End-to-End Consultancy Services · Hospitality Practice
Setting Up a Hotel, End to End
From a site and an investment thesis to a fully staffed, revenue-live hotel — run as one programme, under one accountable partner.
Building a hotel is not one project; it is a dozen specialist disciplines that must arrive in the right order, to one brief, or the whole thing slips, overspends and opens half-ready. Gladwin International runs every one of them — business and brand strategy, market research and feasibility, programme and concept design, procurement planning, PMO and build governance, executive search, training and development, and the soft launch — as a single, phase-gated engagement. The decision that shapes everything comes early and we own it with you: independent, or affiliated with an international operator on a Hotel Management Agreement or franchise. We act as your Owner's Representative from the first feasibility question to a stabilised opening, and hand you a hotel with its team in seat, its revenue systems live and its first guests booked. Not a deck. A business.
An indicative shape, not a fixed quote — strategy, feasibility, brand/operator selection, design, procurement, PMO, recruitment, training and a supported opening, scoped to your site and ambition under one accountable partner.
Setting Up Hotels
Gladwin International sets up hotels end to end as a single accountable programme — business and brand strategy, market research and feasibility, concept design, procurement, PMO, executive search, training and soft launch — including the independent-versus-operator decision and the HMA or franchise negotiation, taking an owner from concept to a stabilised opening.
The problem we solve
Most hotels are built by committee — and the brand decision is made too late
The capital is rarely the reason a hotel disappoints. The reason is fragmentation. An owner appoints an architect, a cost consultant, a procurement agent, an operator, a recruiter and a marketing agency — each excellent in isolation, each optimising their own scope, and nobody owning the seams between them. Worse, the single most consequential decision — independent or affiliated, and on what terms — is often taken late, in isolation, after a design is already frozen that the chosen brand will then force you to rebuild to its standards.
Gladwin International closes that gap. We take single accountability for the whole journey as your Owner's Representative and programme integrator — coordinating every specialist to one brief and staying answerable for the result, not just the advice. This is the build-and-operate extension of our hospitality & travel practice, powered by the same partner-led engine behind our executive search practice.
The brand-versus-operator question sits at the centre of the hotel engagement in a way it does not for a standalone resort. We build the thesis — the economics of going independent against affiliating with Marriott, IHG, Accor, Hyatt, Taj or another operator — run the operator search and the Hotel Management Agreement or franchise negotiation, and then hold the brand's technical-services and design standards inside the build so compliance is engineered in, not discovered at a pre-opening audit. If a resort is closer to your ambition, that is a distinct engagement — see setting up a resort.
We treat a hotel as a business to be stood up, not a building to be finished. Feasibility, pricing, the revenue system and procurement discipline sit at the centre from day one; leadership recruitment and team training run in phased waves so the people who will operate the asset are ready before the doors open. The outcome is a hotel that opens on brief, on a defensible budget, fully staffed and revenue-live — and built to scale into a portfolio or a future public listing.
In short
- One partner accountable from concept to a stabilised opening
- The independent-versus-operator thesis owned with you — and the HMA or franchise negotiated
- Brand technical-services and design standards governed inside the build
- Commercial discipline — feasibility, pricing and the revenue system — at the centre, not the end
- Every role recruited and trained, in seat before opening day
The engagement
The eight workstreams — the full journey, clearly explained
A structured programme that runs from a site and a thesis to a stabilised opening, sequenced into phase-gated stages and owned end to end. We can begin at the very start, with a plot and an investment idea, or step into a stalled or under-performing hotel and take it the rest of the way — including a mid-project decision to sign, or exit, an operator.
- 01
Business Strategy
Deciding what this hotel is, who runs it — and why it will win.
We define the asset before anyone draws it: positioning, segment, guest archetype, room and key mix, the outlets and facilities it needs and the investment case that governs them. Then we resolve the decision that shapes everything else — independent or affiliated — building the economic thesis for going it alone against affiliating with an international operator (Marriott, IHG, Accor, Hyatt, Taj and others), and taking that thesis into an operator search and the Hotel Management Agreement or franchise negotiation.
