Liya

Senior Director of Asset Management @Hotel Asset Value Enhancement (hotelAVE)

Los Angeles, CA, US

Hotel Asset Value Enhancement, Inc.(hotelAVE) is the industry\'s leading international hotel owner, advisor and asset management firm, with a legacy of unrivaled performance for our partners, owners and lenders of 1,700+ hotels with more than rooms, representing over $160 billion of hotel real estate value. The company\'s current asset management portfolio comprises over 75 hotels and $12.5 billion in assets under management. The firm advises on an additional $10 billion of hotel real estate annually. Advisory services include: lender collateral strategic business plans, strategic plans, receivership, acquisition underwriting and due diligence, new manager and franchise selection, development planning and litigation support services. The firm’s operational effectiveness division implements projects that increased GOP margins by an average of 500 bps without impact to guest service as measured one year after installation. hotelAVE uses a highly data driven and comprehensive approach, which is supported by a proprietary business intelligence & analytics platform.Founded in 2003 by Michelle Russo, the 2021 Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year and the 2025 Isenberg HTM Distinguished Industry Leader, hotelAVE’s 44 diverse professionals possess over 650+ combined years of hotel ownership, consulting and hospitality operations experience. hotelAVE is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island with offices and professionals also located in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Raleigh, Seattle, and Washington, DC. For more information on hotelAVE, please visit

Cornell University

Bachelor of Science magna cum laude, Hotel Administration

Yale School of Management

MBA