Estelle Wang, 26

Estelle Wang has traveled long and far to make a name for herself in the United States. 

Born in Shenzhen, a city not far from Hong Kong in the southeastern part of China, Wang loved exploring different parts of the Middle Kingdom as a young girl, especially the country’s numerous hotels in major cities. She chose to work at the Intercontinental Hotel in Shenzhen during a high school internship, before she attended the New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, where she graduated with highest honors. 

“I chose NYU to study hotel management, and it didn’t disappoint me because during my four years there I served two concentrations, one in hotel management and the other in real estate finance,” explained Wang. 

After three years at CBRE as an associate, Wang joined Colliers 15 months ago as part of the team led by Mark Owens, vice chair of the hospitality practice. Wang specializes in raising debt and equity, and is involved in basically every aspect of each deal: underwriting, financial analysis, operating, due diligence, marketing, lender and investor outreach, and closings. 

Her biggest deals so far include a $185 million refinancing of the East Miami hotel, a 352-key resort, and a $350 million refinance of three luxury hotels that included the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City and the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square.  

She believes all of the diverse experiences and travel have led her to a career she truly loves. 

“Real estate is about people, creativity and intuition,” she said. “And learning the art of the deal, and what one is investing in, along with finding creative solutions for clients, are all just as important.”