16 Apr 2026
Words John Miller Informer

Heavy Hitters & Rising Stars

From proven performers to innovators and disruptors, Informer’s power list celebrates the top 40 people tearing up the charts of Australia’s accommodation industry or who’ve made a lasting impact on our sector as pioneers. (Order is entirely random!).

1.

Harry Triguboff
Founder & Managing Director, Meriton

At 93, the indefatigable giant of Australian business remains our country’s second-richest individual, having built his fortune through Meriton, the property empire he founded in 1963. Widely regarded as the most successful developer in Australian history, Mr Triguboff distinguished himself by mastering every stage of the development process — acquiring land, overseeing construction, selling apartments and retaining the management rights. Meriton pioneered luxury apartment-style hotel accommodation and today stands as Australia’s largest hotel owner-operator, the largest privately owned apartment developer (80,000+!) and the country’s largest holder of management rights. Mr Triguboff’s understanding of the value of management rights has been a key foundation of the success of Meriton’s hotel and residential developments. During his meteoric rise, Mr Triguboff earned the nickname “High-Rise Harry,” a sobriquet he later embraced as the title of his 2024 autobiography.

2.

 Jane Hastings
Chief Executive Officer, EVT

ASX-listed EVT is one of the top three hotel operators in Australia, making Jane Hastings’ CEO role, which she’s held since 2017, a pivotal one. EVT has approximately 80 hotels across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, operating under brands such as Rydges, QT, Atura, LyLo and the Independent Collection. Another key decisionmaker at EVT is Peter Hill, a 30-year hotel industry veteran, who as Director of Development — Hotels & Resorts, is the company’s go-to person for development and acquisitions.

3.

Adrian Williams
Chief Operating OFFICER — PACIFIC, Accor

ResortBrokers has had great pleasure working alongside Accor over many years. During that time, Accor has solidified its position as Australia’s largest hotel operator and the world’s sixth. Driving Accor’s success in our part of the world has been Adrian who looks after the group’s Pacific interests. The Victorian took up his current position in 2024 after 26 years with the global giant, where he led the company’s $1.3 billion acquisition of Mantra in 2018. Having sold Mantra many of their properties over the years, ResortBrokers is thrilled to see the brand prosper under the stewardship of Adrian, who oversees more than 400 hotels and 21,500 staff across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii. No profile of Accor would be complete without mentioning Lindsay Leeser who as Chief Development Officer — Pacific is the company’s point man for hotel development.

4.

Jerry Schwartz
Director, Schwartz Family Company

Jerry Schwartz heads Australia’s largest privately owned hotel group started by his parents, Bel and Eva, in 1973. Today, the group’s portfolio numbers 15 hotels under brands including Sofitel, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Rydges and Hilton. Over the last few years, the Schwartz company has diversified into more leisure / family friendly tourism assets and locations, such as Leura Gardens Resort which the group bought for $25 million from Elanor Hotel Accommodation Fund in 2024.

5.

Justin Hemmes
Chief Executive Officer, MERIVALE

Justin Hemmes took over Merivale, the business started by his parents in the mid 1990s, and diversified into hospitality. Justin has the Midas touch, reinvigorating every location he buys into, which now includes Sydney CBD — Merivale’s revitalisation project, greenlit late last year, will see five heritage buildings in York, King and Clarence Streets transformed into a shimmering hospitality precinct. Accommodation remains a minor focus for Merivale, but it certainly has some sexy properties: Establishment Hotel, The Grand Hotel and Wynyard Hotel in Sydney’s CBD; Lorne Hotel in Lorne; Surf Beach Holiday Park in Narooma on the NSW South Coast; and The Whale Inn, also in Narooma, which Hemmes bought through ResortBrokers in 2021. After an extreme makeover, The Whale is set to reopen in the first half of 2026 as a boutique hotel.

6.

