Lena Glavinovitch’s strategic insights are shaping the future of hospitality real estate with a focus on repositioning distressed assets and integrating wellness into hospitality models.
In an era where the hospitality real estate sector is evolving at an accelerated pace, Lena Glavinovitch is leading the charge with a fresh, thoughtful approach to transforming distressed and misaligned assets. As the Founder and Senior Director of Vesta Global Advisory, Lena has distinguished herself as a unique force in the hospitality space, blending institutional real estate expertise, operational fluency, and cross-border legal and financial structuring into a strategy that’s anything but conventional.
Building a Global Impact Through Strategic Hospitality Solutions
Lena Glavinovitch’s journey in the hospitality industry is defined by over a decade of experience in navigating large-scale hotel, mixed-use, and alternative accommodation platforms in North America, Europe, and other global markets. As an executive and strategic advisor, Lena has worked across some of the most complex and high-stakes transactions in hospitality real estate. But it’s her role as the Founder and Managing Director of Vesta Global Advisory that truly sets her apart.
Vesta Global Advisory is a boutique hospitality and real estate advisory firm based in Miami, Florida. Through Vesta, Lena provides strategic advisory services to hotel owners, institutional investors, developers, and operating platforms. Her work spans a wide range of expertise, from portfolio strategy to operator selection, market entry, and complex asset repositioning. However, the key differentiator in Lena’s work lies in her ability to approach each project through a lens of operational fluency, focusing on preserving value rather than simply restructuring for the sake of a quick turnaround.
“I work in spaces where most others don’t dare tread, deals that are non-standard, high-risk, and where the stakes are high,” Lena shared. “My goal is always to stabilize the asset while respecting its long-term potential. The future of hospitality real estate belongs to those who understand both the balance sheet and the guest experience. You cannot fix one without respecting the other.”
From Corporate Strategy to Independent Leadership
Before founding Vesta Global Advisory, Lena’s career included senior leadership roles at Sonder, one of the fastest-growing hospitality tech platforms in the world. As Senior Director of Real Estate at Sonder, Lena played an instrumental role in the company’s international expansion and operational scale, managing high-profile agreements with institutional landlords, developers, and private equity groups across Europe and the Americas. Her responsibilities often involved negotiating complex hybrid lease structures, long-term agreements, and variable-rent frameworks in some of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets.
“I was part of Sonder’s growth during some of its most critical moments, restructuring portfolios, negotiating landlord renegotiations during financial stress, and even collaborating on strategic licensing frameworks with global brands like Marriott,” Lena said. “Those years were crucial in shaping my view on what makes hospitality assets truly sustainable, even when faced with significant challenges.”
Her unique combination of operational expertise and real estate strategy, combined with a cross-border view of the market, set Lena on a path to launch Vesta Global Advisory, where she brings her sophisticated understanding of global hospitality markets to a wider range of clients.
A New Era for Hospitality: Wellness and Experience-Led Models
One of the key areas Lena is focused on today is the integration of wellness into the hospitality experience. As senior strategic advisor to BodyHoliday, a globally recognized luxury wellness brand, Lena has become a key player in the expansion of wellness-driven resort developments across North America and the Caribbean.
“Wellness is no longer just a trend, it’s a global movement that’s reshaping the future of hospitality,” Lena stated. “The integration of wellness and real estate isn’t just about offering spa services anymore. It’s about designing destinations that connect to the guest experience on a deeper level, aligning the physical space with the mental and emotional needs of travelers.”
Lena’s work with BodyHoliday, along with her involvement in Nester & Finn Hospitality, a platform launched by a former Sonder co-founder, highlights her deep understanding of how wellness, experience-driven hospitality, and strategic real estate can be intertwined to create long-term value. Through these roles, Lena helps guide market entry strategies, resort repositioning, and developer partnerships that ensure the real estate aspect of wellness is as thoughtfully designed as the programming itself.
The Power of Strategic Vision in Complex Transactions
Lena’s strategic approach is informed by her ability to understand not only the operational realities of hospitality but also the intricate financial and legal structures that underpin successful real estate ventures. She has a rare capacity to balance the delicate relationship between asset value, brand alignment, and operational efficiency, often in international contexts where legal, regulatory, and cultural differences add layers of complexity.
“I’ve negotiated transactions in multiple jurisdictions, deals that require not just legal expertise but an understanding of market behavior, institutional relationships, and long-term asset strategy,” Lena explained. “It’s this combination of real-world operational knowledge, legal-financial sophistication, and cross-border agility that allows me to craft solutions others might miss.”
Whether it’s taking over distressed assets, repositioning brands, or structuring transactions that span multiple financial regimes, Lena’s approach is always tailored, nimble, and deeply strategic.
Why Lena’s Approach Stands Out
What truly differentiates Lena Glavinovitch is her ability to navigate the complexities of the hospitality real estate world while focusing on creating lasting value, not just short-term solutions. Her advisory services go beyond traditional models, focusing on high-stakes, high-impact opportunities where traditional strategies won’t suffice.
“I’m not interested in volume. My engagements are focused on outcomes that preserve asset value, stabilize portfolios, and allow for sustainable growth,” Lena said. “Clients seek me out when they need someone who can bring deep, institutional knowledge to solve complex, non-standard problems.”
In a world where hospitality real estate is increasingly driven by algorithms and generic solutions, Lena’s blend of expertise and personal dedication to each project offers a rare combination of vision, precision, and discretion.
Discover More About Lena Glavinovitch and Vesta Global Advisory
Lena’s approach to hospitality real estate is transforming the industry, offering a fresh perspective on how distressed assets can be repositioned, how wellness can be integrated into real estate, and how complex transactions can be navigated with finesse. Through her work at Vesta Global Advisory and her advisory roles with other prestigious hospitality brands, Lena is shaping the future of hospitality, one thoughtful, strategic transaction at a time.
To learn more about Lena Glavinovitch and her work, visit Vesta Global Advisory on LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram.