- Positioning, segment, key mix and investment case
- Brand-versus-operator thesis and operator shortlist
- HMA / franchise strategy and negotiated heads of terms
- 02
Market Research & Feasibility
Testing the idea against reality before a rupee is committed.
We map the competitive set, catchment, demand segments and seasonality; benchmark rates and occupancy; and model ADR, RevPAR, GOP, ancillary revenue and break-even. Feasibility, the pricing architecture and the affiliation economics are pressure-tested here, so both the concept and the operator decision are proven commercially before they become a build.
- Competitor, catchment and demand-segment study
- Feasibility and revenue model — ADR, RevPAR, GOP, break-even
- Rate strategy and the affiliation cost-benefit case
- 03
Programme & Concept Design
Turning the strategy — and the brand standards — into a master plan.
We translate the concept into a functional master plan and guest journey — key mix, arrival and public zones, F&B outlets, meetings and banqueting, fitness and spa, and back-of-house flow. Where an operator is in play, we fold their brand design and area-programme standards into the brief from the outset, and coordinate architects, interior designers and specialist consultants to one functional brief so the design serves the business and passes brand review the first time.
- Functional master plan and space programme
- Guest-journey and concept design brief
- Brand-standard-compliant, coordinated consultant briefs
- 04
Procurement Planning
Everything the hotel needs, sourced to budget, brand and time.
We build and run the procurement strategy for the entire fit-out — FF&E, OS&E, kitchens, technology, revenue systems and back-of-house plant — with vendor intelligence, budgets, brand-approved specifications and delivery schedules governed through to a commissioned, ready-to-operate asset. Where a brand mandates specifications or purchasing programmes, we procure to them while protecting the budget. Procurement is planned against the operating model, not bolted on at the end.
- FF&E / OS&E procurement strategy and budget
- Vendor selection, brand-approved specifications and contracts
- Delivery and installation schedule to commissioning
- 05
PMO & Build Governance
One control tower over cost, time, quality, risk — and brand compliance.
We stand up the Programme Management Office that holds the whole engagement together — a single schedule, budget and risk register across design, procurement, construction and pre-opening, with phase gates, reporting and decision governance. Where an operator is signed, we run the interface with the brand's technical-services team, tracking every design and construction standard to its punch list so the brand audit is passed, not failed. As your Owner's Representative we chase the seams between disciplines that fragmented projects always drop.
- Integrated master schedule, budget and risk register
- Phase-gate governance and owner reporting
- Brand technical-services compliance tracked to sign-off
- 06
Executive Search
The people who will run it — hired and in seat before opening.
We recruit the operating team in phased waves: General Manager first, then the heads of department — Rooms, F&B, Finance, Sales & Marketing, Revenue, Spa and Engineering — and the wider team down to line level for pre-opening. This is our core discipline, run by the same partner-led engine behind our [executive search practice](/services/executive-search); on an affiliated hotel we align the search with the operator's approval process, so the leadership is chosen for this asset and ready to operate it, not scrambled together at the end.
- General Manager and full head-of-department team
- Phased pre-opening recruitment to line level
- Organisation design, manning guide and operator-aligned hiring
- 07
Training & Development
The operating model — written, embedded and rehearsed.
We build the operating engine: SOPs and service standards, brand and safety training, revenue-system and PMS onboarding and the pre-opening critical path. On an affiliated hotel we integrate the operator's brand-standard training and audits; on an independent, we author the standards outright. Either way the team is trained and drilled against the guest journey so standards are lived from the first guest, not learned on them.
- Operations manual, SOPs and service standards
- Brand, service and safety training programmes
- PMS / revenue-system onboarding and pre-opening critical path
- 08
Soft Launch
Opening deliberately — and handing over a hotel that performs.