Chris Morris
Founder, Morris Group

Chris Morris used the fortune he made with Computershare to dabble in resorts, with the chief beneficiary being North Queensland. The AFR rich lister has invested hundreds of millions in the region with luxury properties that include luxury island hideaways Orpheus Island Lodge and Pelorus Private Island and outback resort Mount Mulligan Lodge. In 2014, Mr Morris reinvigorated Townsville’s struggling The Ville Resort-Casino with a $20 million facelift, and in late 2023 gave Townsville its first five-star hotel, The Ardo.

7.

Frawley Family
Management Rights

The Frawleys, together with the Picones (see right), are two families who have been synonymous with management rights on the Gold Coast for decades. Both families have bought and sold multiple management rights assets through ResortBrokers. The Frawley brothers — Peter, Bryan and Maurice — got their start in 1985 and today are one of the largest and most successful private operators in Australia. The Frawleys’ Gold Coast portfolio includes Australia’s tallest building, the 531-apartment Q1 Resort & Spa in Surfers Paradise.

8.

Deague Family
Deague Group

Patriarch W.H. Deague would be enormously proud of the pioneering spirit shown by the current standard bearers of the family company he started in 1859. Chief Executive Officer William Deague and Managing Director Jonathan Deague continue to push the venerable 167-year-old company forward in new ways. They not only made hotel development an art but blended art into several of their creations, notably the Art Series Hotels (which ResortBrokers sold for them to Mantra Group in 2017) and five-star hotel The Fantauzzo (subsequently rechristened Vincent) at Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves. Under Will and Jono, Deague Group continues to pioneer new projects and locations, such as their latest development — Bright Valley, a premium masterplanned community comprising 350 homes in Victoria’s High Country.

9.

David Mansfield
Managing Director, The Ascott Limited for Australia
Chair, Australian Hotels Association

David took Quest Apartment Hotels from a family owned corporate into its new home under Singapore-based The Ascott Limited, one of the world’s leading serviced residence owner-operators. David’s illustrious 35-year career in the hotel sector saw him work for the likes of IHG and Hyatt before joining Ascott in 2019 as chief operating officer of Quest. He assumed Ascott’s top executive role in Australia in 2021 and continues to oversee the expansion of Quest, Australasia’s largest and fastest growing apartment hotel operator, with over 160 properties across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. He’s also overseen the rollout of other exciting Ascott brands into Australia, such as Oakwood, lyf and Citadines.

10.

Picone Family
Management Rights

The Picone management rights dynasty started in the 1980s with patriarch Frank Picone who later joined forces with his three sons, Paul, Craig and Jason, to form the company that bears their initials, PCJ MR Pty Ltd. A career highlight was the Picone’s 2009 purchase of the management rights to the Gold Coast’s largest strata-titled resort, the 713-apartment Towers of Chevron Renaissance, which they later sold to Mantra Group in 2015.

11.

Penny Fowler
Chair, Tourism Australia

Tourism is Australia’s fourth-largest export industry, which makes Penny Fowler a key figure as head of this corporate Commonwealth entity. Fowler joined Tourism Australia’s board in 2019 and was appointed as its first female chair in 2024. Her immediate challenge is continuing to push international visitation beyond 2019 pre-Covid levels.

12.

John Zeckendorf & Ryan Shaw
Principals, Mandala Asset Solutions

John and Ryan aren’t what you’d expect when you meet the largest regional accommodation fund managers in the country. These former PwC accountants don’t look or act corporate, which is part of their charm. But they’re among the shrewdest operators in the game who, through astute investment, have grown Mandala Asset Solutions into the juggernaut it is. From a standing start in 2002, Mandala now has a portfolio of over 40 properties in multiple cities across Australia, representing $250 million in assets under management. ResortBrokers has had the pleasure of transacting many of Mandala’s major acquisitions over the years. On a personal note, John was the first Tasmanian to summit Everest. For Mandala, he and Ryan are eyeing off a corporate version of Everest: $1 billion worth of assets under management.

13.

