Harsha L’Acqua
From a young age Saira’s Founder & CEO, Harsha L’Acqua, was strongly influenced by her father’s philanthropic work with Mother Teresa and always sought to merge her deep-rooted dedication to philanthropy with her passion: luxury hospitality.
After years working for international hotel brands including Six Senses Resorts and Residences, Fullerton Hotel and Aman, she enrolled in the MMH graduate program at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where she began developing the concept for Saira Hospitality. It was here that Harsha realized the strong correlation between hospitality and philanthropy. Both are linked through the hospitality gene, the gene of service: service to the guest and service to humanity.
Saira Hospitality won first place at Cornell University’s Business Plan competition in 2014, and the rest is history…
Educators
Our expert trainers allow us to design and implement customised curriculums for each hotel, creating the foundation for long-term success.
Cultural Advisors
For each project, we immerse ourselves in the community and recruit local advisors to ensure we target locals that need opportunity the most.
Advisory Board
Our journey is guided by hospitality visionaries and experts, who possess the knowledge and experience to lead hotels toward a more sustainable future.
Susan Fleming, KEYNOTE SPEAKER, EXECUTIVE, EDUCATOR, MOTHER
Dr. Susan S. Fleming is an educator, speaker, investor and mom. After retiring from twelve years on Wall Street in 2003, Susan began work as an educator, teaching executives, investment professionals, MBAs and undergraduates in the areas of corporate finance, insurance, valuation, and gender bias. She enrolled at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management to pursue a Ph.D. in Management and from 2010 - 2018, she was a Senior Lecturer at Cornell University, teaching women in leadership and entrepreneurship.
Brady Rice | ASCENSION GROUP
Brady is the Managing Member of Ascension Group, a market leader in providing executive management services specializing in capitalizing, developing, restructuring, and operating commercial real estate assets. Additionally, Brady is the Chief Operating Officer for a family office and its 18-portfolio companies with a focus on developing and operating luxury resorts, residences, and retail centers throughout the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico with a focus in Los Cabos.
Brady has nearly 20 years of real estate experience, most recently focusing on hospitality, retail, and multifamily in North America, with over $12.0 billion in dispositions, financings, and advisory engagements. Brady is also a graduate of Cornell University, with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management and a focus in Real Estate.
Michaelangelo L’Acqua, ENTREPRENEUR
Michaelangelo L'Acqua is an internationally acclaimed music-branding specialist. His commitment to creating ground breaking, innovative solutions for his clients marks a successful career that is highlighted by unprecedented achievements in the realms of music, hotels, fashion and luxury brands.
Kevin Osterhaus, GRADUATE HOTELS
Kevin Osterhaus is the President of Graduate Hotels. In his role, Kevin oversees global operations and marketing across the collection of 32 operating U.S. and U.K. properties.
Most recently, he held the role of Chief Operating Officer for U.K.-based Ennismore International, overseeing global operations for The Hoxton hotels, including The Hoxton’s independent restaurants and the successful U.S. and U.K. launch of Working From_, the group’s coworking brand. Prior to Ennismore, Mr. Osterhaus held New York City-based roles as President for SIXTY Hotels and Executive Vice President of Operations for Standard International. His career has also included leadership roles with companies including Bunkhouse Group, Destination Club Management and ClubCorp.
Dr. William Carroll, CORNELL SCHOOL OF HOTEL ADMINISTRATION
Bill Carroll is the CEO of Marketing Economics, a consulting firm specializing in travel industry marketing, pricing, distribution, and revenue management. His clients are hotel chains and management companies, individual properties, and travel intermediaries.
Bill retired in 2015 as a clinical professor of marketing at the School of Hotel Administration. He taught courses in economics, digital media marketing, pricing, marketing distribution and revenue management. Carroll was recognized numerous times as teacher-of-the-year at the school and continues to offer several successful online courses in digital marketing through e-Cornell. He has authored numerous articles and reports.
For over 25 years Carroll held a variety of senior positions in the travel industry including Division Vice President for Global Marketing Planning at Hertz, where he was responsible for global pricing, revenue management, marketing information systems, and counter sales.
Channing Henry, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEAD OF US AT PFK HOTEL EXPERTS
Channing Henry joined PKF hotelexperts in 2019 as Managing Director | Head of US, leading the US consulting practice from New York . With more than 15 years in hospitality development and consulting, she brings a development perspective to the firm’s extensive advisory work. Channing advises hotel developers and owners on highest and best land use analysis, capital strategies and fundraising services, brand positioning and negotiation, and planning and development services in the US, Canada and Latin America.
Channing is on the Leadership Committee for ULI’s Recreational Development Council and an Executive Committee member of the South Park Business Improvement District (BID) Board in Downtown Los Angeles. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Argentina and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Yale’s School of Management.
Richard Gomel, PARTNER, WEWORK
Elizabeth Keating, REVOLVER NEW YORK & FOUNDER, E.KEATING CREATIVE & STRATEGIC CONSULTING
Elizabeth is a leader, mentor, advisor, connector of good people, mom and speaker.
