Kathleen Hollis
Senior Vice President, Development, Western U.S. & Canada | 617.640.1602

Email: Kathleen.Hollis@aimbridge.com

Not many people say their favorite number is 13, but Kathleen isn’t like most people. A self-described “hotel dork,” Kathleen went to the Hotel School at Cornell University with one goal in mind – a career in hospitality. Kathleen loves working alongside so many industry experts to solve challenges and issues as they arise, learning from each one along the way. Driven to succeed, Kathleen’s positive attitude and boundless energy never ceases even in the face of the most daunting task. Not one to get complacent, she loves taking on new responsibilities and learning new tasks.

It’s that same energy and optimism with which Kathleen tackles her daily life. Originally from Boston, she travels back to Bean Town regularly to visit her parents and younger sister, Erin, and says she has close friends all over the East Coast. Always on the go, when Kathleen isn’t racking up air miles, she’s most at home outdoors, especially at the beach or in the ocean. In her off time she ditches the business casual look for her favorite Lululemon athletic garb in pursuit of any kind of physical activity. Whether she’s running, hiking, or biking, exercise isn’t just something she does, it’s who she is.

Kathleen’s favorite Guiding Principle is “Celebrate success wildly” because she believes that it’s important to enjoy your accomplishments and thinks that the key to a happy life is balance. “Life’s too short to be serious all the time,” Kathleen stated. We agree.

EXPERIENCE
Evolution Hospitality, 2014 - Present
- SVP of Development
- VP of Development
- Director of Development
Wells Fargo Hospitality Finance Group, 2013 - 2014
- Analyst

Kevin Dingle
Senior Vice President, Development, Central U.S. | 214.600.5503

Email: Kevin.Dingle@aimbridge.com

Kevin Dingle has over 25 years experience working in financial services and real estate. Kevin is responsible for identifying acquisition, management and new development opportunities while fostering relationships with capital partners, lenders, brokers and brands.

After previously working for Aimbridge from 2007-2010, Kevin was a principal of Compass Lodging Advisors, a hotel investment and asset management firm he co-founded in 2010. While at Compass, the company completed $200 million worth of acquisitions and had an asset management portfolio of 10 premium branded full and select service hotels. Kevin began his real estate career with Crow Holdings, the investment arm of the Trammell Crow Family, where he served as Vice President of Acquisitions and was involved in over $750 Million worth of acquisitions, dispositions, and refinancing.

Kevin graduated with a BS from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston and has an MBA with a concentration in finance from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. He is also a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dan Thorman
Senior Vice President, Development, Northeastern U.S. & Canada | 914.310.9079

Email: Daniel.Thorman@aimbridge.com

Dan Thorman is Senior Vice President, Development, responsible for sourcing new hotel management opportunities in the Northeastern U.S., Canada, and Caribbean inclusive of full service and resort 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.

Justin Magazine
Senior Vice President, Development, Southeastern U.S. | 301.908.3332

Email: Justin.Magazine@aimbridge.com

As Senior Vice President, Development and Acquisitions of Aimbridge Hospitality, Justin Magazine leads growth initiatives for select-service hotels within the Southeastern U.S. region. Justin and his team focus on delivering opportunities for Aimbridge Hospitality’s existing and new hotel real estate ownership groups in key East Coast 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. Previously, Justin focused on retention for Aimbridge Hospitality, retaining management contracts for Aimbridge’s strategic hotels that are placed for sale by their respective owners. During his tenure at Aimbridge, Justin and his team nearly doubled the company's retention success rate.

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 brings 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.

Niall Kelly
Head of Development - EMEA

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.

Steve Terry
Senior Vice President, Development & Acquisitions, Aimbridge EMEA

Email: Steve.Terry@aimbridge.com

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.

Patricio Del Portillo
Senior Vice President, Development, Aimbridge LATAM

Email: Patricio.DelPortillo@aimbridge.com

Patricio del Portillo, Senior Vice President of Development, is responsible for growing the Aimbridge footprint in Latin America 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.

Valerie McCormick
Senior Vice President, Development & Portfolio Retention | 201.213.9141

Email: Valerie.McCormick@aimbridge.com

Valerie McCormick is Senior Vice President Development & Portfolio Retention. In her role, Valerie identifies and pursues partnership opportunities with hotel owners and new ownership groups in leading retention efforts for Aimbridge.

Valerie brings with her a wealth of experience overseeing successful expansions, cultivating key industry relationships, and optimizing market knowledge to earn quantifiable results. She has more than a decade of industry experience, having most recently served as Regional Vice President of Choice Hotels International, where she was responsible for the enhancement and development of brands like Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites and Mainstay Suites in the new England region. She has also previously served as a Co-Founder of Lotus Consulting Services, Director of Development for New England at Wyndham Worldwide and Director of Franchise Sales for the Mid-Atlantic Region at Realogy Franchise Group.

She began her career at Wyndham Worldwide, where she served first as an International Licensing Coordinator in Contract Administration prior to becoming the Franchise Development Manager for the Northeast Region.

Valerie received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Christian Buckhout
Vice President, Feasibility & BD Operations

Email: Christian.Buckhout@aimbridge.com

Christian Buckhout, Vice President, Feasibility & Business Development Operations, leads Aimbridge Hospitality's Feasibility operations and oversight of the Sales Enablement Team and implementation of the company's Salesforce platform. Christian brings more than a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, with a strong record in strategic planning, feasibility analysis, and investment evaluation.

Previously serving as the Vice President of Feasibility, Christian played a key role in building a high-performing analytical team and introducing robust underwriting systems that have enhanced the company's operational agility and decision making. His deep knowledge of market dynamics and financial modeling continues to drive forward-looking growth strategies for Aimbridge.

Before joining Aimbridge, Christian held senior leadership roles at Crescent Hotels & Resorts as Vice President of Investment Analysis, and at Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he managed feasibility operations and strategic development initiatives.

Qasim Malik
Vice President, Sales Strategy & Optimization

Email: Qasim.Malik@aimbridge.com

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.