Michael Tozer
Director, Collective Hotel Management

Through his company Collective Hotel Management, Michael has been a major management rights player for over a decade and is one of the best operators in the business. Today, the company has a portfolio of premium properties across three Australian states, many of which have been acquired through ResortBrokers. Michael and wife Chloe were also behind the loving restoration of Sunshine Coast icon Halse Lodge, which made the pages of Vogue in 2024.

14.

Paul & Robert Salter
Managing Director / Director, Salter Brothers

The past few years have been seismic for the global fund manager. In 2021, it acquired Mirvac and NRMA’s Travelodge portfolio for a reported $620 million, followed by its 2022 acquisition of Spicers Retreats for a reported $130 million. While the Travelodge portfolio acquisition made strategic sense, the move into the boutique luxury segment with Spicers came as a surprise to many. Yet it reflected Salter Brothers’ knack for identifying a trend earlier than most — in this case growing guest demand for exclusive, high-end experiences.

15.

Peter Barge
Consultant

ResortBrokers has long drawn on Peter’s deep experience in the accommodation space as our executive mentor and coach — and now as our recently appointed board member. Peter rose to prominence in the high-flying 1980s when, with Stephen Burt and Bill Cross, he started Transact Hotel and Tourism Property. He recalls waking to multiple overnight fax offers from Japanese buyers eager to secure Australian hotels and golf resorts. Transact went on to become Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels — a move that took Peter to New York, Chicago and later Singapore — turning it into the largest hotel brokerage firm in the world. As Global Chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, and Asia Pacific CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle itself, Peter led a network of more than 20,000 staff across 12 countries and 60-plus offices. Now ‘retired,’ Peter’s expertise remains in high demand, consulting to major players in the local and global hotel industry.

16.

Grant Wilckens
Chief Executive Officer, Discovery Parks

Grant has been a huge part of Discovery’s success story. Having brought the Adelaide-based group back from the brink in 2009 after the GFC, Grant has built Discovery into Australia’s largest network of holiday parks, with the backing of majority shareholder Sunsuper and Discovery’s board. Under Grant’s stewardship, Discovery has become a $1 billion company, investing in waterparks, resort-style parks and safari-style glamping in some of the nation’s top tourist destinations.

17.

Craig Hooley
Chief Operating Officer, Minor Hotels

Minor Hotels continues to go from strength to strength under Craig’s leadership. As COO of Minor for the last eight years, Craig oversees 60 properties across Australia and New Zealand, providing returns to over 7,000 strata-titled apartment owners. Minor Hotels — a subsidiary of Minor International, a publicly listed company on the Thai Stock Exchange — is a leading service operator in some of Australia’s most prestigious short-term complexes, including Queen’s Wharf Residences, Avani Central Melbourne Residences and Avani Broadbeach Residences, all of which Minor purchased through ResortBrokers.

18.

Emma Hynes
Director of Operations – Australasia & Pacific, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Deputy Chair, Accommodation Australia

IHG is one of the top three hotel operators in Australia. Appointed in 2022, Emma drives the performance of IHG’s more than 30 branded hotels including Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Voco, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, across Australasia and the Pacific. She’s also deputy chair of Accommodation Australia, a division representing hotels within peak industry body the Australian Hotels Association. Prior to IHG, Hynes spent eight years with TFE Hotels in Melbourne and Canberra.

19.

Ben Orton
Founder & Director, Belmo Group

One of the savviest private corporate operators in the management rights space, Ben made a name for himself with several astute acquisitions through his company Prestige Residential, which recently rebranded as Belmo Group. ResortBrokers transacted the group’s off-the-plan purchase of the 135-apartment Quay and 124-apartment Isle, Mirvac’s latest luxury high-rises in Brisbane, and the 46-apartment Oceans Mooloolaba, the only AAA-rated five-star resort in Mooloolaba, which set a new record for a Sunshine Coast management rights sale in 2023. Ben has a sharp eye for premium assets in prime locations and an instinctive understanding of the guest experience that turns great properties into standout destinations.

