Development management
Ascentis 360 Development Management is a full-scope delivery model for clients who want expert-led control across the entire development lifecycle. It goes beyond project management by embedding senior decision-makers who align every aspect of the project with business strategy, brand vision, and long-term value.
From early planning through design, procurement, construction, and handover, we act as an extension of the owner’s team, keeping the project aligned with its business case, brand requirements, budget, programme, and long-term objectives.
This model is designed for hospitality clients who want more than coordination. They need a partner who can own the complexity, drive critical decisions, and stay accountable from start to finish.
Senior leadership. Full cost management. One team accountable across the development lifecycle.
More Than Project Management
Strategic Project Leadership
Project Management focuses on delivering a defined project. Development Management takes a wider view, representing the owner’s interests across the development and helping shape the decisions that determine its success.
With Development Management you get:
- A senior-led team guiding every workstream from the top down.
- A single point of contact accountable for the entire development.
- Strategic input on every decision impacting cost, time, and quality.
- Value engineering and cost control woven into every phase.
This gives the owner a single team with visibility across the entire development and the authority and experience to drive decisions forward.
What You Get with Development Management
Hotel development involves thousands of interconnected decisions. Our role is to make sure those decisions continue to support the owner’s objectives throughout the project.
Planning & Development Strategy
We establish the framework for successful delivery, including the project brief, development programme, preliminary CAPEX, procurement strategy, consultant appointments, project governance and key development milestones.
Where required, our NaviGo advisory team can establish the Project Execution Plan before the wider project team is appointed.
Design leadership
We lead the design process from coordination through construction, keeping design progress aligned with procurement and site requirements.
Our team manages design schedules, consultant coordination, operator reviews, technical issues and design changes. Cross-discipline reviews identify and resolve interfaces early, while structured drawing, document and action tracking provides accountability across the consultant team.
As construction progresses, we coordinate construction drawings, shop drawings, samples and RFIs to maintain buildability and release information in line with site priorities.
Cost management & value engineering
Cost and value remain part of the decision-making process throughout design and delivery.
Our team reviews the project budget as the design develops and works with designers to identify opportunities to optimise capital and lifecycle costs, improve operational efficiency and constructability, and support the project’s sustainability objectives.
Design changes are tracked for their potential programme and cost impact, giving the owner greater visibility before key decisions are made.
Contract Management
We develop the contracting and procurement strategy around the requirements of the project and its delivery programme.
This includes contractor prequalification, tender documentation, bid management, technical evaluation, negotiations and support through contract award.
Once contracts are awarded, we administer contractual processes throughout construction, including instructions, correspondence, variations, claims, extensions of time, warranties and close-out. This creates a structured record of project decisions and helps manage contractual and claims risk throughout delivery.
Optional Procurement Management
For owners who require it, Ascentis 360 can also manage the procurement of key hotel equipment, FF&E and OS&E.
We establish the procurement master list and schedule, identify and evaluate vendors, manage RFQs and technical clarifications, prepare procurement recommendations and support commercial negotiations.
Following appointment, we manage purchase orders, technical submittals, production schedules, logistics and delivery against the construction programme. For FF&E and OS&E, this can extend through site storage and coordination for installation.
Integrating procurement with the wider Development Management programme provides greater visibility over long-lead items and allows production, delivery and site readiness to be managed as part of the overall project.
Construction management
During construction, we lead the coordination of contractors, consultants and work packages against the approved programme.
Our team manages construction sequencing, work fronts, inter-trade dependencies, design information and resource deployment to maintain progress across the site.
We establish structured quality control processes including Inspection and Test Plans, method statement reviews, inspections, material mock-ups, non-conformance tracking and snagging.
Site logistics and HSE are actively managed throughout construction, supported by regular site reviews, contractor planning and defined safety procedures.
Reporting, & governance
Development Management gives the owner structured oversight without requiring them to manage the day-to-day detail of the project.
Regular design, contractor and client meetings are supported by clear reporting across design progress, procurement, construction, programme, quality, safety and project risks.
Material decisions affecting design, cost or the wider development are escalated to the owner for approval through an agreed governance structure. A defined escalation matrix ensures urgent issues reach the appropriate decision-makers quickly.
This gives the owner visibility over the project while allowing the Development Management team to drive day-to-day delivery.
Operational readiness
As completion approaches, our focus expands from construction progress to operational readiness.
We coordinate testing, inspections, snagging, de-snagging, warranties and contract close-out alongside the requirements of the operator. Programme activities are aligned with the handover process so that the transition from construction to hotel operations is planned well in advance.
The objective is a controlled handover that allows the owner and operator to move towards opening with clear visibility over outstanding works and responsibilities.
Why it works
Hospitality Expertise
Our team understands the commercial, operational and technical requirements of hotel development. That experience informs decisions around design, cost, brand standards, procurement, construction and operational readiness throughout the project.
Integrated Decision-Making
Design, cost, procurement, programme and construction decisions are closely connected. Bringing these disciplines under one Development Management structure allows issues and their wider project implications to be considered together before decisions are made.
Tailored for High-Stakes Projects
Development Management is ideal for:
- First-time hotel developers
- Developers with limited in-house client teams
- Complex redevelopments or conversions
- Institutional investors seeking enhanced project governance and accountability
Proven Outperformance
Ascentis 360 projects consistently outperform traditional project management models. Our clients benefit from faster delivery, tighter cost control, and better asset performance—outcomes that are hard to match with fragmented or inexperienced teams
ARTICLE
Development Manager vs Project Manager: Which one does your hotel need?
Many hotel owners start a project believing they need a project manager, when the decisions they are facing require a broader level of strategic leadership.
In this article, Cyril Jacob, Managing Director of Ascentis Group, explains the distinct roles of development management and project management and how each contributes at different stages of a hotel development. From defining the investment strategy and selecting the right operator to managing design, cost, and execution, understanding where each role adds value can have a lasting impact on asset performance.