ABOUT HAM
HAM is a non-corporate, independent hospitality, tourism and real estate advisory company. We provide services throughout the hotel, tourism and real estate product life cycle starting from planning and development, through management to the final project sale.
HAM is a network company, which means that outside of the core head office we have partners in specialised fields available for individual projects. This structure ensures that we are able to bring professionals of the highest level to each individual assignment, while keeping administrative roles central in the company.
We are a flexible boutique agency. When it comes to our core values, we focus on quality, flexibility, creativity and securing the highest return for our clients.
Active in the industry since 2002 we focus on the CEE, SEE, CIS and Baltic countries as well as Africa and beyond.
WHY HAM?
NETWORK STRUCTURE
We believe in our network structure, which allows us to assemble the perfect project team from our partners to best suit each individual project.
INDEPENDENCE
We are an independently owned company, therefore work solely in the interest of our clients.
MULTIPLE ASSET CLASSES
By thinking outside the box and switching between various asset classes we can open more possibilities for your project.
ENTIRE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
We are able to connect all levels of the hospitality industry, providing you with a full package of services.
PARTNERSHIP
Most importantly we regard our clients as partners, making their success a personal priority in our work.
HAM TEAM OF EXPERTS
Get to know us, click on the picture to learn more.
TEAM OF REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
PARTNER OFFICES
With a number of partner offices throughout the world, we cover various different markets. With these cross-border partners HAM is able to be a local - global partner for your project.
Our current partner offices can be found in:
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Albania (also covering North Macedonia and Kosovo)
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Austria
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Cameroon
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Germany
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Greece
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Hungary
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Italy
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Latvia (covering the Baltic states)
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Montenegro (also covering Serbia)
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Morocco
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Russia
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Senegal
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Slovenia
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Slovakia
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Ukraine
Looking to become a HAM partner? Read more here.
A STORY OF HAM AND HOSPITALITY
1924
It all started at the Wagenstraat (in the Chinatown of The Hague, Netherlands), where Cees (Frans-Jan Soede's grandfather) leased a small hotel with a restaurant. In 1929 The Great Depression started, Cees had to close the hotel and made his living by painting, cooking and various advisory services.
In 1933, Cees started as Head of Hospitality within the Holland America Lines. The company produced some notable ships such as the SS New Amsterdam in 1937 (probably the only large passenger liner with military exemption at the time). One of their ships was the first to offer luxury class hospitality services on their transatlantic crossing. Cees travelled around the world and with his passion for the hospitality industry became a true cosmopolite.
1933
After leaving the Holland America Lines in 1961 Cees opened a hotel with a restaurant in Cadiz, Andalusia, today the reconstructed Parador Hotel Atlántico.
1961
Frans-Jan as a child, growing up in Casablanca (where his father worked at the UN Industrial Development Organisation) spent the summer vacations helping out at his grandfather's hotel. Kees taught Frans-Jan the fundamentals of the hospitality business. During this time Frans-Jan fell in love with the hotel business and this experience prompted him to pursue a career in tourism and hospitality.
1968
1983
After his studies in international business and economic sciences in the USA, Frans-Jan's career took off when he had the opportunity to work for Hilton in Paris, Amsterdam, London, Strasbourg and Mainz. He benefited from learning from the best during the golden-age of grand hotel-hospitality.
1987
From 1987 to 1992 he worked for Intercontinental Hotels Group in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and Mombasa, Kenya with a focus on food & beverage and first interim general management assignments.
1992
1992 saw Frans-Jan return to Hilton once again on the Caribbean island of St. Martin where he further deepened his operational experience.
1995
In 1995 he arrived in Vienna, Austria where he worked for the Raiffeisen Bank and UniCredit Group on the re-structuring and renovation of a number of iconic hotels and other hospitality units such as the Imperial and the Bristol. Later he was in charge of developing new resorts in Czech Republic and Austria.
1998
With this experience, Frans-Jan moved into strategic management and re-structuring where he oversaw the repositioning and internationalisation of historic Viennese cafés like the Demel, restaurants and various other hospitality units.
