The Kessler Collection appointed hospitality real estate executive Phil Wade to the new role of chief investment officer. In his new role, Wade will draw upon his previous experience working in both private equity and public real estate investment trusts to help guide strategic leadership decisions, deal sourcing, closing transactions, asset management, contract negotiation, forecasting and investor relations.
“I am excited Phil has joined our executive team to assist me with our growth plans and strategy primarily throughout the South," Mark Kessler, president and chief operations officer of Kessler Collection Design and Development, said in a statement. "His breadth of experience and connections in the industry will be beneficial to continue the success and expansion of our Grand Bohemian brand and other Kessler hospitality developments.”
With 25 years of experience evaluating and investing in hospitality and related assets throughout North America, Wade has completed more than $15 billion dollars in real estate transactions to date, from large luxury resort complexes to small historic Victorian bed & breakfasts.
Having known the Kessler Family and their signature Grand Bohemian brand for more than twenty years, Wade was CIO of Xenia Hotels & Resorts and formed that development partnership with the Kessler Collection in 2012.
“Like many travelers across the Southeastern U.S., my family has been a loyal customer and enthusiastic fan of Richard Kessler’s distinctive boutique lifestyle hotels. His visionary collection launched the globally successful Autograph Collection with Marriott in 2010, sparking a tidal wave of lifestyle collection brands that followed,” Wade said in a statement. “As CIO, my goal is to help carry on that legacy of creativity and innovation by exploring new partnerships and concepts to captivate the hospitality space again.”