CBRE Hotels on expansion path with new hires and new leadership structure

Sydney, 2 May 2016 – CBRE Hotels has announced a new leadership structure and secured two high profile recruits to further strengthen its Pacific team.

Under the new structure, Wayne Bunz and Rob Cross will be the joint national directors of the CBRE Hotels agency business in Australasia with Wesley Milsom leading the Hotels Valuation business.

In tandem, two high level appointments have been announced, with Paul Fraser and Sam Handy joining in Brisbane and Sydney respectively from senior roles at JLL Hotels.

CBRE’s Pacific President & CEO, Ray Pittman, said the appointments boosted the size of the Pacific Hotels team to 38 – the largest brokerage and valuations team in the region, with dedicated operatives in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

“The hospitality sector has been one of the most resilient asset classes in Australia and this has underpinned significant investor interest in hotel investment opportunities,” Mr Pittman said, noting that a record $3.87 billion in hotels traded in Australia in 2015.

“With strong ongoing investor demand, particularly from Asia, we have had an ongoing focus on building our team and further strengthening our platform to ensure that we are providing the highest level of support and real advantage to our clients.”

Mr Fraser, previously JLL Hotels Queensland senior vice-president, will lead the CBRE Hotels agency business in Queensland, overseeing the sale of pub and accommodation assets.

He brings over 16 years of industry experience and is a recognised market leader in divesting pub / tavern and accommodation assets throughout Queensland.

Mr Handy has also joined after six years at JLL Hotels where he was vice president, investment sales after eight years in the hotel and pub industry working for Australia's largest alcoholic beverage distributor, Diageo.

He has taken on a Director role in the New South Wales team and will focus on the disposal of pub assets reporting to National Director Daniel Dragicevich.

Mr Dragicevich said the appointments of Mr Fraser and Mr Handy, coupled with recent hire of Ben McDonald as a Manager, based in the Sydney office, boosted CBRE’s national pubs team to seven operators – the largest in the country.