knowledge of both hotel operations, and large multinational corporations, making it support specialist for hotel owners and investors in order to maximize the value of assets. In 1988 he started working for different hotels as a financial controller (The Kensington Close, the Ritz, the Prudential, the Saint Georges and the Strand Palace Hotel to name a few) before heading Meridien Hotels and Resorts Group as Financial Accounting Group, through later to manage the Vice Presidency of Finance for the hotels of Europe (42 hotels). English, Dutch & German.

Douglas Louden / Asia & Pacific

He began his hotel career at Gleneagles Hotels London, before joining Regent International in Australia, and then move to China with Shangri La International. He later became Director of Operations for various hotels and was responsible for the development of Hard Rock Hotels brand. Great defender of Sustainable Tourism, contributed to the creation of Youth Career Initiative (provides opportunities for disadvantaged youth around the world) of the Shinta Mani Foundation in Cambodia. He has overseen hotel assets in Asia / Pacific, representing the owners and overseeing managed by Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Starwood and Accor properties. English

Melanie Stump / Europe

Ms Stump’s career in hospitality started at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. In addition to her work experience in hospitality in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, she has a background in business operations in the legal sector and the health industry. Ms Stump has experience in European Hotel Development with Marriott International and has worked on Hotel Asset Management Assignments across Europe and the French Polynesia on new acquisitions as well as pre- and post- opening assignments. She holds a B.Sc. (graduation with honours) in International Hospitality Management from Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne with a specialization in real estate, market and corporate finance. English, German & French.

Stéphanie Fichter / Europe

Graduated from L’Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, Stéphanie launched her career with Marriott International Company, in the iconic Marriott Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina and spent several years in Latin America in various Food & Beverage Management positions. She later moved to Spain where she developed her career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and The Leading Hotel of the World in hotel operation, especially Food & Beverage and Event Management. Passionate hotelier with 19 years of expertise in international luxury hotels, dedicated and committed to Hospitality, Stéphanie is an expert in Hotel Management, quality and service excellence. English, French & Spanish

Katherine Doggrell  / Europe

Global Asset Solutions has a partnership with NewDog PR, and we work together on most projects to boost market awareness of portfolios and hotels. Katherine is a cofounder of NewDog PR, a boutique agency focused on the hotel investment sector. She has worked for publications including the FT,Business 2.0 and the leading hotel B2B titles as well as writing Checking Out - What the Rise of the Sharing Economy Means for the Future of the Hotel Industry, published by Bloomsbury. English, French

Emily Newman / Europe

Global Asset Solutions has a partnership with NewDog PR, and we work together on most projects to boost market awareness of portfolios and hotels. Emily is a cofounder of NewDog PR, a boutique agency focused on the hotel investment sector. A communication specialist with extensive experience working with brands, events, professional services, media and not-for-profit organisations capturing and developing a human and engaging tone of voice, creating a zero waste content strategy and guiding its implementation. English