• In September 2009, Frank Croston successfully participated in a panel discussion at the 9th Annual European Hotel Finance and Investment Summit, where he discussed strategy for sustainability in an economic downturn with a number of other hotel industry specialists. In addition, Frank hosted the first Webinar organised by Bench Events on 3rd November 2009, where he discussed the prospects for recovery of the hotel industry with Paul Slattery, Co-Founder and Director of Otus & Co. To view this insightful webinar, please click on the following link to Bench Events and select Webinar A: http://www.benchevents.com/Webinar/Access?id=1254835578

• As in previous years, Hamilton are proud to be sponsoring the 13th International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin, 8-10 March 2010. Hamilton will be exhibiting at the conference, providing a great opportunity for us to meeting with existing clients and also to introduce potential new clients to our team and to the services that we provide. Frank Croston is delighted to announce that he will be moderating a plenary session on Tuesday 9th March 2010: “Pricing to Win: Demand, pricing and surgical revenue management in a challenging environment”. In addition, Frank will be moderating a second session on 9th March 2010: “Asset Management in a Downturn”.

Our business continues to grow and we are increasing our team to support this development. We are delighted to announce that Kristian Overbeek joined the Hamilton team in October 2009 and as of December 2009, we are pleased to introduce our new Director - Operations, Peter Manby.

• Kristian has recently joined the Hamilton team and was previously involved in CitizenM and Spaces, both highly innovative start-ups where he gained experience in hotel acquisition and business development. 
• Kristian started studying hotel management at Hotelschool The Hague with a BSc in Hotel Administration and continued with a Professional Development Course at Cornell University in Ithaca, USA. 
• During his time in The Hague he was awarded with the distinction of 'Best Hotelier' for a hotel project in Copenhagen, and after obtaining his degree he followed a 12-month Corporate Traineeship at Hyatt International at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai.
• After Dubai Kristian returned to obtain his MSc diploma in International Business with a focus on Strategy & Innovation at the University of Maastricht.


Click here to email Kristian

• Peter Manby is our Director responsible for the growth and development of our hotel management business. Peter brings a wealth of senior operational experience to the team and his efforts are focused on driving significant incremental revenues and profits across our growing portfolio of managed hotels. We are happy to manage assets on a franchise basis, or under appropriate consortia arrangements.
• Prior to his appointment by Hamilton, Peter was engaged by a number of lenders and hotel owners/investors seeking improved operating results and debt coverage/returns.
• Peter was previously CEO of Crown Golf, the largest owner operator of golf clubs in the UK, with thirty three clubs. During this period he introduced significant strategic change to the business, leading to increased levels and retention of members, whilst also unlocking significant investment opportunities.
• Immediately prior to this, Peter was Operations Director for De Vere Hotels and a member of the PLC executive committee. In this role he contributed to the strategic direction of the company and led the operational delivery for twenty De Vere branded hotels, including those under management contract.
• Earlier in his career, Peter worked for Hilton in two roles, firstly as Director of Revenue Management for the UK, where he led the pricing and revenue management function. He was then promoted to Regional Vice President Operations, where he was responsible for twenty two hotels, including the nine hundred bedroom hotel at Gatwick airport. During this period a number of hotels were sold and leased back, giving Peter valuable experience on the expectations and aspirations of hotel owners and investors.
• From 1995 to 1999, Peter was the Operations Director for the Marriott Hotels managed by Whitbread under the Marriott and Courtyard brands. This gave him great practical experience of managing effectively in a multi brand franchise environment.
• Peter's early career was with Forte Hotels where he held a number of General and Regional management positions within Forte Heritage, Forte Grand and Le Meridien.
• Peter is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, formerly the HCIMA.
  
  
Click here to email Peter