Development and Investment Advisory
Evidence-led advice from early feasibility through opening and stabilisation.
Commercial Hotel Management & Advisory
Independent hospitality expertise across the asset lifecycle.
Waystone Group supports hospitality projects from early feasibility and investment review through development, opening, operations and asset oversight.
Driving Direction
Experience & Capability
Integrated expertise across the hospitality asset lifecycle.
30+ Years
Executive hospitality experience
End-to-End
From feasibility through operations
Independent
Management and owner-side advice
Asia-Pacific
Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific
What We Do
Integrated capability across the hospitality asset lifecycle.
One senior team across investment review, development, operations and owner-side oversight.
Hotel Management and Operations
Independent operational leadership with direct accountability for performance.
Asset Management and Owner Representation
Owner-side oversight that protects value and strengthens accountability.
Who We Support
Senior expertise for every stakeholder around the asset.
Developers
Feasibility, design review, operating-model advice, operator selection and pre-opening support.
Lenders and funding partners
Independent assessment, risk review, performance monitoring and stakeholder reporting.
Owners and investors
Hotel management, asset management, acquisition support, commercial improvement and operator accountability.
Receivers and administrators
Operational assessment, interim leadership, stabilisation, cost control and transition support.
Public and institutional clients
Independent hospitality advice for government agencies, funds, family offices and owners corporations.
Why Waystone
Operators first. Advisors second.
Executive operators, not career consultants
Our team has run hotels, carried P&L accountability and delivered results — not just written about them.
Independent advice with no brand conflicts
We hold no operating brands and no proprietary capital. Our recommendation is the one the asset needs.
Commercially driven decision making
Every position is underwritten. If it does not improve returns or protect value, we do not recommend it.
Regional hospitality expertise
Coverage across metropolitan, regional and resort markets in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
End-to-end support from acquisition through operations
One team across feasibility, transaction, development, opening and ongoing performance.
Tailored solutions rather than off-the-shelf reports
Work is scoped to the asset and the owner's objectives — no templated deliverables.
Capability & Experience
The assets we manage and advise on.
Hotels
Full-service, select-service and luxury hotels across metropolitan and regional markets.
Resorts
Leisure and destination resorts with seasonal demand and complex operating models.
Serviced Apartments
Extended-stay and strata-titled apartment operations and letting structures.
Mixed-Use Developments
Hospitality components integrated within residential, retail and commercial schemes.
Holiday Parks
Accommodation parks and cabin portfolios with capital and repositioning upside.
Hospitality Assets
Food and beverage, conferencing and complementary revenue-generating venues.
Leadership Team
Senior executives on every mandate.
Waystone is led by a team of hospitality operators, commercial advisors and finance executives — not a bench of analysts.
Patrick Laybutt, MBA
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Patrick is an executive hotelier with more than 20 years of operating and commercial leadership across Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific region. His experience includes multi-property operational leadership, hotel openings, commercial strategy, operator negotiations, asset performance and direct P&L accountability. He has held senior roles including Chief Operating Officer and regional Vice President.
At Waystone, Patrick leads hotel management, operational advisory, operator strategy and performance-improvement mandates.
Rami Hussein
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Rami brings more than 10 years of commercial and business-building experience across hospitality and property. He works with owners and developers on acquisitions, project positioning, investment structures, transactions and the delivery of hospitality assets.
At Waystone, Rami leads development advisory, transaction support, stakeholder engagement and investor relationships.
Kiran Dhavala, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Kiran is a CPA-qualified finance executive with more than 25 years of experience in financial management, governance and commercial oversight. His hospitality experience includes budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, owner reporting, controls and financial stewardship across multi-property portfolios.
At Waystone, Kiran leads financial analysis, underwriting, governance and reporting disciplines across advisory and management engagements.
Case Studies
Capability demonstrated, not described.
The examples below reflect current and prior assignments delivered through the collective experience of Waystone’s leadership. Client confidentiality is preserved where required.
Development AdvisoryIllustrative photography · Not the featured property
Concept to opening support
- Case study
- A new-build hospitality asset required operational input before its design and delivery model were locked.
- Capability
- Operational design review, operator selection, pre-opening planning and stabilisation oversight.
- Result
- An on-programme opening with an operating model aligned to the investment case.
FeasibilityIllustrative photography · Not the featured property
Regional mixed-use assessment
- Case study
- A developer was assessing hospitality use within a regional mixed-use project with unproven demand.
- Capability
- Market and demand analysis, highest-and-best-use testing, operating-model review and commercial underwriting.
- Result
- A clear, evidence-based investment position ahead of capital commitment.
Operational TurnaroundIllustrative photography · Not the featured property
Metropolitan hotel returned to profitability
- Case study
- A 200-key city hotel trading below market with escalating labour costs and declining guest sentiment.
- Capability
- Executive intervention across labour model, commercial strategy and leadership structure over a two-trading-year programme.
- Result
- Return to positive EBITDA and market-share recovery against competitive set.
Hotel ManagementIllustrative photography · Not the featured property
Adara Richmond apartment hotel management
- Case study
- Waystone has managed Adara Richmond for two years under licence and lease arrangements with participating apartment owners.
- Capability
- Hotel and apartment operations, owner agreements, inventory, revenue, guest services, reporting and coordination within a complex strata environment.
- Result
- Stable operations, direct owner engagement and coordinated management across the participating apartment inventory.
Let’s talk about your asset.
Whether you’re acquiring, repositioning or operating a hotel, our team is ready to help.