To prepare itself for further growth, real estate investment firm Gencom has created two new divisions, one focused on deals and the other on its portfolio.
Under the Gencom umbrella and founder and CEO Karim Alibhai's leadership are Gencom Capital and Gencom Real Estate. Chief Investment Officer Alessandro Colantonio heads up the capital side while Gencom Real Estate President Donald McGregor leads the other.
Miami-based Gencom has $8 billion in assets under its management, including 24 owned assets in operation or under development with more than 6,000 hotel rooms worldwide.
The restructuring has been a long time in the making, Colantonio said in an interview. The company has grown significantly over the past almost two decades, and the last 36 months in particular have seen some real wins for Gencom.
Among its most recent buys were the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park in February, the majority interest acquisition of the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove in Miami and the InterContinental New York Times Square, both in December 2025.
Gencom also recently sold its 30% stake in the Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica. Colantonio said the company has another three deals set to close later this year.
As it has evolved on the buy side, Gencom’s investor base continues to grow and the demand continues to grow, he said. The investors want to see execution.
“It’s great to structure these deals, and you do make a large percentage of these deals on the buy, but then you have to go out and execute,” Colantonio said.
Historically, members of the Gencom team have had to wear many hats, and they will continue to do so, he said. Over time, however, they realized they needed to have two distinct lines of business.
“There needs to be a deal sourcing, structuring, investor side of the business, and then a clear line and handover to that execution/operation side of the business,” he said.
By having a team solely focused on acquisitions and investments, the division lifts a big burden, allowing a much clearer transition to the real estate execution team, Colantonio said.
“This really now draws a clear line that you hand over to that team to execute, and we can really continue to focus on sourcing opportunities, focus on capital structure and put a lot more attention into the investor base,” he said.
McGregor’s real estate team will include Shaun Johnston, promoted to head of portfolio finance and accounting, and recently hired Jake Lynch, now senior vice president of asset management. They will focus on development, construction and asset management.
McGregor was unavailable at the time of the interview due to travel. In a statement, he said, “Gencom Real Estate will play a pivotal role in leveraging our firm’s expertise across the full real estate life cycle. Whether it’s spearheading a new development, undertaking a major renovation or repositioning an existing asset, our ability to execute exceptionally well is ultimately what translates investment strategy into long-term value.”
Colantonio's team will more or less stay the same size at the moment but will be more defined throughout the year. Within the capital division, the acquisitions and investments will be headed by Managing Director Ignasi Puig, who has been Colantonio’s No. 2 for several years. Peter Trujillo is managing director of corporate investments, and Blythe Pierre-Louis is managing director of special situations, a “Swiss Army Knife” role within the firm, Colantonio said.
It’s always a testament to a company’s growth when it can promote from within, and Gencom has a track record of this, he said.
“That’s something that personally I’m more proud of than anything,” he said. “You’re able to grow talent in Gencom, and a lot of longtime associates here are moving up to the next level.”
Though the structure has changed, the strategy has not, Colantonio said. The deals strategy still calls for a disciplined approach, and Gencom will continue to focus on the upper-upscale and luxury segments. It will be opportunistic with the ability to invest globally.
“This now does allow us to be even more aggressive or more nimble as we work through opportunities,” he said. “To be able to attack a deal, maybe sign it up faster, be a little bit more aggressive on bidding. I think our track record of closings and executing have been right up there with our key competitors in the industry, so I think that will continue to get better and get more efficient.”
Gencom hasn’t let the hotel industry cycle dictate its buying ability or strategy, Colantonio said. Whatever the environment has been, the company has stayed disciplined in its approach and sought good stories on deals.
“You don't bookend yourself that you can only look at this subset of opportunities,” he said.
Even with predictions for a more active transaction market in the near future, Colantonio said that isn’t going to drive Gencom to buy more aggressively. Similarly, having more clear lines between acquisitions and asset management within the company won’t necessarily translate to buying everything.
“We need to continue to stay very disciplined, and then also stay equally as focused on the execution,” he said. “Because you also need to be cautious that you don't overload the portfolio.”
Even with the new divisions in place, collaboration will still be key, Colantonio said. The teams still work in the same office and talk to each other daily about opportunities and how to match business plans with the modeling.
“Collaboration is key early in the process and all the way through,” he said. “That's how these platforms are built successfully.”