Marco Gilardi joins Starhotels as managing director hospitality
The former Minor Hotels operations executive joins Starhotels, bringing experience spanning hotel operations, commercial leadership and group business.
Sasha Brown
3 min read
Marco Gilardi has joined Starhotels as managing director hospitality, moving to the Italian hotel group after a long career with NH Hotel Group and Minor Hotels Europe & Americas.
Gilardi confirmed his move in a personal LinkedIn announcement on 26 October 2026, describing the opportunity to work alongside Starhotels president Elisabetta Fabri and colleagues he had previously met through the industry. His LinkedIn headline identifies his new position as managing director hospitality at Starhotels.
Marco Gilardi begins a new group-level role
The appointment brings an executive with experience across operations, sales and business development into a business combining premium city hotels, luxury properties and residences. Gilardi’s announcement focused on joining the team and contributing to its work rather than setting out a new strategic programme.
A detailed allocation of responsibilities, reporting lines and an effective date separate from the announcement have not been published in the material reviewed. His new title should therefore not be treated as confirmation of a wider management reorganisation.
From commercial leadership to multi-hotel operations
Gilardi most recently served as senior vice president operations Italy at Minor Hotels Europe & Americas. His earlier roles included operational responsibility for Italy and the United States, alongside a substantial period at NH Hotel Group.
The career history accompanying the appointment records more than 18 years with NH, including director of operations Italy and New York and director of sales MICE and groups. That progression links hotel-level delivery with the demands of corporate, meeting and group business.
A biography published by Associazione Italiana Confindustria Alberghi also describes experience in general management, sales, business development and operations. It traces earlier work across cruise and hotel businesses and involvement in reorganisation and integration, including Framon, Jolly and Boscolo.
For a hotel group, this background is relevant to the relationship between central commercial decisions and local execution. Pricing, group sales and brand positioning ultimately need to be supported by staffing, service and operational capacity at each property.
A portfolio with distinct hotel identities
Starhotels’ current corporate information describes 34 properties, with more than 4,500 rooms and luxury residences in Italy and international destinations including London, Paris and New York.
The portfolio spans Starhotels Premium’s contemporary city hotels and Starhotels Collezione’s historic residences and boutique properties. The latter places particular emphasis on the character of individual destinations rather than presenting every hotel as an identical expression of the group.
Recent development includes Hermitage Hotel & Resort in Forte dei Marmi, which joined Starhotels Collezione in May 2026. The 59-room property adds a resort setting to the company’s established urban presence, with gardens, family facilities and a different rhythm of guest activity.
Connecting group direction with property-level service
A varied portfolio creates a practical leadership challenge: common standards and shared expertise must support individual hotels without flattening their identities. City business hotels, heritage properties and resorts face different patterns of demand and service expectations.
Gilardi’s combination of operations and commercial experience offers relevant preparation for that environment. The next stage will be how his role works with the existing leadership team and property managers, turning group priorities into clear decisions for the people delivering hospitality each day.
Related reading: Guy Freedman’s group operations role at THE PIG and Hand Picked Hotels’ executive appointments.
Source notes
- Marco Gilardi’s personal appointment announcement, 26 October 2026
- BusinessMobility.Travel appointment report and role title
- Confindustria Alberghi speaker biography
- Starhotels current company information
- Starhotels Hermitage official announcement, 19 May 2026
Operational implications are WINC Wire analysis.
