Global Asset Solutions launches Hotel Asset Management course

Global Asset Solutions has launched an online training course with external accreditation which will aim to support the growing demand for hotel asset management.

The course will reportedly target aspiring asset managers who are already working elsewhere in the sector, as well as students and new entrants.

According to Global Asset Solutions, the certificate is tailored towards hotel owners, bankers, investors, lenders, operators, students and “anyone involved in hotel real estate who wants to update their skills and learn about asset management”. The course was initially built as an academic program, but has since been rewritten and improved for the current business environment.

The course includes an introduction to asset management, real-life asset-management scenarios and tools and techniques used by asset managers.

By the end of the program, students will reportedly have “all the information they need to make strategic decisions, easily understand financial statements (i.e., P&L, balance sheet or cashflow), analyse and approve a budget and create a robust asset management plan”.

Alex Sogno, CEO, Global Asset Solutions, said: “Hotel asset management has been growing in recent years, with detailed operational knowledge much sought after as the search for profit becomes ever-more challenging.

“Asset management at its best sees on-the-ground knowledge combined with experience to ensure the owner, brand and all stakeholders are aligned and function at their best. This course teaches the skills required to build the hotels’ value for the owner, helping you to understand the real estate side of hotels as well as the capital issues.”

He added: “The number of stakeholders involved in each hotel property is growing all the time and the role of asset manager is critical to ensuring cohesion. A good asset manager must work across brands and across continents, so that the owner can be truly assured that the decisions made are based on market knowledge and in-depth experience. This course aims to provide this critical education.”

The certificate will be awarded by Global Asset Solutions and the International Luxury Hotel Association.

Barak Hirschowitz, president of the International Luxury Hotel Association, said: “As hotels move into the mainstream as an asset class, investors have come to realise the value of specialist asset managers, who have the knowledge to maximise the potential of these complex properties. This course will raise the credibility of the sector to investors and help them realise their investment goals and we are proud to be associated with it.”