20.

Sue Fairweather
Executive General Manager, ULTIQA Hotels & Resorts

ULTIQA’S incredible expansion across the Gold Coast is due in no small part to Sue who sets the tone for the properties and ensures guest service is top notch by working directly with managers. The South African-owned private hotel operator first made a splash on the Gold Coast when it launched ULTIQA Air at Broadbeach 15 years ago. Since then, ULTIQA has raised the bar with every subsequent property in its growing portfolio across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Fiji — many of them purchased through ResortBrokers.

21.

John Mahoney
Founding Partner, Mahoneys

It’s very hard to imagine the healthy place the management rights industry is in today without John. One of the forefathers of the industry, the veteran management rights lawyer’s vision and guidance have helped shaped the sector and protected it from outside attacks. His advocacy and input into key management rights legislation is widely recognised throughout the industry, and his longstanding commitment to the sector was recognised in 2023 when he received a Lifetime of Service Award from the industry’s peak body ARAMA, where he’s been a board member since 2015.

Another key Mahoneys’ lawyer is Amy O’Donnell. A Mahoneys’ partner since 2020, O’Donnell got her start in management rights law in the late 1990s and today is the industry’s most senior female legal practitioner. Over the decades, ResortBrokers has had the pleasure of working with John, Amy and the team at Mahoneys on countless management rights transactions.

22.

Rod Munro
Managing Director, BWH Hotels Australasia

Since taking the helm as Managing Director of BWH Hotels Australasia in 2023, Rod has been entrusted with an ambitious mandate: to expand the group’s footprint across Australia and New Zealand to more than 100 hotels. Under his leadership, BWH has been steadily advancing toward that goal, with a clear focus on strategic growth and strengthening the brand’s regional presence. In recent years, notable additions such as Best Western Adelaide Airport, along with several SureStay properties, have joined BWH’s stable.

23.

Brendan Tutt
Founder & Managing Director, Tessa Group

Brendan heads this Queensland property company which has an impressive $2 billion portfolio of assets under management, including many acquired via ResortBrokers. Tessa holds multiple management rights across the Sunshine State, from Townsville to the Gold Coast, representing tens of millions in premium assets. Brendan’s profile wouldn’t be complete without mentioning his wingman, Kurt Swenson, another founding director of Tessa.

24.

Trent Fraser
Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac

Trent has overseen significant growth for Choice Hotels in Australia and New Zealand, leading the Asia-Pacific division of one of the world’s largest hotel groups. Choice Hotels International operates 22 brands and more than 7,400 properties globally, including around 170 across Australia and New Zealand. Under Trent’s leadership, the company has strengthened its presence while maintaining a franchise model widely regarded as one of the most supportive in the sector. Choice balances the scale and systems of a global brand with a practical, collaborative approach, ensuring franchisees invest where returns make sense. In 2023, the group expanded further with the off-market acquisition of the City Edge portfolio (transacted by ResortBrokers), doubling its Melbourne portfolio and adding 271 apartments across five locations.

25.

Cleighton & Steele Clark
Managing Director / Director, Habitat Development Group

Brothers Cleighton and Steele have helped redefine the Sunshine Coast through some of the coolest projects in the urban development space. In 2022, Habitat opened its first residential complex in the emerging $2.5 billion Maroochydore City Centre Priority Development Area (PDA): the 152-apartment Market Lane Residences. In 2024, Habitat commenced another Maroochydore PDA residential complex, the 158-apartment The Corso. In 2025, Habitat engaged ResortBrokers to bring the management rights of Market Lane Residences and The Corso to market. Habitat continues to be a significant player on the Sunshine Coast where it’s one of the few construction groups to have succeeded in getting developments off the ground.

26.

