Brett Mitchell, Intrepid’s chief sales officer, has stepped in to oversee the APAC region under his global role, as a part of the move.
Drifter Hospitality Group, which was established by Ryan Sanders as CEO with Hugh Stephenson and Joshua Hunt as co-founders, is raising a fund of initially $75 million to acquire and reposition hotels across Australia and New Zealand, with the objective to grow the portfolio to $500 million over time.
Intrepid is a 50/50 joint venture partner with Drifter and the cornerstone investor in the fund, which launches publicly this week.
The companies’ portfolio of sustainable owner-operated premium hybrid hotels will be located in prime urban locations, with eight hotels across Australia and New Zealand in the next three years, growing to 15 properties by 2025.
The group’s first new hotels will open in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in 2022, and positioned ‘Drifter – an Intrepid Hotel’, and an East Coast Australia asset is expected to be added in 2022.