Saxbury appoints aparthotel development advisory lead

Saxbury has announced the appointment of Andrew Shaw to lead its development advisory team focused on aparthotel projects.

Shaw joins the team from Fattal where he spent six years as head of development for Leonardo Hotels.

Prior positions include franchising roles at InterContinental Hotels Group and almost a decade at Accor as vice president of development for the UK and Ireland.

The real estate agent’s newest team will offer development strategies and consultancy services to both developers looking to unlock the potential of their sites, and landlords with declining assets such as vacant office buildings.

Services will cover all aspects of the development landscape, from feasibility and funding to exit, helping clients to adapt to changing market dynamics.

Ben Davis, Saxbury’s real estate director, said: “The move is a timely response to development conditions within the sector. Given the rising cost of capital and a shift away from institutional hotel project financing, Saxbury is engaging more with family offices and estate landlords, many of whom manage diverse portfolios that include both mixed-use assets and older office buildings that are no longer viable. Often, these properties present excellent opportunities for adaptive reuse.

“While clients may recognise the significant planning benefits of converting these assets into hotels, without a solid understanding of the fundamentals of hotel development, they may struggle to accurately assess the potential risks and rewards. That’s where Saxbury comes in. As retained advisors, we offer independent, expert guidance to ensure clients can navigate these complexities and make informed decisions.”

He added: “I’ve been in and around hotels all my career, meaning I’ve worked from all sides of the table on all angles of the deal. Given our shared synergies, I’m excited to join Saxbury. As a team, we collectively cover every element of the development sphere, and I’m looking forward to helping widen our profile as specialists in the sector.

“At Saxbury, we’ve always tailored our development advisory services to deliver targeted outcomes for our clients, whether that involves operator search and selection or site disposal. With Andrew joining the team, we’re excited to relaunch development advisory as a standalone service.”