Strategic Growth, Expertly DeliveredBusiness Development

Dan Thorman is Senior Vice President, Development, responsible for sourcing new hotel management opportunities in the Eastern U.S., Canada, and Caribbean assets owned by a wide spectrum of hotel owners, developers, and investors. He is a highly experienced investment and development leader in the hospitality space with a successful track record of expanding hotel portfolios through both new development and repositioning of existing assets.

Prior to joining Aimbridge, Dan was Vice President, Development with MCR Hotels based in New York City. Before MCR, Dan held senior-level business development positions with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants as Vice President, Development-Americas East in addition to Marriott International as Vice President, Full Service and Luxury Development. His early career includes positions with Starwood Hotels & Resorts from an analyst in global development operations to ultimately as Director, North America Development.

Dan has also served as an adjunct instructor at the NYU School of Professional Studies – Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. Dan graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Business Information Systems.

As Senior Vice President, Development at Aimbridge Hospitality, Justin Magazine leads growth initiatives in the Western U.S. and Canada. Justin and his team focus on delivering opportunities for Aimbridge's existing and new hotel real estate ownership groups in key markets.

Justin also spearheads Aimbridge’s outreach in the owner/operator community where he has successfully developed strategic partnerships between Aimbridge and owners that are ready to pivot out of the day-to-day management and focus on growth in new markets.

As Aimbridge’s client base continues to grow and diversify, Justin adds further acumen to the Business Development team focusing on communicating Aimbridge’s value proposition and leveraging relationships with investors, hotel owners, and brokers to increase retention. Additionally, he specializes in key business development opportunities for strategic ownership groups.

Justin has extensive experience advising the industry’s largest brands and institutional hotel owners. Prior to joining the company, Justin was Managing Director in New York City and Washington, D.C. for Savills Hospitality, an international advisory firm. He was also a Founding Partner and SVP of Humboldt Hospitality Advisors in Washington, DC; and worked as the Vice President of Marketing-North America for Newfound Resorts, an international resort developer, where he led business development and marketing. Before Justin’s tenure in the hotel space, he spent four years in sports marketing as a marketing executive for Octagon.

Tim Pruiett serves as Senior Vice President of Investments & Acquisitions at Aimbridge Hospitality, focusing on global portfolio expansion through strategic M&A, corporate partnerships, and targeted investments across hotel management and related sectors. Tim has more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, shaping and executing growth strategies across the disciplines of M&A, corporate finance, and strategic planning.

Tim joined Aimbridge after 12 years at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, where as Group Vice President of Corporate & Strategic Development, he executed over $2.5 billion of strategic transactions, fueling portfolio growth and brand diversification. This included acquisitions of the La Quinta, AmericInn and Dolce brands and associated hotel management companies, and strategic growth partnerships with multiple hotel investors and developers under Wyndham’s brands. Prior to Wyndham, Tim started his career in investment banking at JPMorgan.

Tim is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, from which he received a BA in International Studies.

Jeff Miller, Vice President, Development, based in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area is responsible for acquisitions, new development opportunities in the Western United States and Canada.

Jeff started his career with White Lodging as Opening Sales Manager for both the Fairfield Inn & Suites Austin North and Courtyard Austin North. He then spent 4 years with HEI working at the Sheraton Austin at the Capitol, Le Méridien Stoneleigh Hotel, and Sheraton Near the Galleria Dallas. Jeff’s entry to the Director of Sales position began with TPG Hospitality for the Sheraton Suites Market Center and then for 3 years with Interstate Hotels as Director of Sales at Hyatt Regency North Dallas, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, and most recently The Highland Hotel, Curio Collection. Over Jeff’s 13 years in Hospitality he has had experience with Marriott, Starwood, Hyatt and Hilton brands.

He served on Interstate’s “InterCircle” Sales Advisory Council to help guide policy, programs and initiatives for their sales organization of 400+ hotels, the University Crossing Public Improvement District Board of Directors, as well as numerous local and regional Travel Associations.

Niall Kelly is Head of Development-EMEA, where he leads our Europe development team and unit growth in a strategically important market for Aimbridge. Niall has more than 25 years of significant deal-making experience with over 220 hotel transactions involving deal negotiation and deal structuring in international markets.

Most recently, Niall served as a development consultant to Marriott International, undertaking various deal structures from complex leases and residential deals to management and franchise. Prior to his consulting work, he served as Vice President of Development-EAME for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide where he oversaw the significant growth of Starwood's brand presence in Europe, including the introduction of new brands like W, Aloft, and Element. His responsibilities incorporated the full range of development activities from franchise and management contract negotiation through individual asset and portfolio acquisitions.

Niall's education and qualifications include MA, Dublin University, Ireland; MBA, IMHI (Cornell-ESSEC), Paris, France; BS (Management), Dublin University, Ireland; H.Dip (Hotel & Catering), Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland.

Patricio del Portillo, Senior Vice President of Development, is responsible for growing the Aimbridge footprint in Latin America and the Caribbean through third-party management opportunities and portfolio acquisitions.

With 20+ years of experience in commercial real estate, sales, financing, and investment, Patricio has built a strong network of investors, owners, lenders, brokers and providers in the region. While working for companies such as CBRE Hotels, Starwood and Posadas, Patricio was responsible for expansion in the region by dentifying and evaluating business opportunities. He also has extensive experience with management and franchise contracts, managing regional budgets, and leading top performance teams in very aggressive growth plans. Patricio has parntnered in more than 100+ projects including new builds, brand conversions, advisory, and capital markets.

