Global hotel transactions may not be as liquid as they once were , but when hotels do change hands , Aixmbridge , the largest third-party hotel operator in the world , is there and ready to capitalize . It ’ s an emphasis that has served the company , which has swelled to more than 1,500 hotels managed globally ,
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well , and it ’ s been a particular priority across Europe , where the third-party management model is still nascent .
There , it is left to David Anderson , who is divisional president of Aimbridge EMEA , to build out the managed estate portfolio in Europe , which currently numbers 120 hotels , the bulk of those — around 80 — in the United Kingdom .
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The reason , Anderson said , why the U . K . has been strong for Aimbridge is because it has embraced the hotel management agreement model better and faster than other European regions .
“ Lenders understand that model and so the U . K . is always a key part of our growth strategy ,” he said , but it ’ s not the only one .
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Now , too , Aimbridge is moving in on Spain , where in early October 2023 it announced that Santa Maria Group had appointed it to manage the independent , 402-room Grand Luxor Hotel & Village resort in the Costa Blanca , marking Aimbridge ’ s debut in the country .
It was Anderson who originally laid out a business
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56 hotelsmag . com Jan / Feb 2024 |