The Manor in Amsterdam is part of the Eden Hotels portfolio .
HOTELS recently spoke to Skelli-Cohen to learn more about the trajectory of the group .
HOTELS : Why the reorganization ? Billy Skelli-Cohen : Creating Zien is a strategic move to create an umbrella parent company that will allow us to develop multiple brands and strategies in the future . Zien Group will not be consumer-facing but ‘ house ’ our different businesses .
H : Can you elaborate on expansion plan ? BSC : Our first plan is to reinvest in our current portfolio . We will invest in each hotel and also pull certain properties out of the Eden portfolio to create a new brand . In parallel , we are looking for new acquisitions in the EU and UK to grow the business .
H : What is the branding potential beyond Eden ? BSC : We are planning to roll out another brand under Zien in the near term . We see an opportunity to unify the Eden brand through the planned refinement and then create a new brand out of assets that may no longer fit within Eden .
I BELIEVE THE MERGERS-AND-ACQUISITIONS ECOSYSTEM REMAINS LARGE , AND MY NETWORK , RELATIONSHIPS FORMED BY KSL INTERNATIONALLY AND THE DIJKSTRA FAMILY DOMESTICALLY AND REGIONALLY WILL HELP TREMENDOUSLY .
– BILLY SKELLI-COHEN
H : Any new development plans or will you grow via strict acquisitions and conversions ? BSC : Never say never but the core of our strategy is to buy existing single assets , portfolios and businesses in need of repositioning .
H : Will you acquire via partnerships or strictly on your own ? BSC : There is a time and a place to work with a local partner that can add value . The core of our growth strategy is to be a controlling owner / operator .
H : How big and how fast will Zien grow ? BSC : We are backed by KSL Capital Partners and we share some ambitious growth plans . We live in a very unpredictable market so it is difficult to gauge how fast or how big we can grow . Most importantly , we will be in a great position to take advantage of opportunities in the market .
Jan / Feb 2023 hotelsmag . com 45