Patricio received his Executive MBA in top management from the renowned IPADE Business School at the Panamerican University, Mexico. He is a frequent guest speaker and panelist at key industry events in Latin America.

Steve Terry, Vice President of Development for Aimbridge EMEA, the international division of Aimbridge, is responsible for growing the third-party management business, for both branded and unbranded hotels. He joined the company in September 2013.

Steve has been at the forefront of branded hotel development for nearly 20 years. He started his career in hotel development with IHG, leading the development of Holiday Inn Express in the UK before taking on the role of UK Development Director for all brands. He has also worked as a Development Director for BDL Hotels, one of the UK’s largest franchise hotel operators, as well as Wyndham Hotel Group.

Valerie McCormick serves as Senior Vice President of Development, Portfolio Retention & Owner Relations at Aimbridge Hospitality. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives to strengthen relationships with hotel owners and ownership groups, drives portfolio retention, and oversees the Portfolio Management Support Team. Valerie also assumed responsibility for Owner Relations in September 2025, further expanding her leadership in fostering long-term partnerships and delivering value to stakeholders.

With nearly two decades of hospitality industry experience, Valerie has a proven track record of driving growth, optimizing market strategies, and cultivating key relationships. Prior to her current role, she served as Vice President of Portfolio Retention and Business Development at Aimbridge, where she advanced development strategies and retention programs.

Before joining Aimbridge in July 2021, Valerie held leadership positions at Choice Hotels International as Regional Vice President of Development, overseeing both conversion and new construction brands—including Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, and MainStay Suites—across the New England region. Her career also includes roles as Director of Development for New England at Wyndham Worldwide and Director of Franchise Sales for the Mid-Atlantic Region at Realogy Franchise Group.

Valerie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Philosophy from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

David M. Breeding, AIA, is Senior Vice President, Project & Development Services where he is responsible for providing all aspects of Project Management services to hotel owners, including project planning, technical services advisory, PIPs/renovations, and budgeted/emergency capital management, and all aspects of FF&E. Furthermore, David's responsibilities include design and construction, capital planning and budgeting, project execution and monitoring, sourcing and contracting, and project closeout.

David came to Aimbridge with extensive experience in hotel design and construction. He was most recently a Southeast Regional Hospitality Practice Area Leader with Gensler. Prior to Gensler he was VP of Architecture and Design for IHG where he led teams providing prototype designs, property improvement plans, new & renovation construction, and CAPEX. He was VP of Design and Construction for Prism Hotels & Resorts, VP of Construction for Remington Hotels, VP for WCI Communities, and VP of Design and Construction for Gaylord Entertainment.

David received his Masters of Architecture from University of Texas at Arlington and is a registered architect in Florida and Texas.

Tina Chang serves as Vice President of Asset Management & Owner Relations at Aimbridge Hospitality, where she is responsible for maximizing performance and long-term value across owners’ hotel investments. In this role, she oversees property operations with a focus on strategic alignment, ensuring each asset meets ownership objectives and delivers optimal returns.

Tina partners closely with ownership groups, brand teams, and Aimbridge’s operational leaders to proactively identify opportunities that enhance profitability, strengthen operational efficiency, and elevate asset value. Known for her analytical rigor and collaborative approach, she brings more than twenty years of hospitality experience supported by deep financial acumen and data-driven performance evaluation.

Before joining Aimbridge, Tina held key roles at Interstate Hotels & Resorts and Sunstone Hotel REIT, where she built extensive expertise in asset management, owner relations, financial performance assessment, and long-term strategic planning across diverse hotel portfolios.

Tina earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine (UCI).

In his role as Vice President of Sales Strategy and Optimization at Aimbridge Hospitality, Qasim Malik brings a wealth of expertise and leadership to the forefront. His responsibilities include spearheading the development and implementation of sales strategies that drive revenue growth and operational efficiency across the organization. Qasim's role is pivotal in optimizing sales processes and aligning team performance with the company's strategic objectives.

Qasim's previous experience includes his tenure as Senior Director of Sales Strategy and Planning at Hilton Worldwide, where he led the execution of strategic initiatives and managed key projects to enhance sales operations. His career at Choice Hotels International further highlights his ability in sales strategy and growth analysis, where he developed crucial tools and policies that significantly contributed to market success.

Qasim's academic background includes a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Maryland.

Taylor Steen is the Vice President, Retention & Portfolio Performance. In his role, Taylor supports retention efforts by managing owner relationships and identifying potential partnership opportunities within Aimbridge’s managed portfolio.  He is also responsible for collaborating with Aimbridge’s operations and strategic finance teams to manage portfolio performance objectives to provide additional value to owners.

Taylor has over 15 years of diverse commercial real estate experience, across multiple asset types, with roles spanning financial analysis, lending, acquisitions and dispositions, asset management, and ground-up development. The last 10 years have been focused on the hospitality sector where he has built a strong network of industry connections across ownership groups, managers, brokers and consultants. His experience includes employment at both publicly traded REITs and regional owner/developers, providing him with the ability to “think like an owner” and understand the different perspectives and strategies across Aimbridge’s diverse set of clients.  

Prior to joining Aimbridge in June of 2023, he held strategic positions including VP of Asset Management for Midway Companies, overseeing a portfolio of luxury independent hotels, and Manager, Acquisitions & Dispositions for Summit Hotel Properties where he led over $1 billion in hotel transactions. 

Taylor earned a B.S. in finance from Texas A&M University.