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Process

From idea to a finished project — six stages

This page sets out exactly how HMG works: what you receive at each stage, what we need from you, and which mistake is most expensive at that point.

A hotel project cannot be broken into separate jobs that different companies do independently of one another.

The architect draws, the contractor builds, and the operator arrives last — only to find the laundry is on the wrong floor, the kitchen is forty metres from the restaurant, and the room mix does not match the segment that actually comes to this location.

After opening, that is close to impossible to fix. So with us all six stages sit in one chain, and every decision is tested against how the hotel will run in year five — not how it looks in a render.

Stages6
Full cycle, indicative2.5–4 years
You can join atany stage
ContractOne
Accountable teamOne
Delivered projects22
01Feasibility 02Concept 03Design 04Build 05Pre-open 06Operate
01 Feasibility 6–8 weeks

First establish whether it is worth building. Then draw it.

We start with the location: who comes to this region, with what seasonality, what they pay and where they stay today. From that come the target segment, a realistic ADR and occupancy forecast, and a preliminary financial model.

This is often the stage where the original idea turns out to need changing — a different segment, a different scale, or a different site altogether. It is the cheapest possible place to change your mind.

You receive
  • Market study and demand analysis
  • Competitive set analysis
  • ADR, occupancy and RevPAR forecast
  • Preliminary financial model
  • A verdict: whether it is worth doing, and on what terms
We need from you
  • Site documentation and cadastral data
  • Investment frame — how much you intend to invest
  • Target return and hold period
The typical mistake here

Buying the land before the assessment. A plot can be cheap, but if there is no water, sewerage or electrical capacity, the saving goes straight into infrastructure and the schedule slips by months.

02 Concept 6–10 weeks

Positioning, brand, and the room mix the model actually supports.

We develop the concept: who the guest is, what the hotel promises them, and how it differs from what already stands next door. This is also where the brand question is settled — international franchise or independent.

The key count, the room mix and the F&B programme come out of the financial model, not out of the architect's first sketch. We put both options — branded and independent — into numbers and show you the difference.

You receive
  • Concept book
  • Brand comparison matrix
  • Operator RFP pack
  • Revised room programme
  • F&B concept and its economics
We need from you
  • Hold period — are you planning to sell or hold
  • Brand preference, if any
  • Capex ceiling
The typical mistake here

Setting the key count by how many rooms 'fit' on the plot. A building may hold 120 keys, but if the market fills 70, the other 50 are a cost all year round — heating, cleaning, depreciation.

03 Design 4–8 months

A drawing that already accounts for how the hotel will run.

Architectural and interior design, engineering, cost optimisation and tender management. Our role here is not simply to draw — every decision is checked against operating logic.

Where staff circulate and whether that crosses the guest route. How laundry moves. Where deliveries land and whether a truck can actually get there. How many square metres are given to space that earns nothing.

You receive
  • Architectural design
  • Interior concept and details
  • MEP engineering
  • Tender documentation
  • Refined CAPEX
We need from you
  • Timely stage sign-offs
  • Running the permitting process
  • Funding confirmation
The typical mistake here

Designing for the photo rather than for the work. A beautiful lobby where the receptionist cannot see the entrance. A kitchen from which food arrives at the restaurant cold. None of this shows on the drawing — it shows on the first working day.

04 Build 14–24 months

Budget and schedule are held here — or lost here.

Site supervision, budget control, quality control and FF&E / OS&E procurement. We work on the owner's side: it is not in our interest for the scope of works to grow.

Every month you get a report: where we stand against schedule and budget, which risks have surfaced, and what decision you need to make next month.

You receive
  • Monthly progress report
  • Budget tracking and forecast
  • FF&E and OS&E procurement
  • Quality control and snag lists
We need from you
  • Keeping to the payment schedule
  • Timely change-order approvals
The typical mistake here

Ordering furniture and equipment late. FF&E takes three to six months to manufacture and ship. If the order goes in once the building is ready, the hotel stands empty, bookings are pushed back — and that is a season lost outright.

05 Pre-open 16 weeks

On opening day the hotel should already be selling.

Standards implementation, recruitment and training, PMS setup, opening the distribution channels and setting the first-year rate strategy. Sixteen weeks before the doors open.

This is the stage most often squeezed for time — and it is precisely the one that decides whether year one closes in profit or in loss.

You receive
  • Operating standards (SOP)
  • A recruited and trained team
  • PMS and distribution channel integration
  • Year-one sales plan
  • Rate strategy by season
We need from you
  • Pre-opening budget
  • Legal and licensing matters
The typical mistake here

Starting to sell after opening. Bookings have to open months ahead — tour operators and corporate clients plan their season in advance. If the hotel is not on their list, the first season is already lost, however good the building is.

06 Operate Ongoing

From here everything comes down to one number: RevPAR.

Revenue management, sales and marketing, food and beverage, staffing and transparent owner reporting. Monthly P&L, operational audits and the annual budget.

We run the hotel as though it were ours — because our fee is tied to how it performs. If the hotel does badly, that lands on us too.

You receive
  • Monthly P&L and reporting
  • Revenue management and pricing
  • Sales, marketing and channel management
  • Operational audits
  • Staff management and training
We need from you
  • Annual budget approval
  • A CAPEX reserve for renewal
The typical mistake here

One rate all year round. A hotel selling the same tariff in August and in February loses revenue at peak and loses guests in low season. Revenue management is the cheapest lever for lifting RevPAR: it costs nothing but discipline.

Entry points

The full cycle is not compulsory

On some projects we start at stage one; on others we join midway. What matters is not where we come in, but that the stages from there on connect to one another.

From stage 01

You have a site or an idea

The most effective entry point. Nothing is fixed yet and every option is open — including not doing the project at all.

From stage 03–04

You have a design, or construction is under way

We test the existing design against operating logic and show what can still be corrected at a price worth paying.

From stage 06

The hotel operates below expectations

We start with an operational audit: we find where the money leaks and propose what can change in the coming season.

Which stage is your project at?

Fill in the short form or write to us directly. The first consultation is free.

Request a project assessment See the projects
Before the first stone

What we are asked every week

Ten questions from future hotel owners and developers — answered the way we would answer them in a meeting.

01 I have a plot of land. Where do I start? → 02 How is a management company paid? → 03 What is the most expensive mistake? → 04 How long does a project take from idea to opening? →
All 10 questions and answers Your question is not on the list? Write to us.