Associate Director, Hospitality

Department:

We are Walker & Dunlop. We are one of the largest providers of capital to the commercial real estate industry, enabling real estate owners and operators to bring their visions of communities - where people live, work, shop, and play - to life. We are committed to creating meaningful social, environmental, and economic change in our communities.

Department Overview

Our EMEA experts deliver exceptional debt and equity solutions across the commercial real estate spectrum, combining deep capital markets expertise with local EMEA real estate knowledge to maximise returns and minimise risk for our clients.

Walker & Dunlop's EMEA Hotels Investment & Sales practice provides institutional-grade hotel brokerage, sell-side advisory, debt and equity placement, and M&A services across the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, and the broader EMEA region. With a focus on single-asset and portfolio transactions in the £70-500m range, our team connects institutional investors, private equity, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and owner-operators with the capital and counterparties that drive exceptional outcomes.

Through our unified approach, we serve the full hospitality spectrum while leveraging Walker & Dunlop's extensive global capital network, proprietary technology, and transaction expertise to maximise value for our clients.

The Impact You Will Have

Join a rapidly growing team as Associate Director within Walker & Dunlop's EMEA Hotels Investment & Sales practice in London. Working closely with the Managing Director and Director across live hotel capital markets mandates, you will take a leading role in financial underwriting, transaction process management, marketing material preparation, and investor engagement. You will also begin to develop your own client relationships and contribute to origination activity, with a clear and structured path to Director. In a lean, high-performing team, your execution quality and commercial instincts will be visible from day one.

Primary Responsibilities

• Assist senior advisors in identifying and pursuing new business leads, maintaining existing client relationships, and managing the deal pipeline across UK and EMEA hotel markets.
• Conduct detailed reviews of potential sell-side, debt advisory, and M&A mandates; assess their viability and oversee the production of pitch documents and financing proposals as required.
• Analyse hotel investment and financing scenarios for existing and prospective clients considering acquisition, refinancing, recapitalisation, or disposal opportunities.
• Oversee and take responsibility for the preparation and assembly of Investment Memoranda, Financing Memoranda, and ancillary documents - including cashflow models and market analyses - associated with new mandates.
• Manage allocated hotel transactions across all stages: from initial identification and pitching, through deal marketing (preparation of materials and investor engagement), to final closing (legal documentation and completion).
• Develop strong relationships with external clients, with a particular focus on building your peer network within the investor, lender, and owner-operator communities.
• Take joint responsibility with the Director for the training and development of the Senior Analyst and any junior team members.
• Work with the Director to coordinate tasks and delegate workstreams across the junior team, ensuring appropriate distribution of mandates across the resource pool.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• In office attendance is required Monday through Friday.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; preference for finance, real estate, or economics concentration.
• 5-8+ years of commercial real estate experience required, preferably with hotel owners, capital markets advisers, investment banks, or financial institutions.
• Hotel capital markets or hospitality advisory experience within the UK or European market strongly preferred.
• Experience across multiple property types with exposure to both investment and development transactions; hotel sector knowledge essential.
• CFA, MRICS, or CCIM a plus.
• Language skills (French, German, Spanish, Italian) a plus.
• Eligible to work in the United Kingdom.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Possess a working knowledge of hotel transaction processes including due diligence, legal documentation, and closing procedures.
• Excellent financial modelling skills including thorough knowledge of Excel; ARGUS a plus.
• Strong technical understanding of hotel P&Ls, operating performance metrics (RevPAR, EBITDA, GOP), and valuation methodologies including DCF and yield-based approaches.
• Proficiency in MS Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint; ability to learn Salesforce and other company software as needed.
• Proven written and oral communication skills; capable of producing client-ready pitch materials and investment memoranda with limited supervision.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills, with the ability to accurately manage multiple mandates during time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to show ownership of your work, take on challenges, acknowledge growth opportunities, and demonstrate patience when learning new processes.
• Courtesy, respect, and thoughtfulness in teaming with colleagues and other stakeholders.

What We Offer

• You will have the opportunity to accelerate in our rapidly growing organization.
• We’re a lean team, so your impact will be felt immediately.
• Flexible working hours, career advancement, and competitive compensation package.
• We arrange social activities to help our employees and families become familiar with each other and our culture.
• In addition to other benefits, we offer supplemental health insurance, a pension plan, and 100% complimentary and confidential mental health services.

Walker & Dunlop utilizes Workday for automated applicant tracking. No hiring decisions are fully automated, and our talent recruiting team may be reached at any time at [email protected]. You have the right to request information on the screening process. You further have the right to withdraw or delete your information at any time.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We are committed to equity in all steps of the recruitment and employment experience. We believe in equal access to opportunities in our workplace. We do not tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on any characteristic protected by applicable law, such as race, color, national origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, age, disability, veteran or military status, and genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We strive to be a safe place to ask questions, build professional relationships, and develop careers.

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