Tom is an executive vice president in Wells Fargo Commercial Real Estate’s Hospitality Finance Group. The group provides debt products and financial services to leading hotel owners throughout the United States. Its customers include well-capitalized private owners/operators, national real estate funds dedicated to hospitality, public REITs and real estate operating companies. Tom is a division manager and is responsible for the group’s national public company clients as well as its private clients headquartered in the southern US.

 

Tom joined Wells Fargo in 2014 and has more than 30 years of commercial banking experience, the majority of which has been dedicated to the hotel industry.

 

Tom has Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from Baylor University, where he serves on the university’s College of Arts and Science Advisory Board.

Steve Haggerty was selected Global Head of Capital Strategy, Franchising and Select Service of Hyatt Hotels Corporation in August 2014. Mr. Haggerty is responsible for implementing Hyatt’s overall capital and franchising strategy and overseeing their select service business. Prior to assuming his current role, Mr. Haggerty was the Executive Vice President, Global Head of Real Estate and Capital Strategy from October 2012. In that role, Mr. Haggerty was responsible for implementing Hyatt’s capital strategy, managing their hotel asset base and providing support to their development professionals around the world. Mr. Haggerty has been with Hyatt since 2007 when he joined the company as Global Head of Real Estate and Development, overseeing the global development, feasibility and development finance and asset management teams.

Before joining Hyatt, Mr. Haggerty spent 13 years serving in several positions of increasing responsibility with Marriott International, Inc., including finance, asset management and development roles in various locations around the world.

Dave Johnson oversees the management of Aimbridge’s entire portfolio consisting of over 350 hotels approximately 2 billion in annual revenue and over 13,000 employees. Through his dedication and leadership, Aimbridge is recognized as one of the Premier Hotel Management companies in the United States. Aimbridge Hospitality’s portfolio includes assets under ownership and management from Marriott, Hilton, Starwood, Hyatt Hotels, IHG, Choice and Wyndham. Additionally Aimbridge oversees an impressive resort and luxury division of hotels including its own proprietary all inclusive Jewel Resorts.

Prior to joining Aimbridge, he spent 17 years at Wyndham International helping them grow from 10 hotels to over 500 at the time of his departure. While at Wyndham, Johnson served as President of Wyndham Hotels, overseeing approximately 15,000 employees and responsible for approximately 3 billion dollars in annual revenue. Prior to that he served in various senior level operational, sales and marketing positions.

Daniel Lesser has more than 35 years of expertise in a wide range of hospitality operational, investment counseling, valuation, advisory and transactional services. Prior to founding LW Hospitality Advisors, he created and served as senior managing director - industry leader of the Hospitality and Gaming Valuation Advisory Services Group at CB Richard Ellis Hotels. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Lesser founded and led the Hospitality and Gaming Group at Cushman and Wakefield and was a founding member of the team at HVS International. Mr. Lesser has held operational and administrative positions with Hilton Hotels Corp. and Eurotels-Switzerland. He is a graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and also attended the Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne. Mr. Lesser is widely published and quoted, and highly sought after to speak at lodging and real estate events as well as lectures at prestigious institutions of higher education.

Katie Moro joined TravelClick in 2011 and is responsible for the global expansion of TravelClick’s Demand360 product. Katie is a veteran of the hospitality industry and has been involved with the demand initiative since the product’s early days. 

Prior to joining TravelClick, Katie was an Account Manager with Rubicon and led a sales team that focused on product growth in major accounts.  She has also held roles at Morgans Hotel Group and Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

Katie holds a Bachelor’s of Arts from the The University of Georgia.

Cindy Nelson chairs Gardere’s hospitality industry team. She handles sophisticated real estate and financing transactions, often involving iconic properties, and represents owners, REITs, opportunity funds and developers, especially in the hospitality and lodging sector. She has represented clients in the acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing of commercial enterprises both domestic and foreign, including hotels and mixed-use developments, shopping centers, multifamily housing developments, office buildings, industrial properties, unimproved land, and fractional and timeshare properties.

Cindy’s practice includes senior and mezzanine financing services, complex workout and debt restructuring, joint ventures, management agreements, franchise agreements, buying, selling, developing and ground leasing of all types of real estate products. She also assists investors with recapitalization of distressed borrowers and purchasers of troubled assets.

She has represented financial institutions, investment and development companies, major hospitality firms and others involved in real estate. Cindy has helped with a wide variety of transactions, primarily focusing on acquisitions, divestitures, borrower-side financing and joint ventures. Her clients rely on her efficient and diligent approach to closing varied, high-stakes transactions, and she is regarded as a creative problem solver.

Dan Peek, located in Tampa, is a Senior Managing Director and is the Head of the Hospitality Practice Group of HFF. He is primarily responsible for institutional-grade hotel and resort property transactions throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. During the course of his career, Mr. Peek has completed over $11 billion in investment sale, debt and equity placement transactions.

Mr. Peek joined the firm in October 2007. Prior to HFF, he was a co-founder and Managing Director of Regent Street, an affiliate of The Plasencia Group, Inc. (TPG), a boutique firm specializing in sale, financing and advisory services for distinctive hotels and resorts throughout the Americas. He also served as Senior Vice President at TPG, handling hotel and resort property transactions in the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions. Before TPG, Mr. Peek worked in hotel operations and consulting, including a variety of management positions with Marriott International and Wiengardner & Hammons, and as a consultant with HVS International in New York.

Mr. Peek is a full member of the Urban Land Institute, a member of the Hotel Development Council, the advisory board of the University of Florida Real Estate Center, the advisory board of the Cornell Real Estate and Finance Center and the Cornell Hotel Society.

Cliff Risman is a veteran business lawyer who represents companies that develop, own, operate and finance hotels around the world. He is described by clients in the Chambers USA Guide as "very practical and always accessible." Clients choose Cliff over competitors because he speaks the language and fully understands every aspect of their business – from securing capital, structuring deals and negotiating management contracts, to guiding clients through labor, tax, food and beverage, and operational matters and disputes.

Cliff represents luxury and boutique hotel and resort brands, operators and management companies, developers, private equity and other investors in their highest profile projects. He understands how to best tackle the various agreements – he knows the hospitality industry and the unique business and economic issues that arise – and he has guided clients through many complex matters and dispute resolutions. Cliff ensures that clients are protected, focuses intently on their broader business goals, and knows how, where and when to push to get the deal done as quickly as possible.

Nolan Wrentmore joined Aimbridge in 2005 and has 20 years of hospitality experience. Mr. Wrentmore oversees all aspects of revenue management and e-commerce for Aimbridge’s hotels. Mr. Wrentmore has extensive knowledge and experience in segmentation, pricing, revenue management systems, third party Internet booking channels, pay per click marketing, and guides Aimbridge’s entire portfolio in all market strategies.

Prior to joining Aimbridge, Wrentmore was Corporate Director of Revenue Management for Wyndham International and was responsible for various full service hotels in the Western United States. While in this role, he also oversaw the revenue management transition of the Summerfield Suites brand to a Hyatt brand. Prior to that, he served as Area Revenue Manager for Performance Hospitality (a division of Wyndham) overseeing several brands across the Midwest, including several Hilton and Holiday Inn products.