BD Hotels today announces the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept. The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). Now, The Pod Hotels hires Gharbie to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others. Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.
The Pod Hotels addresses the rapidly increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive minded and budget conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology. With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.
Kao voditelj akvizicije i razvoja blisko surađujući s vlasnicima BD Hotels Richardom Bornom i Irom Drukier, Gharbie će biti odgovoran za identifikaciju potencijalnih mogućnosti ulaganja i okupljanje strateških partnera i investitora za financiranje budućih projekata na brojnim tržištima. On će iskoristiti ekspertizu BD Hotels u razvoju hotela, investicijama i operacijama kako bi proširio brend Pod Hotels u cijeloj zemlji i na kraju globalno.
“Rani nam se pridružuje u ključnom trenutku dok eksponencijalno povećavamo portfolio The Pod Hotels u Sjevernoj Americi”, rekao je Richard Born, vlasnik BD Hotels. “On će nesumnjivo biti ogromna prednost jer donosi preko 20 godina iskustva u kupovini, razvoju i radu hotela.”
„Radujem se širenju profitabilnog modela koji su Richard i Ira stvorili na ključna tržišta širom zemlje“, rekao je Gharbie. „Vidim veliki potencijal za rast brenda jer postoji povećana želja današnjih putnika da ostanu u pametnim, inovativnim brendovima poput The Pod Hotels.”
Prije nego što se pridružio Virgin Hotels, Gharbie je bio izvršni direktor i osnivač u Cedar Funds, razvojnoj i investicijskoj kompaniji sa sjedištem u New Yorku s fokusom na progresivnu hotelsku imovinu i nekretnine, kao i regionalni direktor razvoja u InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ). Osim toga, Gharbie je vanredni profesor na Columbia Masters in Real Estate Development programu, gdje predaje proljetni kurs Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. Magistrirao je na programu, magistrirao je na poslovnoj školi HEC u Montrealu, diplomirao hotelski menadžment na Glion Hotel School u Švicarskoj i diplomirao u hotelskim nekretninama i upravljanju imovinom sa Univerziteta Cornell u New Yorku. .
