TFE appoints industry veteran Asli Kutlucan as CEO Adina Europe

Sydney-based TFE Hotels has announced the appointment of international hotelier, Asli Kutlucan, as chief executive officer of Adina Hotels in Europe off the back of strong growth.

The move comes as TFE prepares to debut the homegrown A by Adina brand into the European market in 2025 and begins the pre-development work for two new A by Adina properties in Australia.

In speaking about the appointment, TFE Hotels’ CEO, Antony Ritch, said Kutlucan was a commercially focused and strategic leader with an impressive international career spanning 30 years across both operations and development. Kutlucan joins Adina Hotels in Europe at a time of strong growth – with seven new hotels opening since 2021 including the debut of the Adina Hotel brand in Austria and Switzerland and Adina Serviced Apartments in Vienna – and a robust pipeline.

“With Asli’s appointment, we are solidifying our strong leadership base in Europe,” Ritch said.

“And I am confident her skillset and experience, together with the combined expertise of the current Adina team, will build solid foundations for future growth and the introduction of new brands.”

Adina Apartment Hotel Munich (TFE Hotels)

Back home in Berlin after her first ever visit to Australia in December, Kutlucan said she was inspired by the soulful hospitality she had received.

“Being a trailblazer who introduced one of the first Australian hotel brands to Europe with Adina, we now eagerly anticipate the exhilarating challenge of unveiling the next chapter – our premium A by Adina brand – on this side of the world. The distinction of being the pioneers fuels our passion, and we’re ready to bring the same innovative spirit to this exciting new endeavour.”

“As a hotelier, I consider the opportunity to shape or reposition a brand a distinct privilege, and I look forward to building upon Adina’s strong foundations,” she said.

Kutlucan said the last few years highlighted the remarkable resilience of the extended-stay segment, positioning Adina Hotels and Serviced Apartments as a strong player. “Adina has established a reputation for excellence that surpasses the conventional four-star benchmark. As we embark on the next chapter of Adina’s journey in Europe, I am confident in the significant growth potential I foresee over the coming decades.”

Adina apartment hotel Copenhagen reception (TFE Hotels)

Kutlucan fell in love with hospitality whilst working in her family-owned hotel in Turkey and, from those humble beginnings, has worked in hotels operations, hotel development, construction and acquisition in the US, UK, Rwanda and, most recently, Amsterdam.

Kutlucan joins Adina fresh from a thirteen-year stint at Cycas Hospitality where, as chief development officer, she was responsible for championing employee culture and growing Cycas’ hotel portfolio across the UK and continental Europe. From one hotel in Liverpool, she now leaves a portfolio of 54 hotels (around 8000 keys) spread across 12 countries and categories.

“There’s no doubt Adina has a reputation for quality,” she said. “It’s a relatively young brand and it’s owned by entrepreneurial-minded people. With this approach to management, we can be agile in adopting new trends in hospitality and in creating and deploying brands.”

Kutlucan, who started at Adina’s Berlin head office in mid-January, blends hands-on hospitality experience with a Finance MBA from Liverpool University.

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A by Adina Antony Ritch Asli Kutlucan TFE Hotels