HVS Alumni Network


Warm wishes for a Happy Easter & Passover!

April 2009
STEVE’S MESSAGE
“The current economic climate has impacted countless in our industry. Having weathered many ups and downs in a career that has spanned several decades, I can assure you this cycle will pass and the hospitality industry will once again be a great place to earn a living. Though I certainly don’t have a crystal ball, my humble advice is to remain optimistic, and if you have been down-sized, hang in there. Nine times out of ten you will end up with an even more rewarding position. Please don’t hesitate to call if I can be of assistance to you in any way.”
Steve Rushmore
srushmore@hvs.com
HVS NEWS
HVS Boulder Holiday volunteering event
HVS Boulder helped show the true meaning of the holidays this year by volunteering with a local non-profit organization on the afternoon of December 17, 2008. The Longmont Holiday Giving Program gathers donated new toys and gear for babies all the way up to teenagers. They also have hats, mittens, and scarves knitted by local retirement communities. The HVS Boulder team helped the organization count and sort toys and clothing for at-need families of Boulder County. It was a fun holiday experience for all involved. Afterwards, they celebrated at a local Irish pub. A great time was had by all!!
 
HVS Eco Services
HVS is proud to announce the reintroduction of HVS Eco Services – a comprehensive suite of environmental sustainability solutions for multi-unit hotel and restaurant owners. Their core services include the following:
 
• A utility data management system that drastically reduces internal accounting costs and organizes utility data into a web-based dashboard
• A facility optimization tool that efficiently identifies the causes of poor performance and prioritizes capital expenditure
• An energy procurement platform that helps clients with strategic sourcing, contract management, and energy planning that can save millions in unregulated utility markets
• An on-demand energy concierge that offers comprehensive information on equipment purchasing and maintenance, money-saving rebates and incentives, and direct access to our engineers who serve as a support network for hotel staff.
  For more information we encourage you to visit the website www.hvseco.com or email John Scaggs at jscaggs@hvs.com and +1 (303) 301-1128.
 
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS
Alison Tan
Alison Tan serves as an Associate at Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman, specializing in financing and investment sales for hospitality assets. Since 2007 she has advised on over USD $2 billion of transactions representing a variety of institutional and opportunistic investors as well as ownership/management companies.

Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick Goldman, Alison worked as a Senior Associate for HVS New York. Her experience includes feasibility analysis, market studies, acquisition due diligence, and the valuation of hotel, resort, and mixed-use developments for a variety of institutional, corporate banking and individual clients. Alison has also held various management positions with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts at the Four Seasons Hotel New York.

Alison holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and is a member of the national chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society.
   
Philipp von Bodman
Philipp von Bodman joined the head office of Grand City Hotels & Resorts in December 2008. In his role as Corporate Analyst, he analyses the performance of individual properties within the hotel portfolio on a monthly basis and reports back the results directly to the owners. Furthermore, he also evaluates and assists in the acquisitions process of new properties. The company has shown rapid growth in the last 3 years, starting with 15 properties in 2006 and has now grown to owning and operating 60 hotels under its own brand and under various international franchise brands.

Prior to joining Grand City Hotels & Resorts, Philipp was Asset Manager at Mountain Capital Ltd., a private equity investor based in London with a hotel portfolio of 20 properties within the European market.

Before that he was a Consultant at HVS’s London office and performed a number of valuations and feasibility studies in Europe and Africa. He describes his time with HVS as this “stepping stone to the hospitality industry” where he worked on assessments of more than 120 hotels within the 4&5-star market.

Philipp graduated from IMHI-Paris in 2004 with an MBA in International Hotel Administration and joined the exchange program with Cornell University’s MMH program for one semester in 2003.

Philipp says, “I have fond memories of my work experience with the HVS team in London, which offered me the opportunity to work with and learn from a vast group of young professionals from all over the world.”
EVENTS
April 1st and 2nd - HICSA 2009, Mumbai, India
We are delighted to report that the 5th Hotel Investment Conference - South Asia (HICSA) 2009 was an astounding success with close to 500 delegates. We thank all our sponsors, speakers and delegates who made the event fascinating and enthralling. HICSA 2010 is to be held in the month on April, 2010 in Mumbai. Mark the dates in your calendar now - April 7-8, 2010.
   
April 22nd to 24th – China Hotel Investment Summit, Shanghai, China
HVS China is proud to once again co-present the China Hotel Investment Summit (CHIS). The premier investment event for the hotel community in Asia Pacific, CHIS is now the must-attend meeting platform for international hotel industry leaders and investors to network and negotiate deals. For more information please contact Adeline Phua on aphua@hvs.com and visit http://www.chinahotelsummit.com
   
May 9th – Sky-dive for a Cause, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
On Saturday 9th May, Kerry Philips, Office Manager at HVS London will throw herself out of a plane…. to raise money for the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund (LCCF). Her aim is to raise £1,000 for the kids & their families, so they can enjoy a mini-holiday away from the daily grind in one of the specially adapted holiday cottages supplied by LCCF.

Please also feel free to come along (at Netheravon in Wiltshire) and cheer Kerry on, or point and yell and laugh and perhaps try and catch her as she falls out of the sky. She aims to be heard screaming from 12,000 feet.

If you are feeling kind, please donate towards her fabulous cause on http://www.justgiving.com/kerry-dive.
   
June 17th – Charity Petanque Tournament, Regents Park, London, United Kingdom
Pétanque (pronounced pay-tonk) is a form of boules where the goal is to throw metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet (jack), while standing with the feet together in a small circle.

For a few years now the HVS London office has been taking part in the Property Industry Charity Petanque Tournament in aid of the British Red Cross. Do join Ana, Pierre, Kerry, Tim, Saurabh, Arlett and Cristina on June 17th at the Regents Park Running Track and cheer them on! For more information please contact Cristina Balekjian on CBalekjian@HVS.com. 
CALLING ALL ALUMNI
It is wonderful being connected to our old colleagues and we hope you will continue to share your news with us through the HVS Alumni website. We would especially love to hear from you if there are any upcoming alumni events or gatherings in your city that you know of or are participating in. Please send us your updates, events and comments to alumni@hvs.com.

We also hope that you will help us reach out to more alumni scattered around the globe. If you notice that someone is not listed in the Alumni Directory then do rush us a note with the details. We look forward to your support in building the HVS community worldwide.

You can now also find HVS on LinkedIn! We encourage you to join our HVS Global Hospitality Services group and create a profile to stay connected with your former HVS colleagues and contribute to our online discussions. You can find us at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=975517.
Copyright HVS 2009. All rights reserved.

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