We drive Day-Zero readiness, bring the reservation, distribution and loyalty channels live, run the soft launch to shake down operations under real guests, and support the first operating period until performance stabilises. Then we hand over to a permanent team already in seat and already performing — governing the whole programme as your Owner's Representative right to the finish.
- Day-Zero readiness, distribution and loyalty go-live
- Managed soft launch and stabilisation support
- Handover to a stabilised, in-seat operating team
Procurement, in depth
Everything that goes into a hotel — sourced, specified and delivered
Procurement is where hotel budgets are won or lost. It is not a single purchase order — it is thousands of specified items across a dozen categories, each with its own vendors, lead times, quality standards and logistics, all converging on one opening date. On an affiliated hotel, many of those specifications are set by the brand, and the discipline is to meet the standard without surrendering the budget. We plan procurement against the operating model from day one, run it category by category with independent vendor intelligence, and govern it through to a commissioned, ready-to-operate asset. FF&E, OS&E, kitchens, technology and revenue systems — everything, to budget, to brand and to time.
Guest rooms & suites — FF&E
The furniture, fixtures and equipment that define the room product and the guest's first impression — specified to the design and brand standard, durability-rated for hotel use and value-engineered against the budget.
- Case goods, beds, seating and soft furnishings
- Lighting, drapery, carpets, rugs and hard flooring
- Bathroom fixtures, vanities, mirrors and fittings
- In-room electronics, minibars, safes and climate controls
- Artwork, mirrors and decorative accessories
Public areas & lobby
The arrival experience and social spaces — lobby, lounges, corridors, retail and circulation — that carry the brand from the moment a guest walks in.
- Lobby and lounge furniture, reception and concierge desks
- Feature lighting, chandeliers and architectural fixtures
- Corridor, lift-lobby and circulation FF&E
- Signage, wayfinding and brand environmental graphics
- Retail, business-centre and lounge fit-out
Food & beverage — kitchens & outlets
Commercial kitchens and every dining outlet, specified to the menus and covers they must serve, to food-safety standards and to real operating throughput.
- Commercial cooking, refrigeration and cold-room equipment
- Bakery, pastry, bar and barista stations
- Restaurant, bar and all-day-dining FF&E
- Chinaware, glassware, cutlery and buffet ware
- Room-service, minibar and in-room-dining equipment
Meetings, banqueting & events
The MICE and events engine that drives a city and business hotel's non-room revenue — ballroom, meeting rooms and pre-function spaces, specified for flexibility, capacity and turnaround.
- Ballroom and banquet furniture, staging and dance floors
- Meeting-room and boardroom FF&E and partitioning
- Audio-visual, projection, lighting and conferencing systems
- Banqueting china, glass, cutlery and buffet equipment
- Pre-function, registration and business-centre fit-out
Operating supplies & equipment (OS&E)
The thousands of small items that a hotel cannot open a single room or serve a single guest without — often underestimated, always critical, and where opening delays hide.
- Guest-room and bathroom linen, towels and duvets
- Bathroom amenities, minibar and in-room collateral
- Housekeeping trolleys, carts and cleaning equipment
- Uniforms across every department
- Printed collateral, stationery and guest-directory items
Technology & revenue systems
The digital backbone the hotel runs and sells on — reservations, revenue management, distribution and guest experience — architected to the operating model and, on an affiliated hotel, integrated to the brand's central systems so the property runs and books as one.
- PMS, POS and property-management integration
- Revenue-management system (RMS) and rate automation
- Channel manager, booking engine, OTA and GDS distribution
- Central reservations and loyalty-programme onboarding
- Guest Wi-Fi, IPTV, mobile check-in and in-room technology
- Networking, cabling, access control and CCTV
Back-of-house — laundry, engineering & utilities
The unseen infrastructure that keeps the hotel running — laundry, engineering, utilities and life-safety — specified to capacity, resilience and running-cost efficiency.
