About Us
Clever Hope operates at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, lifestyle, and capital, supporting both emerging projects and established hospitality businesses. We partner with clients across the full lifecycle of an asset, from early concept and development through to commercial strategy, guest experience, and revenue-driving initiatives.
We work as long-term strategic partners, helping hospitality brands and operators refine positioning, unlock commercial opportunities, and design experiences that resonate with their audiences. Our approach is collaborative, commercially grounded, and tailored to the specific ambitions of each business.
Led by Mariana Heath Imbach, Clever Hope collaborates with a curated network of senior hospitality professionals, bringing together expertise across hotel development and management, commercial and brand strategy, experience and events, finance, and investment advisory. This flexible model allows us to remain agile while offering clients access to specialised insight and creative thinking—precisely when and where it matters most.
What makes us different
Early-stage & off-market involvement
We engage before projects reach the market, ensuring discretion, control, and informed decision-making from day one.
Boutique strategy, hands-on execution
We pair high-level strategy with practical expertise across hotel development, management, commercial strategy, and bespoke event curation.
The right partners, at the right time
We curate tailored teams of trusted operators, specialists, and investors, ensuring the right expertise is applied at every stage.
Portfolio
We operate with exclusive access to off-market assets and projects in key international markets, with an active presence in Europe and the Americas. In Portugal, we specialize in the growth and consolidation of the lifestyle segment, identifying unique and distinctive properties from north to south of the country. Our approach combines strategic vision, market intelligence, and privileged access to opportunities reserved before they reach the open market.
About Mariana
Mariana Heath Imbach is a hospitality and events professional with international experience across Europe and the Middle East. A Les Roches alumni with a BBA/BSc in International Hospitality Management, she has worked with leading brands including Accor, Fairmont, Sofitel, Jumeirah, and The Savoy London.
As Managing Director at Clever Hope, and Manager of Global Accounts at Helmsbriscoe, she specialises in hotel development, commercial strategy, and event curation. Mariana blends analytical insight, creativity, and strong relationship-building skills, supported by her Hotel Asset Management certification from eCornell.
Fluent in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish, she brings a global, collaborative approach and a natural talent for connecting people and opportunities.
About Rita
Rita Martins Bengtsson is our Senior Luxury Advisor, bringing over a decade of commercial leadership experience in the luxury hospitality sector. She has a strong track record of delivering growth across international markets, including Latin America and the United States, and was recognised as a 2019 “30 Under 30” talent in hospitality and tourism.
Specialising in premium and luxury segments, she has driven significant market growth and led high-profile international projects. Today, she advises operators, owners and investors on strategy, concept activation and performance optimisation within the hospitality industry.