CEO BIO:
Overseeing all aspects of Ròya International, Kees Hartzuiker leads an interdisciplinary team of 60 consultants and specialists, and is charged with key areas such as development advisory, asset management and hospitality services. His career has seen him in senior roles in three continents, initially in Europe, followed by the Middle East and North Africa regions, and then Asia. Prior to taking up the role at Ròya, he was CEO of Rixos Hotels. Prior to his role with Rixos Hotels, he worked with Hilton International, where, amongst many responsibilities, he drove all food & beverage development across the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. Most recently, as vice president Asia, he led the company’s operations during its growth in Asia and the Asian subcontinent.
ADVICE FOR OWNERS AND OPERATORS
Ròya International CEO Kees Hartzuiker says there is a misperception in the industry that asset managers are “almost like auditors and we are always there to find fault”. He adds: “I disagree with that so strongly.”
He says: “My phrase that I always use is that ‘my job is to make the operator the best possible operator for that piece of real estate’.”
His advice to both sides is that asset management is not about finding fault, it’s about having a common vision, a common understanding, common priorities and working together.
Hartzuiker takes the example of setting budgets, which he says should be a rational process but it becomes often an emotional one. “There is a natural tendency for hotel operators to have a ‘glass is half empty’ approach when it comes to setting targets because that’s what they’re going to be measured against, and the investors will always have a ‘glass is half full’ approach because they obviously want to maximise the returns for their investment — and that is where Ròya can play a fundamental role in finding the correct balance.”
What Ròya International Does:
With the hospitality advisory side, the firm plays different roles at different times of hotel development. At the moment, it has approximately 30 assignments involving new hospitality developments in its kitty. Asset management is a side of the business which has grown tremendously over the last few years.
Hartzuiker says: “One reason [for this growth] is because business is not easy, and when things are not easy, more questions get asked. And the other part I like to think is because of our reputation and the kind of people that execute it for us.”
Ròya has more than 30 hotels in operation it is co-responsible for in its asset management capacity. The third element is something Hartzuiker says is still in its embryonic phase — F&B.
While Ròya always worked with F&B, it is now a separate discipline within the firm with dedicated resources. The firm is now involved in approximately 20 restaurant developments in many different capacities. Getting involved with F&B is in part down to a natural progression, “but we also saw the synergies with our competencies that we already had in-house”, reveals Hartzuiker.
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