Director of New Openings & Integrations

At Staycity Group, we bring together two leading aparthotel brands, Staycity, and Wilde, united by a shared commitment to modern, flexible hospitality. Across our properties and support teams, our goal is simple: to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests and create an environment where our people can do their best work.

Whether you’re joining our operations, sales or head office teams, you’ll be part of a fast-growing European hospitality group built on our values of curiosity, drive, collaboration, kindness, and respect. We’re a diverse and inclusive team that encourages you to bring your unique self to work — because we believe great hospitality starts with people who feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

The Director of New Openings & Integrations is responsible for leading the successful opening, integration and stabilisation of properties across the Staycity Group portfolio.

Working across multiple brands, markets and jurisdictions, this role brings together Operations, Commercial, People, Brand, Development and Finance teams to ensure properties are operationally ready, commercially positioned for success and fully integrated into Staycity's operating model.

The role leads cross-functional delivery throughout the opening and integration lifecycle, aligning stakeholders, managing risk and ensuring operational and commercial readiness. Success will depend on the ability to influence across functions, navigate complexity and deliver consistent outcomes across multiple projects and markets.

In addition to new openings, the role leads the integration of acquired and transitioning properties into Staycity's standards, systems and guest experience expectations, while helping build the scalable capability, frameworks and ways of working required to support the Group's future growth ambitions.

This is a full-time, permanent role, based in the UK, with frequent long term travel required.

We would love you to have:

· Significant leadership experience (minimum 10 years) within hotel, aparthotel or lifestyle hospitality operations, including responsibility for multi-site openings, integrations or mobilisation programmes.

· Proven track record of successfully delivering hotel or aparthotel openings and integrations across multiple sites, countries and jurisdictions.

· Experience within lifestyle and/or select-service hospitality environments.

· Strong commercial awareness, including revenue management, rate strategy, opening budgets and asset performance.

· Experience leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, dependencies and competing priorities.

· Strong understanding of hotel operations across Front Office, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Food & Beverage and support functions.

· Experience working with owners, landlords, developers and asset stakeholders throughout the opening lifecycle.

· Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels, including Executive and C-Suite stakeholders.

· Proven ability to identify risks early, escalate appropriately and drive solutions in fast-paced environments.

· Proven ability to bring structure, clarity and pace to complex, fast-moving environments.

· A calm, pragmatic and solutions-focused leadership style, with the ability to build alignment and momentum through change.

What you can do for us:

· Lead the successful opening, integration and stabilisation of properties across the Staycity Group portfolio.

· Partner with General Managers and cross-functional teams to ensure properties are operationally ready and commercially positioned for success.

· Lead operational due diligence and integration planning for acquisitions, transitions and new properties joining the portfolio.

· Build and manage critical paths, project plans and governance processes across multiple concurrent projects.

· Drive alignment across Operations, Commercial, People, Brand, Development and Finance teams.

· Influence decision-making across multiple functions and stakeholder groups to ensure successful delivery.

· Identify, manage and escalate project risks, ensuring successful delivery against agreed timelines.

· Support the development of scalable frameworks, playbooks and ways of working that enable future growth across the portfolio.

· Help build the capability required to support an increasingly ambitious opening pipeline across multiple brands and markets.

Operational Execution and Readiness

· Ensure all operational standards, systems and processes are implemented and tested prior to opening.

· Coordinate readiness activities across all operational departments.

· Lead operational testing, scenario planning and soft opening activities.

· Ensure teams are trained, mobilised and prepared to deliver from day one.

· Support General Managers in transitioning properties from mobilisation into stable trading operations.

· Ensure all regulatory, compliance, health and safety and licensing requirements are met.

People & Team Leadership:

· Support, coach and develop General Managers through the opening and integration lifecycle.

· Partner with People teams to recruit, onboard and mobilise opening teams.

· Build alignment and collaboration across multiple stakeholder groups and project teams.

· Act as a trusted advisor and leader during periods of change and uncertainty.

· Foster a culture of accountability, pace, operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Commercial & Brand Alignment

· Work closely with Commercial teams to support revenue readiness, rate strategy and trading ramp-up.

· Ensure revenue systems, booking engines, channel managers and distribution channels are configured and tested ahead of opening.

· Manage opening budgets and monitor performance throughout stabilisation periods.

· Ensure properties launch in line with brand standards, guest experience expectations and commercial objectives.

· Partner with Brand and Development teams to ensure successful delivery of the end-to-end guest proposition.

· Balance operational decisions with commercial outcomes, ensuring properties are positioned for long-term success.

Knowledge Management & Continuous Improvement

· Maintain and evolve opening and integration playbooks, toolkits and governance frameworks.

· Capture lessons learned and implement improvements following each opening and integration.

· Develop scalable processes and best practices that support future growth ambitions.

· Share knowledge and build capability across the wider business.

· Stay informed on industry trends, competitor activity and emerging best practice.

Role Level

This role is aligned to Level 3 (Director) within the Staycity Group leadership framework. Level 3 (Director) leaders shape organisational capability and deliver enterprise-wide impact across multiple functions. They lead complex initiatives, influence senior stakeholders, build scalable capability, and drive outcomes that support the organisation's long-term growth and success.