A dual mandate combining global coordination and pan-European transactions
JLL has announced the appointment of Charlie MacIldowie to lead its Global Hotel Desk, a specialist platform connecting international capital with hotel investment opportunities.
He will simultaneously serve as Managing Director within the EMEA Hotels & Hospitality Capital Markets team, reporting to William Duffey, who leads the business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Based in London, he will work closely with the regional heads of Hotels & Hospitality: William Duffey for EMEA, Nihat Ercan for Asia-Pacific, and Kevin Davis and Dan Peek for the Americas.
His remit covers two complementary areas: managing the Global Hotel Desk’s worldwide investor network and executing pan-European hotel transactions involving individual assets, portfolios or operating platforms.
This structure is intended to strengthen JLL‘s ability to advise investors whose acquisition or disposal strategies extend beyond national borders.
The Global Hotel Desk: connecting international capital with hotel assets
The Global Hotel Desk brings together advisers specialising in cross-border capital flows within hotel real estate.
Its role includes connecting international institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and family offices with owners and operators seeking to dispose of assets or develop their portfolios.
The platform draws on JLL’s international network, which, according to the announcement, spans more than 40 countries for this business.
Within EMEA, Charlie MacIldowie will work alongside a Hotels & Hospitality Capital Markets team comprising more than 50 professionals.
The business covers transactions involving individual hotels, as well as portfolio deals and platform acquisitions, which may combine real estate assets, hotel operations and management structures.
The latter category is particularly relevant to investors seeking exposure to several markets through a single transaction, rather than gradually assembling a portfolio of individual assets.
For JLL, the objective is to leverage its relationships with international investors to facilitate the execution of complex transactions and align investment strategies with opportunities across different hotel markets.
Fifteen years of experience across London, Singapore and Tokyo
Charlie MacIldowie brings 15 years of experience in real estate capital markets across EMEA and Asia-Pacific.
He has spent 14 of those years specialising in hotel investment transactions, working from London, Singapore and Tokyo.
Transactions in which he has been involved include the Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk, Oakwood Suites Yokohama and GIC’s acquisition of a Seibu portfolio in 2022, valued at approximately $1 billion.
The latter transaction illustrates his experience in large-scale portfolio deals and relationships with international institutional investors.
Most recently, Charlie MacIldowie served as Senior Director, EMEA Living Capital Markets at JLL, advising on real estate transactions involving operational assets.
His appointment therefore marks a return to the EMEA Hotels & Hospitality team, where he began his career 15 years ago.
He intends, in particular, to draw on the relationships developed during his time in Asia to support JLL clients with cross-border investment interests.
JLL reports $10.6 billion in hotel transactions in 2025
The appointment comes within the context of JLL’s international hotel investment advisory business.
According to RCA data cited by JLL, the group completed $10.6 billion in hotel transactions worldwide in 2025, including $5.8 billion in the EMEA region.
EMEA therefore accounted for approximately 55% of JLL’s reported global hotel transaction volume for the year.
Since 1999, the group’s Hotels & Hospitality business reports having advised on transactions representing more than $200 billion.
William Duffey, Head of EMEA Hotels & Hospitality Capital Markets, emphasises that the appointment reflects JLL’s commitment to strengthening its ability to connect clients with international sources of capital.
These figures relate to transactions advised on or completed by JLL’s advisory teams. They do not represent investments made by JLL on its own account.
An organisational structure reflecting the internationalisation of investment strategies
Charlie MacIldowie’s appointment illustrates the growing importance of international coordination in hotel investment advisory services.
Cross-border transactions require a simultaneous understanding of local real estate markets, hotel operating models and the requirements of international investors.
In this environment, advisory teams must be capable of supporting both individual asset disposals and transactions involving multiple properties or operating platforms.
Charlie MacIldowie’s background, combining European experience with knowledge of Asian markets, reflects this increasingly international movement of capital.
For JLL, his dual mandate is expected to strengthen synergies between regional teams and the Global Hotel Desk while expanding pan-European transaction activity.
The appointment also reinforces the positioning of hotel real estate as an asset class requiring specialist expertise at the intersection of capital markets, property investment and hotel operations.
At a Glance
Appointment: Charlie MacIldowie named Global Hotel Desk Lead and Managing Director, EMEA Hotels & Hospitality Capital Markets.
Location: London, reporting to William Duffey for his EMEA responsibilities.
Mandate: Cross-border hotel investment, single-asset disposals and acquisitions, portfolios and platform transactions.
Experience: 15 years in real estate capital markets across EMEA and APAC, including major hotel transactions in Japan.
EMEA team: More than 50 Hotels & Hospitality Capital Markets professionals.
Transaction volumes: JLL reports $10.6 billion in global hotel transactions in 2025, including $5.8 billion in EMEA.
