Suzanne Mellen ’76

Prior to establishing the San Francisco HVS office in 1985, Suzanne Mellen ’76 was director of consulting and valuation services for the firm in Mineola, New York. Her professional experience includes consulting and appraisal positions with Morgan Guaranty Trust, Laventhol & Horwath, and Helmsley-Spear Hospitality Services, Inc. in New York City and with Harley-Little Associates in Toronto, Canada.

Mellen has been appraising hotels, gaming assets, and related real estate for over 30 years, has authored numerous articles, and is a frequent lecturer and expert witness on the valuation of hotels, casinos, and related issues. She developed the Simultaneous Valuation Formula, a mortgage-equity income capitalization formula for variable income properties, and more recently, a valuation model that reflects the impact of property refinancing. She has served a wide range of clients ranging from institutional lenders and investment banking firms to pension funds, insurance companies, hotel owners and investors, hotel franchise and management companies, gaming companies, attorneys, and tax assessors.

Mellen has a BS in hotel administration from Cornell University and holds the following designations: MAI (Appraisal Institute), CRE (Counselor of Real Estate), FRICS (Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), and ISHC (International Society of Hospitality Consultants). She has held various positions within these professional organizations and is currently on the board of directors for HVS.