HOCOSO - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Managing Director Americas

Alphy supports HoCoSo's leadership by providing advisory services for its bespoke and international clients. He represents HoCoSo in the Americas and is constantly working on contributing to the expansion of its network. He specializes in creating strategic plans for new brands, executive education, high-performance service teams in multi-cultural environments, Brand Architecture for start-up hotel companies, and mentoring hotel GMs and executives, particularly through crises. His career spans over 45 years. He previously worked for start-up hotel companies such as Rosewood, Adams Mark and Candela, and has successfully opened 12 hotels, most of which are overseas. His prior consulting assignments have included strategic brand development, pre-opening planning of an ultra-luxury casino hotel and advising owners of an adaptive re-use project that included a Boutique hotel, residences and food and beverage operations. Passionate about teaching, he is a Senior Lecturer at Glion (Switzerland) and Lecturer at the Boston University-School of Hospitality Administration. Alphy's upbringing and career has taken him all around the world, exposed him to European, Asian, Middle Eastern, African and American cultures. He recently consulted on the creation of a new hospitality company and brand for the Government of Oman and on a disruptive operating plan for an ultra-luxury casino resort in Macau S.A.R. Our "humble innkeeper"'s motto is to never repeat the experiences of the previous years. Always ready to roll up his sleeves, there is never a dull moment in his company. Alphy is a LEED-Accredited Professional, Certified Hotel Administrator, Certification in Advanced Hospitality & Tourism Analytics and is certified in Six Sigma Total Quality Management (TQM). He speaks English, French and Dutch.

Job Titles:

• Head of Leadership Services Executive Search, Management Assessment, Organisational Structuring, Talent Advisory, Salary Benchmarking, Incentive Design, Leadership
• SEAN WORKER

Chris heads HoCoSo's Leadership Services practice providing bespoke talent solutions that support clients‘ strategic purpose and direction. With over two decades' experience in recruiting leadership and talent for the hospitality industry across EMEA, Asia and the Americas, he headed the EMEA executive search practice on behalf of HVS and, to date, has founded four advisory businesses, such as AETHOS Consulting Group and CERVUS Leadership Consulting. He has also been recently inducted into the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) among sixteen hospitality consultants qualified by their expertise and reputation in its 2023 membership class. Chris goes by the principle that nothing impacts a company's performance more than its people and his focus is on ensuring that businesses have the best leadership in the right roles. More than 90% of his placements remain with their employer for 2 years or more and over half of all his appointments are still with the hiring organization. Husband and father of two boys, a foodie, a frequent traveler, he can tell you just as much about leadership as he could about cars and Formula 1. Chris is a promoter of hospitality as a career choice and an active advocate for greater diversity in the workplace. He is co-founder of the Hospitality Resilience Series and often writes about human capital issues and solutions for the hospitality industry.

Job Titles:

• Advisor
• Independent Consultant
• Project Director

Emma is an experienced advisor to the hospitality sector, with over a decade of experience with major advisory firms; Deloitte and PKF, plus operational experience with major hotel brands. She began her career in a hotel operations, specializing in conference and banqueting; holding roles with Jumeirah and Park Plaza Hotels in London. She also spent a year at the Waldorf Astoria Boca Raton resort in Florida. She subsequently moved into an advisory role at PKF, where she specialized in hotel feasibility, undertaking over 50 studies across EMEA. She moved to Deloitte in 2011, where she worked on a range of roles including feasibility, strategy, and restructuring, but specialized in due diligence, undertaking extensive financial analysis on numerous hotel portfolios. Since leaving Deloitte, Emma has worked as an independent consultant to the hospitality sector, whilst also helping to develop an online course in Hotel Valuation for Glion Institute of Higher Education.

Job Titles:

• Head of Strategic Development

John has over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, the last 25 years in Europe. He has extensive knowledge in hotel Marketing, Operations and Strategic Development having lived and worked in his native USA, plus Paris, Prague, London and Amsterdam. John has played a key role in the sector's growth by leading the operations of various hotels, continuously growing hotel chains, and bringing the branded extended-stay concept to Europe 15 years ago. He is the Co-founder and former CEO of Cycas Hospitality, one of the largest, and most successful, white label operators in Europe with franchises from Marriott, Hyatt, Raddison, Accor, and IHG. A true leader, John set the company's strategy and expanded it from 0 to 25+ extended-stay, full service, and double-decker hotels. Prior to joining Cycas, he was Vice President at Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) where he planned and developed the European and Middle East version of the Staybridge Suites brand. He was responsible for brand development, franchise sales, and operations of the brand as it launched outside of the US. Before coming to Europe, John was the first Vice President Sales and Marketing for Marriott Residence Inn responsible for the brand's first 125 hotels. He was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award at the Serviced Apartment Awards 2018. John truly embodies the entrepreneurship spirit and dedication to customer service. His belief and experience at creating an award winning employee culture has proven to be a winning formula for success, and his learnings are invaluable for anybody who is looking to create, develop and innovate for a hospitality business, as a start-up on for an ongoing operation.

Job Titles:

• Chairman and Owner of Ho

Jonathan Humphries, Chairman and Owner of HoCoSo, and his direct team specialize in the extended-stay, co-living, and hotel-alternatives hospitality market; luxury, lifestyle and boutique hotels; and resort developments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Our strengths lie in the following core services:

Job Titles:

• Managing Director

Katharine leads HoCoSo's collaboratively created solutions for next generation hospitality with a focus on markets undergoing explosive growth, regeneration or disruption. As a successful hands-on advisor, she has helped owners, operators, Governments and funds to evolve and create value in the hospitality industry. Her career path combines experiences at Deloitte, Arthur Andersen, and JLL across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and Asia Pacific. With a particular expertise in strategic reviews, due diligence, development strategy, destination resort development, and financial feasibility, Katharine has worked extensively on luxury and lifestyle assets, new concepts and asset repositioning. She also undertakes litigation-related work, including acting as an Expert Witness. She is a committed educator and heads the first Resort Development programme at Glion Institute of Higher Education. She is also a regular speaker and moderator at industry events and an active writer on industry issues. She is devoted to using her talents well to make the world a little better. She also thrives on having an open house and spontaneous visitors. Katharine has lived in many different communities and cultures so she values diversity and speaks English, Mandarin Chinese and French.

Job Titles:

• Office Manager

EXPERTISE CO-EVERYTHING EXTENDED-STAY LEADERSHIP and TALENT TECHNOLOGY, ADAPTION and INNOVATION OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE SUSTAINABILITY and HOSPITALITY ESG HOSPITALITY EDUCATION LIFESTYLE, BOUTIQUE, AFFORDABLE LUXURY RESORT AND THEME PARKS OTHER EXPERTISE Lana Zhang graduated from the École hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland. She has over six years of experience in the international hospitality sector. She helped to create HoCoSo's initial company structure and was supporting in various feasibility projects and concept creation projects. Prior to joining HoCoSo team, she worked as part of Advisory team of Jones Lang LaSalle's Hotel & Hospitality Group in London and was a Development Feasibility Analyst at Marriott International in Zurich, Switzerland. Her experience includes market feasibility studies across EMEA, hotel concept creation and hotel valuation. As Mother of two young children, Lana changed her focus to family for the last couple of years, meanwhile started her own business in the domain of education. Now she is back with us in HoCoSo and supports us as Office Manager. Lana speaks Mandarin Chinese, English, German and French.