*A "scale-up" refers to a young company that has already moved beyond the start-up stage — the concept is validated and the model works — and is entering a phase of rapid, structured growth, with the ambition of replicating that model at scale rather than continuing to experiment.
LikeStay is strengthening its operational governance. The young German hotel brand has appointed Vanessa Uccello as Director of Operations, effective from 1 September. Based in Baden-Baden, she is responsible for overseeing operations, integrating future properties, and establishing common standards across the network.
According to the company, the appointment addresses a central priority of its growth strategy: working closely with on-site teams so that digital processes, guest satisfaction and operational efficiency reinforce one another on a daily basis.
Sixteen years driving B&B Hotels’ development
Vanessa Uccello spent more than sixteen years at B&B Hotels Germany. She joined in 2009 as Quality Coordinator, responsible for developing the group’s operational standards and procedures. From 2012, she took regional responsibility for the brand’s development in Austria, before leading the brand’s structuring in that market from 2018 onwards, as well as the integration of two acquired hotel portfolios (nine Première Classe and five LetoMotels properties).
From 2020, she became Head of Operations, Central & Northern Europe. She was directly involved in B&B Hotels’ development in the United Kingdom, overseeing its market entry, including the opening of the first property and the acquisition of five further hotels. She also coordinated the integration of three hotel portfolios, including thirty Ibis Budget properties, while ensuring operational continuity across the network during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2025, she was promoted to Head of Operations, Area Management & Operational Excellence for Central and Northern Europe. In this role, she held overall operational responsibility for 220 hotels, with direct oversight of performance indicators and P&L, reporting to senior management and the operations department, as well as approval of capital expenditure (Capex) requests and monitoring of operating budgets (Opex).
Between January and July 2026, she held an Interim General Manager assignment at HARBR. Hotel Heilbronn, a member of Radisson Individuals, before joining LikeStay.
Data-driven operational governance
Her mission at LikeStay is closely tied to the development of the brand’s technology foundation and AI engine, led in conjunction with co-founder Constantin Rehberg. According to the company, this technology layer is intended to enable properties to operate with leaner teams, respond quickly to guest requests, and ground operational decisions in data.
The stated goal is to build a repeatable operating model for every new opening — a condition set by the founders for turning LikeStay into a hotel platform that is replicable at scale.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
LikeStay appoints Vanessa Uccello as Director of Operations
Effective September 1, 2026, based in Baden-Baden, Germany
16+ years at B&B Hotels: quality standards, Austria growth, UK market entry, portfolio integrations
Most recently Head of Operations, Area Management & Operational Excellence, Central & Northern Europe (220 hotels)
Interim General Manager at HARBR. Hotel Heilbronn (Radisson Individuals) before joining LikeStay
Focus at LikeStay: operational standards, tech stack and AI-driven decision making to build a scalable platform