Elizabeth created two successful business ventures – a renowned, full-service branding agency, Revolver New York, and a beauty & luxury group, BESPOKE, as a sub-division of Publicis Groupe.
Elizabeth is a proud connector of individuals & groups to create the best collective. Always hungry for a challenge, ambitious for success & eager to create change in the world. Inclusivity & diversity reign supreme, and she is determined to build interesting products, properties, & entities that live up to her clients’ dreams.
Elizabeth graduated from Georgetown University, received a certificate from Harvard Business School Online, “Sustainable Business Strategy”, and currently resides in New York City with her husband and two children (with a temporary stint in Colorado).
David Smith, WHITMAN PETERSON
David currently works at Whitman Peterson, a real estate private equity firm based in Los Angeles, where he focuses on capital markets transactions and investments. Prior to joining Whitman Peterson in 2020, David was a Senior Director at RobertDouglas, a hospitality-focused real estate investment banking firm. At RobertDouglas, David advised on over $1 billion of hotel financing and M&A assignments, representing leading ownership groups in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He also previously worked at Macquarie Group, where he covered corporate structured finance as a credit analyst in New York City. David is a graduate of the Master of Management in Hospitality (Real Estate) degree at Cornell University and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. He has also studied at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is a member of the Cornell Hotel Society, the Urban Land Institute, and the advisory panel of the American Glamping Association.
Greg Pitts, PARTNER, PANORAMIC ADVISORS/REALTY FINANCIAL RESOURCES, INC.
Greg’s boutique hospitality firm specializes in creatively structuring, underwriting and financing branded and independent hotels, resorts, private residence clubs and master planned communities in lifestyle, ski, beach and urban resort destination markets throughout the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition to financing activities, Greg assists developers and investors in all aspects of the hospitality development process and has participated in a vast array of project types ranging from small boutique hotels in luxury destinations to mixed-use urban development.
Greg has previously served on the St. Helena, CA Planning Commission and City Council, served as a Commissioner on the Local Agency Formation Commission of Napa County and is currently a board member of Nimbus Arts in Napa Valley.
An avid cyclist, skier and outdoorsman, Greg is currently developing a cycle-centric hotel in the heart of Napa Valley and adjacent to the Napa Valley Vine Trail. Greg graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and currently resides in Napa Valley, CA with his wife and two children.
Yasmine Arab, FOUNDER, AL-YASMINE GUEST HOUSE
Yasmine Arab is the co-founder and managing partner of Al-Yasmine guesthouse, a country house turned 20-room first of its kind leading boutique hotel in Lebanon. With a consulting and business analysis background, Yasmine has helped hospitality players tackle issues related to their digital presence, operations, and guest experience design.
Nima Fazeli, DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE, PINN INVESTMENTS
Nima Fazeli has spent over 10 years in the real estate industry, working across several different fields, from strategic advisory and asset management, to private equity and development. He is currently Director of Real Estate for PINN Investments, a real estate investment and development firm headquartered out of Newport Beach,
CA. Prior roles include overseeing the real estate portfolio for Tarsadia Investments, working for JLL’s Hotels Team in their San Francisco office, and working as an Associate out of Barclay’s Global Investors’ London Office. Nima graduated from American University in Washington, DC, and holds a Masters in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and an MBA in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University.
The Saira Circle
The Saira Circle is a group of purpose-driven ambassadors. They act as the torchbearers for our mission and celebrate diversity and equality in the hospitality industry.
The Circle is bound by a belief in Saira’s raison d'etre. Each member is passionate about revolutionising the way that hospitality brands source their teams and interact with the communities they inhabit. Our ambassadors are change-makers; prominent figures in travel, hospitality and sustainability that see their influence as a force for good.
Kevin Osterhaus
President, Graduate Hotels
Katie Sharples
Director, Global Brand, PR & Communications, Design Hotels
Craig Prentice
Director and Founder, mum
Chantelle Nicholson
Chef, owner, Apricity
Maya Poulton
Co-founder and Head of Marketing, Safara
Haylie Gordon
Property Operations Director, Virgin Management Limited
Mikail Goek
Founder & CEO, Urban Hospitality Concepts
Jo Harley
Managing Director, Purple Cubed
Chris Penn
Creator, Curator and Operator of Lifestyle Hospitality
Lionne Whitfield
Director, ACE to Employment, Personal Shopper & Stylist, The Luxury Couture Wardrobe.
Join our Network
of Experts
Here at Saira we always think local - from the hotel employees to the educators, to the students. Whenever we have a new pop-up hotel school in the pipeline, we reach out to our global network of experts. If you have some experience in Curriculum Creation and Training or Project Management and would like to be considered for a Saira pop-up, please reach out and let us know where you feel you could add value. We are excited to meet you!
You’re a good match if:
You believe in our mission
You’re inspired by the idea of transforming people’s lives
You are passionate about the industry and have experience in hospitality
You are open to short term contracts and thrive in a start-up atmosphere
You are self-driven, resourceful, creative and almost annoyingly positive
