About Us
The Blaine & Walker Group focuses primarily on upscale markets. We provide hands on management to owners and enterprise operators for new developments, under performing assets, and properties under duress.
Originally founded in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis, the Blaine & Walker Group recognized the need to marshal a nimble leadership team to assist hospitality assets and provide boots-on-the-ground expertise to shore up their operations. We achieved this by working closely with all stakeholders and gaining alignment on strategic objectives, financial deliverables, and the pursuit of operational excellence – ultimately recovering market share, accelerating profitable growth, enterprise value and innovation.
Today, and post-pandemic, the hospitality industry requires a greater degree of specialized talent to assist owners and operators triage and transition through these tumultuous times - exiting with strategic-vision clarity and financial stability.
Industry veterans, Robb Walker and Steve Giblin have assembled a team of discipline-specific professionals that have the breadth of knowledge and experience to overcome any challenge. We are an agile solution for hospitality owners with an unparalleled array of services.
Advantages:
Over 8 decades of hotel, real estate, transaction, re-financing, market analysis and turn around experience
Clients receive direct access to the Blaine & Walker Group Principles with each engagement
Extensive network of trusted industry talent for each project
Market knowledge across the United States and Canada
Projects have included brand reviews, construction, renovations, re-positioning, mixed use projects, multiple and individual hotels and receivership
Redefining corporate and enterprise operations
Pre-investment due diligence, market analysis and contract negotiations
Our Team
Robb Walker
President & Managing Director
Newport Beach, California
Skilled and high-performing hospitality and real estate executive, optimizing corporate and property performance and delivering industry leadership that drives revenue, profitability and enterprise value. A passionate-hotelier that has devoted his career to transforming operations and driving sustainable growth in multimillion/billion-dollar platforms. His unrelenting focus on luxury standards, enhancing enterprise value and strategic stewardship has accelerated performance in new builds, distressed, underperforming and underdeveloped properties/companies from New York to Honolulu, Vancouver to Veradero.
Robb has served in multiple Food and Beverage, General Management and Vice President roles with notable hospitality companies, and most recently Chief Operating Officer assignments with destination-resort platforms. Sole company oversight of $1.5B in asset value, $500M in revenue.
A graduate of Western University with a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce, Harvard Business School - Executive Leadership (Real Estate/Capital Markets, Project Management, Finance/Business Strategy). Certified Food and Beverage Director is additionally certified as a Board Director (Corporate Governance) with the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Steve Giblin
Managing Director
Vancouver, British Columbia
As President/CEO Steve has led five different companies through major transitions culminating in capital events. Working closely with investor and ownership groups to lead management teams through major developments, acquisitions, global economic downturns and growth periods. Investors have included Wharf Holdings (Hong Kong), Kolberg Kravits and Roberts (San Francisco), Soros Real Estate Investments (London) and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (Vancouver).
Each company required different strategies and tactics at the board and executive levels. Expertise includes managing complex and distressed public and private businesses. Driving turnarounds by establishing high performing boards, CEO’s and management teams while leveraging technology and partnerships.
Currently Steve is a board chair, audit chair and advisor in the global hospitality, real estate, and brewery industries. Recent designations include certification as a Board Director (Corporate Governance) with the Institute of Corporate Directors, Harvard (Cyber Security) and MIT Sloane School (Blockchain).