I worked closely with Gretel for over a decade at Nikki Beach as she moved across the most demanding parts of the business — brand, marketing, sales, partnerships, and ultimately business development at group level. What set her apart was the ability to think about brand position and commercial outcome together, not separately. Most people in our segment can do one or the other. She is one of the few I came to rely on without reservation.

What's rare in our world isn't access; it's judgement. Gretel has both. When she introduces something, it tends to be considered. When she works on something, it tends to hold up. What I have noticed across the years is the ethics and the dedication, which are not optional in our work and not as common as they should be.

Across several years and multiple super-luxury automotive brand activations — Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin — Gretel was the operator-side counterpart we kept coming back to. She understood how to host brands of that calibre on a venue floor, how to protect both sides of the partnership through execution, and how to make every activation count for both parties. Hard to find that combination once, let alone consistently.

Gretel led the brand, marketing, and partnership work for the Nikki Beach Costa Smeralda pre-opening and continued to support the property across the operating seasons that followed. Brand-first, considered with luxury counterparties, and clear on what worked commercially. The relationships built then still hold up now.

Over several years of collaboration in sourcing hotel opportunities for Nikki Beach Club, Gretel has consistently been my indispensable counterpart. She has facilitated our work with unfailing professionalism, prompt responsiveness, and clear, pragmatic guidance on which opportunities could realistically proceed. Above all, I have valued her constant willingness to be fully available in every situation.

We met Gretel on the other side of an HMA conversation, pursuing a management agreement for one of our assets. What was clear from the first meeting was the seriousness of her preparation, her commercial command of the brief, and the calibre of advisor we were dealing with.

Across several complex hospitality transactions, Gretel was the operator-side counterpart who consistently came prepared, knew the commercial substance, and worked effectively alongside the legal and advisory teams. The deals progressed faster and cleaner because of her presence, not despite it.

Gretel led the operator side of a complete digital rebuild for a luxury hospitality group across the entire portfolio. She brought clarity, decisiveness, and strong brand thinking to every stage of the project, ensuring smooth delivery across a complex brief. Working with Gretel was an agency pleasure — proactive, collaborative, and always focused on achieving the right outcome for both the brand and the customer experience.