- Commercial laundry and dry-cleaning plant
- Engineering workshop, tools and spares
- Generators, transformers, UPS and power backup
- Water treatment, STP, RO and pumping systems
- HVAC, boilers, fire-safety and BMS integration
Fitness, pool & spa
The wellness and leisure facilities expected of a full-service hotel — gym, pool and spa — specified for safety, durability and a premium guest experience.
- Gym, fitness and functional-training equipment
- Pool, jacuzzi and water-treatment plant
- Spa treatment rooms, wet areas and therapy fit-out
- Salon, changing-room and locker fit-out
- Spa linen, robes, slippers and amenity programmes
How we govern the spend
- Independent vendor intelligence — sourcing on merit and value, never on commission
- One consolidated budget and specification pack across every category, reconciled to brand standards
- Lead-time and logistics planning mapped to the construction and opening critical path
- Sample approvals, quality control, inspection and mock-up-room sign-off
- Delivery, installation, commissioning and snagging to a ready-to-operate handover
Accreditation & compliance
Every licence, standard and brand audit — engineered in from day one
Accreditation is the failure point owners discover last and regret most: a finished hotel that cannot legally open, or an affiliated property that fails its brand technical-services audit weeks before launch and cannot fly the flag. We build the licensing, accreditation and brand-standards roadmap at the start of the engagement and sequence every approval into the programme, so compliance is engineered in — not retrofitted in a panic before opening.
Property, safety & operations
The statutory approvals and quality standards a hotel must hold to open and operate.
- Ministry of Tourism hotel star classification (HRACC)
- FSSAI food-safety licensing
- Fire NOC and life-safety compliance
- Excise and liquor licensing
- Municipal trade, health and occupancy approvals
- ISO 9001, ISO 22000 and HACCP quality & food-safety systems
Brand & operator standards
The compliance an affiliated hotel must satisfy to sign, build and fly an international brand.
- Hotel Management Agreement or franchise compliance
- Brand technical-services and design-standard conformance
- Brand safety, quality and mystery-audit readiness
- Central reservations, distribution and loyalty-programme onboarding
- Brand-mandated systems, procurement and area-programme standards
Sustainability & green building
The green and sustainability certifications that increasingly drive brand, guest choice and investment.
- IGBC, LEED or GRIHA green-building certification
- EarthCheck, Green Globe or Travelife sustainability certification
- Energy, water and waste-management standards
Licensed filings and certifications are performed by your appointed professionals and the relevant certifying bodies; Gladwin specifies, sequences and governs them — and holds the brand-standards interface — so nothing is discovered late.
What the engagement delivers
One programme, one accountable outcome
A single strategic foundation
Concept, positioning, key mix, investment case and the master brief every workstream answers to.
A resolved operator decision
The independent-versus-affiliated thesis, operator search and a negotiated HMA or franchise on defensible terms.
A proven commercial case
Market, competitor and pricing study with feasibility, revenue model — ADR, RevPAR, GOP — and break-even.
A build-ready, brand-compliant design brief
Functional master plan, space programme and guest-journey design, coordinated across all consultants and reconciled to brand standards.
A governed procurement programme
FF&E, OS&E, technology and revenue systems sourced to budget, brand and schedule, through to a commissioned asset.
A live PMO
Integrated schedule, budget, risk register, phase-gate governance and the brand technical-services interface across every discipline.
A fully recruited and trained team
General Manager to line level, hired in phased waves, in seat for pre-opening and trained against SOPs, standards and systems.
A supported, revenue-live launch
Day-Zero readiness, distribution and loyalty go-live, a managed soft launch and a stabilised opening.
Where this applies
The hotels we help stand up
Greenfield full-service hotels
Upscale and luxury hotels built from the ground up, with the full spread of rooms, F&B, meetings and wellness facilities.
Business & city hotels
Corporate, airport and CBD hotels where MICE, distribution and revenue management drive the business case.
Branded conversions
Independent or ageing assets rebranded to fly an international flag — brought up to brand technical-services and design standards, or run alongside our resort setup engagement where the asset is resort-led.