2002 Frans-Jan decided to found HAM - Hotels Asset Management and created a company that could partner hotel owners and operators throughout the CEE-SEE region. The core service of HAM at its inception was asset management but the company quickly started to advise clients in other fields as well, such as project management, hotel development and operational consulting. It was during this time that HAM became what it is today, a full-service hospitality advisory company.
2002
The following years were characterised by regional expansion. The company became active in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and opened up to Hungary, Ukraine (2003), Bulgaria, Romania (2004) and Poland in 2008.
2004
2007
The first International Hotel Investment & Design Club Forum was organised by HAM, a convention that brings together multiple disciplines of the industry to exchange ideas and to network. The conference would continue to be organised annually up until today as the Hotel Investment & Design Conference.
2010
After 2010 HAM was active in many different countries, as the company found its core regions. Various projects and planning were undertaken in Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was during this period that HAM entered the African market with projects in Senegal and Cameroon.
2017
HAM opens up an office in Casablanca in cooperation with our partners in order to to oversee the expansion in Morocco as well as Western Africa.
2019
HAM goes over a periodic re-branding, alongside with the new logo and visual identity. HAM is from then on known as HAM independent hospitality & tourism advisors.
2019 also marks the opening of our new office in Tirana from where we cover assignments in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. Our Morocco office relocates to Marrakech.
2020
2020 marks the opening of our new office in Budva, Montenegro where we also cover assignments in Serbia and beyond.
The devastating impact of covid-19 has left our hotel owners, developers, lenders and operators struggling to stay in business.
This year HAM marks the ability and determination to find positive and constructive steps to re-connect and re-affirm the relationship between the stakeholders and mitigate the effects on their business and build a stronger connection going forward.
2022
HAM Independent Hospitality & Tourism Advisors Marks its 20th Anniversary! From its humble beginnings in 2002 until today, HAM has been steadily growing its portfolio with projects all across the world. We have visited more than 29 countries and were involved in 250+ projects. Our proudest achievement is the people we have met along the way and the network of HAM members we have grown.
HAM is celebrating 20 years by Giving Away Twenty "Culinary Celebration Surprise"!
to be continued...
WHERE WE'VE BEEN ACTIVE
Our clients include international corporations, domestic enterprises, commercial and investment banks, insurance companies, investment funds, private hotel investors, hotel owners, hotel companies, HNWI, architects and various other players in the industry.
Throughout our journey we were involved in projects throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. We value the confidentiality of our partners therefore we only provide specific references upon request. Get in touch to learn more!
A SHORT SELECTION OF OUR REFERENCES
Slovakia - Hungary - Croatia - Austria - Morocco | Master planning and Tourism Mapping of multiple regions and destinations
Raiffeisen Bank | re-structuring and sale/letting of various hotel and F&B assets | a.o. Demel - Steigenberger | Austria
UniCredit | re-structuring | Hotel Imperial Hotels AG a.o Hotel Imperial, Bristol | Vienna, Austria
Various Developers | Eurostars Hotels | development and letting of multiple hotels | Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria
Volksbank AG - Courtyard Marriott | development and letting | Budapest, Hungary
Wyndham Hotel Group | development of multiple Ramada hotels | Austria & Slovakia
Private Investors | planning & development of boutique hotels | Odessa, Kiev,Lviv - Ukraine
WTC companies | development planning of multiple upscale hotels| Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk, Russia
Private Investors | development of a design hotel | Astana, Kazakstan
Evidence | Development luxury hotel | Dakar, Senegal
Schloss Leopoldskron | re-structuring, architectural tender and operator search | Salzburg, Austria
Various Private Investors | development of hostels (Wombats and A&O) | Vienna, Prague and Budapest
Carlton Properties | hotel re-structuring and operator search | Bratislava, Slovakia
Uniqua | Sofitel Vienna | architecture tender and concept | Vienna, Austria
Iuris | Piestany Resort | project development and operator search | Slovakia
PARTNERS
Over the years HAM has served a wide variety of clients, among them owners, investors, financial institutions and their operators. See below a selection of the hotel groups which we have included in our development , operator search and asset management assignments:
MEMBERSHIPS