Lachlan Hoswell
Managing Director Australasia, Radisson Hotel Group

Since joining Radisson in 2022, following an 11-year stint as general counsel and chief commercial officer at Minor Hotels, Lachie has been driving the hotel giant’s expansion across our region. The 117-year-old Radisson has an international footprint of more than 1,700 hotels, yet its presence in Australasia has historically been limited to a handful of properties. Lachie is now well on the way to changing that. In 2024, he pulled off something of a coup with Radisson Blu Hotel in Port Moresby, a project ResortBrokers’ executive coach Peter Barge (mentioned above) is consulting on. Another strategic addition was Canterbury International Hotel in Melbourne, which now operates under the Radisson Individuals brand. ResortBrokers worked on many deals with Lachie during his previous roles, so we know firsthand that he’s one of the best in the business at getting deals done.

27.

Michael Song
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, CLLIX Apartment and Hotels

Within the short space of 12 years, Michael has built a management rights empire. He bought his first management rights in 2014 and today operates one of the largest management rights portfolios in the country through his company CLLIX Apartments and Hotels. CLLIX has dozens of properties across Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast (many acquired through ResortBrokers), including trophy assets such as Brisbane Skytower, the Queensland capital’s tallest building.

28.

Andrew Bullock
Chief Executive Officer, 1834 HotelS

Andrew has spent more than two decades with 1834 Hotels, including the past 18 years as CEO, helping transform the Adelaide-based company into one of Australia’s leading white-label hotel management operators. The group now works with a nationwide portfolio of hotels, motels, resorts and serviced apartments, with a reputation for delivering great F&B and distinctive guest experiences — areas that can often be difficult for operators to execute well. Rather than imposing a corporate stamp, 1834’s approach centres on elevating the individual identity of each property, ensuring guest experience comes first. Highly engaged in the sector, Andrew also contributes to the industry as treasurer of Accommodation Australia.

29.

Sam Gardner
Director, Gardner Vaughan Group

As head of Brisbane developer Gardner Vaughan Group (GVG), Sam distinguished himself with several award-winning, sustainably designed buildings that challenged convention and set new benchmarks for the industry. Among the company’s standout projects is Renovaré, a 159-apartment complex in the inner-city suburb of Yeronga, which won the Medium Density category at the 2023 UDIA Queensland Awards. Another landmark project is Monterey in Kangaroo Point — an 11-storey, 20-apartment boutique development — which holds the distinction of being Australia’s tallest residential tower constructed from timber. ResortBrokers successfully sold the management rights for both buildings, along with several other GVG developments.

30.

Charlotte Vidor AM
TOGA Group

In 1963, wife and husband Charlotte and Ervin Vidor, with Tony Stillone, started the company that would become TOGA Group. Today, the group’s portfolio includes TFE Hotels, which operates approximately 80 hotels across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Europe under well-known brands such as Adina Hotels, A by Adina, Vibe Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels, Travelodge, Quincy and Collection by TFE Hotels.

31.

Adam Di Marco
Founder & Publisher, The Urban Developer

Adam identified a gap in industry media for urban development, then leveraged his two decades’ worth of property experience and relationships to fill that gap with The Urban Developer. Launched in 2014, ‘TUD’ has grown into Australia’s largest and most engaged community for urban development professionals through its curated suite of events, webinars, awards and industry news. TUD’s news portal is a must-read for anyone in the accommodation sector’s development space, and we simply cannot imagine the industry without it.

32.

Jonathan Drew
Managing Director, Drew Group

Jonathan recognised the potential in a revitalised Main Beach on the Gold Coast at a time when many others saw little more than tumbleweeds. His flagship development, Lagoon — located just off Tedder Avenue — is a prestige residential complex featuring 259 apartments across twin towers. In 2025, Drew Group engaged ResortBrokers to sell the off-the-plan management rights to Lagoon, marking another milestone for the project. Jonathan continues to pioneer new developments as head of the eponymous, family owned and operated Drew Group, which since 1982 has delivered numerous apartment residences and hotels across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

33.

