Based in Sydney, Mark brings over two decades of experience to his role leading the Savills Hotel Capital Markets team in Australasia, specialising in the brokerage of major international hotel assets across Australasia.
Having previously held senior roles with JLL Hotels and Hospitality Group, Ramada / Renaissance Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group and KPMG, Mark’s unrivalled track record includes personally negotiating over 140 major hotel and resort transactions across key cities and destinations in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, worth in excess of $6 billion in combined value.
Considered one of the region’s most experienced and credentialled advisors, Mark has brokered many of Australia’s highest-profile hotel and resort transactions, including five of the last seven major hotel transactions in Sydney’s CBD.
These include Australia’s largest ever single asset hotel transaction to date, the landmark sale of the Hilton Hotel Sydney ($530 million) to BPEA and Sir Stamford Circular Quay Sydney ($212.5 million) to JDH Capital, M Gallery Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney ($39.415 million), Four Points by Sheraton Central Park Sydney ($146 million) and Primus Sydney (now Kimpton) ($131.5 million).
Paul Craig, CEO of Savills Australia and New Zealand said, “We’re delighted to welcome Mark to the Savills team.
“Mark’s experience leading some of the country’s most significant hotel deals, together with the deep owner and developer relationships within the Asia / Pacific region he has built and nurtured over decades in the industry will be an invaluable asset to the team as market momentum builds and transaction volumes across the sector begin increasing with travel now firmly back on the agenda,” Mr Craig concluded.
Speaking on his appointment, Mark Durran said, “Hotels have always been core to the Savills brand, globally.
“I’m excited to be working alongside both the global and national hotels teams to strengthen that capability here in Australasia as the market opens up and owner and investor confidence grows around the incredible opportunities available in our market.”
Mark’s expertise in major international hotel transactions adds a further string to the bow that is the Savills Hotels, Pubs and Hospitality Group, expanding its offering across a full spectrum of services across the hospitality and lodging sectors and complementing the high performing pubs and hospitality team led by Tony Bargwanna and Leon Alaban.
Savills Hotel has seen steady growth over the past two years, welcoming Nick Lower, State Director - NSW & VIC and Selin Ince, Senior Executive NSW, in 2021; and more recently, Kath Brassington, Associate Director QLD, in 2022.
In partnership with Director, Nick Butler, Ms Brassington, has been instrumental in transacting some of the wine industry’s most exciting deals including last year’s sale of the Mornington Peninsula’s Stonier Wines and Pokolbin Estate in the NSW’s Hunter Valley, as well as the record-breaking Josef Chromy Wines deal.