Independent-to-operator readiness
Owners preparing an asset to sign, satisfy and open under an international operator — or building the case to stay independent.
Stalled or under-performing assets
Projects that lost their way mid-build, or open hotels that need repositioning, a brand decision reset or an operational turnaround.
Portfolio building
Owners building toward a multi-property platform, institutional investment or a future public listing.
The Gladwin difference
One partner, the whole journey
Most owners stitch together an architect, a cost consultant, a procurement agent, an operator and a recruiter — and personally own every gap between them, including the brand decision that quietly governs all of it. We take single accountability from concept to a stabilised opening, acting as your operator-led strategist, programme integrator and Owner's Representative. We build the independent-versus-affiliated thesis with you, negotiate the HMA or franchise, and hold the brand's technical-services standards inside the build. We stay in our lane — we are not your banker, auditor, or architect of record — but we specify, coordinate and govern all of them to one brief, so the hotel that gets approved is the one that actually opens, staffs and performs.
Start the conversation
Tell us what you’re building
A short, structured brief — where the project stands, its scale, and where you need us — is all it takes to start. It reaches the partners directly, and we respond within four working hours to arrange an initial conversation.
- One accountable partner, concept to a stabilised opening
- Phase-gated — commit progressively, prove the case at each gate
- Engage the full programme, or a single workstream
Setting Up Hotels — frequently asked questions
That is the first question we resolve with you, and it shapes everything downstream. We build the economic thesis both ways — the fees, brand contribution, distribution reach and loyalty pull of affiliating with an operator such as Marriott, IHG, Accor, Hyatt or Taj, against the margin, flexibility and control of going independent. If affiliation wins, we run the operator search and negotiate the Hotel Management Agreement or franchise on your behalf, then hold the brand's technical-services and design standards inside the build so the flag actually flies on opening day.
Procurement covers everything that goes into the hotel: guest-room and public-area FF&E, food & beverage and kitchens, meetings and banqueting, operating supplies and equipment (OS&E), technology and revenue systems, back-of-house plant, and fitness, pool and spa. On an affiliated hotel we procure to the brand's specifications while protecting the budget. We source on independent vendor intelligence — on merit and value, never on commission — run one consolidated budget and specification pack, and govern lead times, quality control, installation and commissioning through to a ready-to-operate handover.
We build and govern the full roadmap: property and operations (Ministry of Tourism star classification, FSSAI, fire NOC, excise and municipal approvals, ISO/HACCP systems); brand and operator standards (HMA or franchise compliance, brand technical-services and design conformance, safety and quality audits, and distribution and loyalty onboarding); and sustainability (IGBC/LEED/GRIHA and EarthCheck/Green Globe/Travelife). Licensed filings are performed by your appointed professionals and certifying bodies — we specify, sequence and govern them, and hold the brand-standards interface, so nothing is discovered late.
Yes. We can begin at the very start with a site and a thesis, or step into a stalled, mid-build or under-performing hotel and take it the rest of the way — including a mid-project decision to sign, re-negotiate or exit an operator. We assess where the project stands, re-establish the brief and governance, reconcile the design to any brand standards in play, and run the remaining workstreams to a stabilised opening.
We recruit it. Executive search is our core discipline — we hire the General Manager and full head-of-department team, including Revenue and Sales & Marketing, then the wider team in phased waves down to line level. On an affiliated hotel we align the search with the operator's approval process, so the people who will run the hotel are chosen for the asset and in seat before opening, not scrambled together at the end.
As a phase-gated programme scoped to your site and ambition. Each stage — from strategy and the operator decision through to soft launch — has defined deliverables and a decision gate, so you commit progressively and see the case proven before the next phase begins. Pricing reflects the workstreams in scope rather than a fixed catalogue rate — start the conversation for an indicative shape.
One partner. The whole journey.
Whether you are starting from raw land, a stalled build, or an operating asset to reposition, we take single accountability from concept to a stabilised opening.
Start the conversation