Irfan Kureshi
Director, Infinitive Finance Solutions

Without doubt, Irfan has been the most active individual in the motel space for the past 24 to 36 months. A 20-year banking and finance expert, Irfan has arranged finance for the purchase of over 130 accommodation assets in the last three years through his company Infinitive Finance Solutions. After investing in a leasehold motel himself with a family member, Irfan couldn’t believe the great returns, free-living advantages and tax benefits. He then started recommending to his clients to move from F&B and branded petrol station franchises into accommodation. Irfan has been responsible for introducing more first-timers into the motel industry than anyone else in recent times — many of those deals have been transacted through ResortBrokers.

34.

Erin McLeod
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, Australian Tourism Industry Council

As CEO since 2022, Erin leads the national representative body for tourism regions, industry associations and businesses throughout Australia. A 20-year tourism industry veteran, Erin joined ATIC in 2016, first as national manager, then as general manager and now as CEO. Read our interview with her on ATIC’s Star Rating system (p38).

35.

Darryl Courtney-O’Connor AM
Founder, Constellation Hotels

Darryl left his footprint in the accommodation space when he founded Constellation Hotels in 1986 with just 12 motels. By the time Constellation was acquired by SilverNeedle Hospitality in 2011, Darryl had grown it five times over with more than 60 hotels across Australia and New Zealand under popular brands such as Chifley, Australis Resorts, Country Comfort and Alpha Hotels & Resorts. Darryl is still heavily involved in hospitality via the International College of Management, a leading educator in the sector which he founded in 1996.

36.

Trevor Rawnsley
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ARAMA

Trevor has been the management rights industry’s greatest champion and strongest advocate as CEO of the Australian Resident Accommodation Manager’s Association (ARAMA) for the last 15 years. Over that time, he’s championed the interests of management rights stakeholders both inside and outside government circles, staving off attacks on the industry from various quarters. Trevor is currently heading a special interest group to promote psychologically safe spaces within strata-titled communities, which you can read about in our feature (p32).

37.

Grant Cassidy OAM
Managing Director, The Cassidy Group

A relative latecomer in the hotel space, Grant started his professional career in radio. His dulcet tones still command attention as head of The Cassidy Group, which he founded in 2001 and grew into a sizeable portfolio of regional Queensland properties. ResortBrokers has had the privilege of transacting many of Grant’s assets, including two of his largest, The Edge Apartment Hotel and Empire Apartment Hotel, in Rockhampton. In 2024, Belmo Group picked up the rights for more than $10 million, representing the largest ever management rights transaction for a regional location.

38.

David Toomey
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, Deltine Capital

David only entered the motel space in late 2014 through his investment company Deltine Capital but has grand ambitions to become Australia’s largest owned and operated motel chain within the next five years. We’ve no doubt David’s star will continue to rise as Deltine moves rapidly towards its goal. Read more about David in our Faces of the Industry feature (p50).

39.

Sarah Andrews
General Manager, Andrews Projects

Sarah has spent over 10 years growing the family business started by her father, Danny, a licensed builder who founded Andrews Projects to pursue his passion for innovative and quality lifestyle developments. Andrews’ latest project is Cascade Gold Coast, a premium residential complex set across two modern 15-storey midrise towers on the Gold Coast. In 2025, Andrews engaged ResortBrokers to sell the off-the-plan management rights to Cascade.

40.

Dennis Clark
Founding Director, Hotel Interiors

With over 35 years’ experience designing and installing custom interiors for countless hotels, Dennis literally knows hotels from the inside out. A magnificently flamboyant, larger-than-life personality, Dennis has worked with some of the most recognised hotel brands in the world, across Asia Pacific, UAE and Africa. Dennis’ trademark hair, which has graced the inside cover of Informer for many years, has earned him the nickname within ResortBrokers as the “Don King of the hotel furniture business.” He’s been Informer’s biggest supporter for many, many years — and our list of the great and the good wouldn’t be complete without him! END