Ayo Akinsete has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of lifestyle hospitality brands Generator and Freehand Hotels.
Graduated from University of South Carolina with a BA in Hospitality Management and from University of Nevada – Las Vegas with a Master in Hotel Administration, Ayo Akinsete started his career as Pre Opening Team Member at Gansevoort Hotel Group and then at Dream Downtown.
In 2013, he joined sbe Lifestyle Hospitality as Hotel Manager before becoming General Manager for Dream Downtown one year later. In 2015, he was named Managing Director at Dream Hollywood and 2 years later, he was appointed Vice President of Operations at Dream Hotel Group.
In 2019, he moved to London to join SH Hotels & Resorts as Area Managing Director UK & EU before becoming Managing Director at Birch.
With Generator, Akinsete will lead the company’s global operations, including upcoming openings and transitions for new projects. Generator has a growing portfolio across the world and aims to extend its footprint into Asia and the Middle East.
Freehand is a collection of hotels operated by Generator. Current locations include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. In 2017, Queensgate Investments acquired Generator and in 2019 also purchased Freehand Hotels.
