Hospitality & Travel Consultant

Where exceptional
places are made.

Over two decades helping owners, investors, and operators create properties that define their destinations — from concept and culture to service and story.

20+
Years Experience
2★★
Michelin Stars
4+
Continents Worked
★★ Two Michelin Stars
Hotel Milka
Kranjska Gora · Julian Alps · Slovenia
hotelmilka.si
Heritage · c. 1900
Vila Olivotti
Lake Bled · Gorenjska · Slovenia
vilaolivotti.si

A career built
on creating
places people
return to.

I am a hospitality and travel professional with over 20 years of international experience — spanning luxury hotels, active travel leadership, government communications, and boutique property development across four continents.

In 2020 I founded Dino Katalenić Consulting and led the development of two properties from the ground up: Boutique Hotel & Restaurant Milka in Kranjska Gora and Vila Olivotti in Bled. Both have been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, and Le Figaro. The Milka restaurant earned its first Michelin star within three months of opening and its second the year after.

I am now actively seeking new projects and collaborations — with investors, developers, and operators who want to build something worth remembering.

2020 — Present
Founder & Principal Consultant
Dino Katalenić Consulting · Slovenia & EU
Hotel Milka (★★), Vila Olivotti, Terra concept
2020 — 2021
Government Adviser, Pandemic Response
Ministry of Economic Development & Technology · Slovenia
2015 — 2025
Trip Leader & Regional Manager
Backroads · Berkeley, California — Europe & Worldwide
World's #1 active travel company. Led luxury guided tours across Europe and beyond; managed regional operations and guest experience for an internationally recognised American travel brand.
✦ Backroads — world's #1 active travel company since 1979, Berkeley CA
2009 — 2012
Project Manager
Kaplan International · Worldwide
Led the organisational merger integrating Kaplan Aspect and Kaplan International Colleges into a unified global operation — coordinating across teams, markets, and systems to deliver a seamless transition at scale.
Sales & Marketing Manager
Kaplan Aspect · UK & Worldwide
2007 — 2009
Receptionist & Duty Manager
Blakes Hotel · London, United Kingdom
Iconic boutique hotel founded by Anouska Hempel — a foundational grounding in true luxury hospitality.
2004 — 2007
Early Career in Luxury Hospitality
London, United Kingdom

Three pillars.
One vision.

Every engagement is bespoke. You choose the level of involvement — from a focused concept sprint to full end-to-end project stewardship. Everything is built around your story, your guests, and your place.

I
Concept, Design & Sustainability

From the initial idea to a complete creative framework — concept development, interior and exterior design direction, sense of place, multi-sensory experience design, and deep sustainability integration. Everything connected by a common thread.

II
People & Culture

Your team is your product. Through the SOLWE™ training methodology and the People 2.0 programme, we elevate service from functional to immaculate — and build the internal culture to sustain it long after we leave.

III
PR & Marketing

Honest, values-led storytelling. No marketing fluff — just your story, told with clarity and conviction. We help you build a tribe of genuine ambassadors who carry your message further than any campaign.

Two properties.
A track record.

Both built from scratch. Both internationally recognised. Both still raising the bar.

★★ Two Michelin Stars
Kranjska Gora · Julian Alps · Slovenia
Boutique Hotel & Restaurant · 2022
Hotel Milka

A derelict property on the edge of Jasna Lake transformed into a six-room boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant. Led from concept through construction, branding, staff training, and opening.

The restaurant earned its first Michelin star within three months of opening and its second the following year. Featured within months of launch in the New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, and Le Figaro.

Zero plastics Local artisans Alpine cuisine 2 Michelin Stars Sustainability-first
Visit hotelmilka.si
Protected Heritage · c. 1900
Lake Bled · Gorenjska · Slovenia
Heritage Villa Renovation · 2022
Vila Olivotti

A century-old Secession-style protected heritage building overlooking Lake Bled — carefully restored and reinvented as a four-apartment luxury villa with private spa, wine cellar, and terraces facing the thousand-year-old Bled Castle.

A Great Gatsby-esque blend of fin-de-siècle grandeur and 21st-century precision. Every material and detail considered. Currently available for purchase.

Protected heritage 4 apartments Private spa Lake views Wine cellar
Visit vilaolivotti.si
As seen in

Terra —
hospitality
as infrastructure.

Terra is a fully developed concept for a climate-adaptive, regenerative hospitality ecosystem — not a hotel with a garden, but a living property where luxury accommodation, regenerative agriculture, clean energy, and living artisanal culture operate as one interconnected organism.

Anchored in a restored 18th or 19th-century castle or grand farmhouse, each Terra property operates across five integrated revenue streams and is designed to become more profitable as climate pressure intensifies — the very conditions that threaten conventional tourism become Terra's structural advantage.

1
The Hotel
50-100 room boutique destination in restored heritage architecture. Year-round, 3-night minimum stay model.
2
Agrivoltaic Farm
4+ hectares of climate-adapted crops under a solar grid that provides ideal shade and powers the entire property.
3
Clean Energy & Carbon Credits
Surplus solar powers CO₂ capture units — converted to natural gas sold to national grids or carbon markets.
4
Farm-to-Market Produce
Branded seasonal products — olive oil, honey, herbs — sold through hotel retail and regional partnerships.
5
Artisan Studios
Resident craftspeople housed on favourable terms. Guests book immersive private experiences at near-zero cost.
The Opportunity

Replicable wherever there is arable land, a coastline, architectural heritage, and a community under climate pressure — which describes hundreds of locations across the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Adriatic, the Algarve, coastal North Africa, and well beyond.

"Terra is not a hotel that talks about sustainability. It is infrastructure for a civilisation that needs to stay."

Who Should Be in the Room
01
Impact Investors
ESG mandates met with measurable environmental & financial return.
02
Hospitality PE
Boutique hotel segment outperforming mass market. Structural differentiation.
03
EU Climate Funds
Agrivoltaics, water independence & carbon sequestration aligned with EU priorities.
04
Municipalities
Anchor investment for communities at risk of depopulation.
Request the Full Pitch Subject to NDA · Direct enquiries only

"When it comes to hospitality, Dino is a rare breed of people who understand what makes a great experience. Equipped with a keen eye for detail, he brings a wide array of knowledge from multiple facets of the hospitality industry, design, and team training."

David Žefran · Executive Chef · Restaurant Milka ★★
We see hospitality, its meaning and its art-form, as an open-ended creativity and adaptation game.

Elevating hospitality
to modern values.

Our mission is to elevate the hospitality industry to levels that exude modern values and are future-proof. We direct you to step on the road that is responsible, looks beautiful, feels joyous, and is in line with the values of the 21st-century traveller.

Our vision is a world where immaculate service and exquisite serenity are inextricably intertwined. Every story is unique — and approaching each on its own to create a truly unforgettable sense of place is at the core of everything we do.

Open to
new projects.

If you have a property, a site, or a vision in the hospitality space — I would like to hear about it. The conversation is always the first step.

Currently seeking new collaborations.

Whether you are an investor with a site, a developer mid-project, or an operator ready to raise the bar — I have the experience and the vision to help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

Get in Touch
Boutique hotel concept & development
Heritage property renovation
Pre-opening consulting & staff training
Sustainability-led hospitality projects
Active & experiential travel ventures
Hospitality PR & brand strategy
European & Mediterranean markets