Founded in 2020, Honolulu-based Powell & Aucello provides a full range of hospitality real estate consulting and brokerage services.
PRINCIPAL
After decades of service with Hilton Hotels, Tim retired as Vice President and Managing Director of Development, Southwest Region. In his development role, he honed his skills by approving franchise and Hilton-managed projects based on location, financial feasibility, and performance over 15 years.
In the first phase of his career with Hilton, Tim oversaw the opening of over 10,000 hotel rooms in destinations such as Honolulu, Kauai, Los Angeles, New Orleans, London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Jakarta. As part of the on-site construction team in these diverse locations, his love for the business and appreciation for outstanding design and construction ingenuity were born.
Tim earned his bachelor’s degree from The University at Albany, State University of New York, focusing on public affairs and urban planning. He lives in Honolulu with his wife Noriko. Both are avid pickleball players and travelers.
Kevin has a broad understanding of the hospitality industry, focusing on acquisition, valuation, financing, recapitalization, and disposition. He also brings first-hand knowledge of the markets and demand drivers in Hawaii, Guam, and Micronesia.
His global hotel brand experience includes positions with Outrigger Resorts and Marriott International. At Outrigger, Kevin sourced resort properties and management contracts in Hawaii, Micronesia, Okinawa, and Mexico. At Marriott, he secured management and franchise contracts in Hawaii for Marriott’s brands. He was directly responsible for adding the Edition Waikiki and Courtyard Hotels in Waikiki, Kauai, Kona, and Maui.
Kevin previously spent a decade at commercial real estate firm CBRE, rising from Associate to Executive Vice President. He provided a full range of advisory services, including seller side brokerage, acquisition analysis, and valuation services for hotels, golf courses, development land, and industrial, retail, and office properties.
Prior to moving to Hawaii, Kevin worked for the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan in its Tokyo headquarters, overseeing loans made throughout the Pacific on a variety of property types. Kevin’s early career included positions at banks and financial regulatory agencies.
Kevin earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in real estate from the University of Florida. He is an active Hawaii Real Estate Broker and serves on the programming committee of the Hawaii chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. He is a former board member of The Pacific Club.
Powell & Aucello advised the seller of this 20-room oceanfront boutique hotel on Maui. Our close relationships with hotel investors actively targeting the Hawaii market allowed us to directly source the buyer. This hotel was held for generations in the same family – we helped navigate the unique challenges of this situation and close the transaction in less than five months.
The owner of the 311-room Ohana Malia Hotel was ready to execute a five-year extension of their hotel management contract. Aucello reviewed the contract, conducted a management RFP, and was able to secure the client savings of over $1 million in annual fees.
All major national hotel brands were pursuing a deal for this 623-room hotel. A powerful combination of financial incentives and creative architectural solutions helped Hilton prevail. With negotiations led by Powell, this property became a Hilton Garden Inn that remains one of the largest in the world.
Aucello’s team was hired to sell the 1,304-room Hawaiian Regent Hotel, the third-largest hotel in Hawaii. The property sold to Marriott for $128 million – an extremely high price given the leasehold ownership.
