ABOUT US                                                        

Josef Ransley started HLC in 1996, and was joined by Graham McCourt in 2003. As a team we can provide:

• Unequalled knowledge, expertise and relationships across the hospitality sector internationally.
• A depth of experience from established careers spanning design,development, construction systems, cost control and project implementation.
• A track record in the successful development of international hospitality products & brands.
• Additional expertise from other leading specialists in all areas of he hospitality industry when required.
• Partnership working with major operating and development groups,consultants, and financial institutions active in the hospitality sector.
  

View CVs:     Josef Ransley            Graham McCourt

JOSEF RANSLEY  FRSA, FCMI, FCSD, AHCIMA, FTS

Josef was born in Belgium in 1949 and educated there and in the UK. A British National, he qualified in 1970 and, after working briefly in local government and private practice, founded his own practice in 1974. Then, as now, his specific skills were a vehicle for his powerful conceptual thinking, valued equally by colleagues and clients.

After a brief period of rapid growth, Josef Ransley & Associates amalgamated with a firm of Architects and Surveyors to form one of the first multi-disciplined practices in the UK, Pentangle Design Group. As the practices’ senior partner, Josef was directly responsible for the continued growth and development of the group, resulting in a separate specialist division being formed in 1978 to concentrate on architectural planning and interior design for the hotel and leisure industry. The success of this division and its growing stature in the industry internationally, led to a separate company, Ransley Group, being formed in 1984.

Very much an internationalist, Josef speaks 4 languages and has worked with most of the major hotel groups on more than 150 hotels in over 30 countries. The combination of deep specialist discipline, experience and keen awareness of broader business development has led, on the one hand, to visiting lectureship’s in Bournemouth, Southampton and Surrey Universities and Professor of Development and Construction, MBA programme at Essec-Cornell University, Paris and, on the other hand, contribution to International conferences as well as adjudication of Architectural and Interior Design Competitions.

Josef is a regular contributor to interior and hospitality trade magazines and publications, and his first book ‘Developing Hospitality Property Facilities’ was published in Spring 2000, a 2nd edition having been published in 2004. Having sold his company in 2002, Josef’s focus is now with Hotel and Leisure Consultancy Ltd, established in 1996.

Whilst retaining a broad interest in all areas of design, Josef has closely focused on development, finance, branding and asset management in the hotel and leisure industry. Because of this, he has an intimate knowledge of all criteria needed to create successful, profitable and unique landmark projects for all involved. Most notably the Stuttgart International Centre, one of Europe’s largest urben resort complexes, along with new branded products such as Express by Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites and Scandic by Hilton and a range of mixed use developments.
                                     

GRAHAM MCCOURT Dipl. Arch., R.I.B.A.

Graham McCourt was born and educated in the UK, and completed his undergraduate and postgraduate level studies at Portsmouth School of Architecture, with a final thesis on Hotel Design. He has been a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects since 1975.

Graham has spent 7 years in private practice, working with both large and small organisations on a range of building types including aviation related projects (terminal buildings), shopping centres, offices, residential developments and hotels.

From 1980 to 2003, Graham worked in a variety of roles for Holiday Inns / Bass Hotels & Resorts / Intercontinental Hotels Group and has held positions including Vice President Design & Construction (responsible for company owned, managed and franchised hotels) and Vice President Franchise Services; both roles covering the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. He was also responsible for the design and launch of Express by Holiday Inn in Europe (together with Josef Ransley in the role of consultant designer), and continued to be responsible for design and property issues for this successful brand until 2003.

Graham has lived in London and Brussels, and has built up a significant amount of experience in the UK and other parts of the European region regarding construction methods and solutions to hotel related design problems (on 250 hotel developments and refurbishments). He has acted as a professional advisor to various joint venture boards in relation to new hotel developments, and has won a number of architect / developer competitions for new hotel projects.

Within the architectural field, one of Graham’s main interests as been to support the development of off-site construction and sub-assemblies for buildings, where elements can be produced in controlled (and dry!) conditions – leading to better quality and cost control. Throughout the development programme for Express by Holiday Inn a number of new construction techniques were pioneered and promoted, leading to faster / better / more cost effective methods of construction in the hospitality sector.

In addition to an extensive knowledge relating to property matters associated with hotels, Graham has also been involved with the management of the franchising side of the business and at one stage qualified as a hotel general manager within the Holiday Inn system so that he was better placed to direct the delivery of revenue improvement plans and other operational initiatives for hotels in the franchise system. All this gives him a unique perspective on the vital relationship between hotel development costs and what can be returned from the on-going hotel operations; together with the impact of good hotel design on hotel guests and staff.

Graham joined together with Josef Ransley in 2003 in Hotel and Leisure Consultancy with an aim to combine their joint expertise into a unique consultancy service for the hospitality industry.