Founder

Marco Selva has more than 20 years of experience in luxury and lifestyle hospitality, residential and mixed-use projects. Recognized as one of the luxury/lifestyle hospitality industry’s global leaders, Selva excels at creating strong and lasting identities. He has worked with such world-renowned brands as St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton.

With his legacy of award-winning accomplishments, Marco Selva launched Selva Group, an advisory firm specializing in creating long-term success for new and existing hotels, resort and residential projects as a strategic partner for owners and real estate developers. Selva Group serves as a strategic partner to residential real estate developers and luxury hospitality brands.

Career Highlights

Before launching Selva Group, Selva served a pivotal role as Managing Director of the modern flagship St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort & Residences. At St. Regis, he successfully led Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s (HOT) largest global investment and its most high profile property.

Prior to St. Regis Bal Harbour, Selva served as Executive Vice President-Asset Management at Gencom Group, one of the nation’s leading investment/development firms specializing in luxury hospitality and residential real estate.

Previously, Selva served as Area Vice President of Southeast US, Caribbean and Latin America for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, where he managed operations and business development for twenty different hotel operating groups with total annual revenue of $1 billion.

Earlier in his career, Selva served as Regional Vice President-Florida for Ritz-Carlton and held international General Manager posts in the Caribbean and Middle East.

Selva completed the Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management Program at Cornell University and also attended Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland.

A resident of Miami, Florida for 20 years, Selva has supported non-profit organizations including Mount Sinai Hospital on Miami Beach, and the Diabetes Research Institute at University of Miami Medical Center.

"I have had the opportunity to work alongside Marco for near 20 years in various capacities. Marco Selva has demonstrated rare talent within the lodging industry and possesses a keen understanding of operating business philosophies with a focus on driving tangible, financial results."

— Karim Alibhai, President of Gencom

"Marco Selva is one of the most astute business executives I have encountered in my role at DEPARTURES. He has a true understanding of the luxury consumer, a completely modern approach to problem solving and a global view of the marketplace that sets him apart."

— Steven DeLuca, Senior Vice President & Publisher of Departures Magazine

"Marco Selva is a true visionary with extreme talent at creating and operating unique destinations with superlative service. He is one of the absolute best in the business whose vision and expertise are unique and invaluable to anyone in the industry."

— Jeffrey A. Hirschfeld, President & CEO, Hirschfeld Properties LLC