Highgate - Our Team - Highgate Corporate

Mahmood Khimji

Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board

Mahmood Khimji is a founding principal of Highgate, an industry-leading real estate investment and management firm, and has been involved in all aspects of Highgate’s development since its founding in 1988.

Prior to founding Highgate, Mr. Khimji practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Mr. Khimji is on the Board of Directors of Sagicor Financial Corporation, Playa Hotels & Resorts, and American Hotel Income Properties and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Real Estate Forum. He previously held board positions at MeriStar Hospitality Corporation, Interstate Hotels, and Morgans Hotel Group. Mr. Khimji also serves on the National Committee of Aga Khan Foundation USA and on the boards of Aga Khan Museum and the Asia Society. Additionally, Mr. Khimji serves on the Board of Visitors for Columbia Law School.

Mr. Khimji attended the University of British Columbia, holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Houston and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Mehdi Khimji

Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board

Mehdi Khimji is a Managing Principal and Co-Founder of Highgate and sits on the Company’s Board of Directors. He founded Highgate with his brother, Mahmood, in 1988. For the past 25 years, he has been actively involved in the acquisition, financing and disposition of over 10 billion dollars of real estate. Mehdi is based in London and leads the Company’s European growth strategy.

Mehdi formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia Hospital Foundation.

Mehdi graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Commerce. Upon graduation, he articled with a public accounting firm in Canada and earned his CA.

Zach Berger

Principal

Zach is a ten-year Highgate veteran and leads Highgate’s real estate investment, asset management and corporate finance initiatives. During his time at Highgate, Zach has been involved in over $12bn of hospitality and other real estate transactions.

Prior to joining Highgate, Zach worked in Citigroup’s Real Estate and Lodging Investment Banking Group. While at Citi, Zach worked on public debt and equity raises, and M&A transactions involving REITs, lodging operators and real estate private equity funds.

Zach graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science, and also studied at The London School of Economics.

Richard Russo

Principal

Richard’s 20 years of hotel industry experience includes the last seven years with Highgate where he has been responsible for spearheading the firm’s business development efforts. In his role as Principal, Rich is focused on identifying new conversion opportunities, leading the due diligence and site selection process, sourcing debt and equity partners, and negotiating long term management agreements.

Prior to Highgate, he was with Morgan’s Hotel Group, where he ran various asset management functions for MHG including asset sales and operational enhancement reviews. Rich was previously a Manager for Ernst & Young, L.L.P. in the Transaction Advisory Services Division, specializing in real estate and hospitality.

Rich has a Master of Business Administration Degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Matt Gunlock

Principal

Matt Gunlock has 15 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, the last five of which as Highgate’s General Counsel.

Prior to joining Highgate, Matt was an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where he focused on commercial real estate transactions, hospitality, and private equity.

He holds a BS in Accounting, summa cum laude, from the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University and a JD from the William & Mary School of Law.

Steve Barick

Principal

Steve joined Highgate in 1992 and has over 34 years of hotel multi-unit experience and over 40 years of total hospitality experience. As Principal, Steve is focused on turnaround strategies for distressed and under-performing hotel properties, including the oversight of over $2 billion dollars in renovation and repositioning programs. Previously, he served as Highgate’s COO for 20 years where he was responsible for implementing operating cost controls and effective operating budget management techniques, operational execution of the portfolio, organizational growth and managing a world class team.

Ankur Randev

Principal & Chief Commercial Officer

Ankur joined Highgate in 2003 and was integral in the development of Highgate’s proprietary revenue management, distribution and electronic marketing functions. As Principal & Chief Commercial Officer, Ankur has global oversight of Highgate’s commercial strategy which includes Revenue Management, Sales and Marketing, E-commerce and Customer Relationship Management.

Prior to joining Highgate Hotels in 2003, Ankur worked at Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces and McKinsey & Company.

Ankur received a Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Sales and Marketing and Revenue Management from The University of Huddersfield. He holds certifications from Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program, Cornell University, and Wharton’s Executive Education Program.

Arash Azarbarzin

Principal & Chief Executive Officer

Arash Azarbarzin is Principal & Chief Executive Officer at Highgate. In this role, he will collaborate with Highgate’s Co-Founders and Principals to build upon the company’s culture while expanding relationships with esteemed industry partners. This includes a heightened focus on Highgate’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance strategy based on Arash’s expertise in sustainable, modern luxury. Arash will also lead the development of specialized Food & Beverage and Marketing divisions.

Arash brings over 30 years of hospitality leadership experience, including most recently serving as CEO of SH Hotels & Resorts, where was instrumental in the growth and development of 1 Hotels, Treehouse, and Baccarat. Prior to joining SH, Arash was a founding member of sbe Hotel Group, where he served as President for 12 years, prior to which he held leadership roles at W Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis, and Four Seasons. Arash is a seasoned leader with deep operational experience, a track record of mentoring and cultivating exceptional talent, driving corporate culture, and a dedication to innovating and delivering unique guest experiences on a scaled level.

Rob Dann

Chief Operating Officer, Highgate Select

Rob leads the organizational growth and operational execution of Highgate’s Select Service division. Rob also is the leader for Highgate’s ground up development platform focused on select service and extended stay assets.

Previously, Rob was the Chief Operating Officer of Campus Crest Group (NYSE: CCG), the second largest student housing company in the world. Prior to Campus Crest, he was the President of CSM Lodging and held senior roles at Boykin Management Company and Interstate Hotels. Rob also has over 15 additional years of Hospitality experience at the field level with such companies as Ian Schrager Hotels, Helmsley Hotels, InterContinental and Westin Hotels and Resorts.

Rob holds a BSBA in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Denver.

Ned Martin

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Ned oversees Highgate’s global financial planning, accounting execution and capital partnership development.

Previously, Ned served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Golden Entertainment, Inc. (“GEI”) in Las Vegas, Nevada where he oversaw the Human Resources, Security & Surveillance, Information Technology, and Facilities Departments. Prior to its acquisition by GEI, Ned was the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Chief Operating Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of American Casino & Entertainment Properties (ACEP). Throughout his career, Ned has held several senior level finance positions with Station Casinos, Inc., Silverton Casino, LLC, and Maloof Companies

Ned holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and attended the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.

Elizabeth Redmond

Chief Accounting Officer

As Chief Accounting Officer, Elizabeth is responsible for leading Highgate’s global accounting operations and driving innovation across Highgate’s accounting and reporting practices. Prior to joining Highgate, Redmond served as Chief Accounting Officer of Choice Hotels International, Inc., a global hospitality company with a portfolio representing over 7,000 franchised, managed and owned hotels, where she led enterprise-wide process reengineering efforts, implemented complex accounting standards and improved internal control structures and procedures to accommodate the company’s growth and evolving financial structure. Redmond began working at Choice Hotels in 2007 as Director of Compliance and was later promoted to Senior Director, Accounting & Compliance and Vice President, Financial Reporting & Accounting.

Geri Williams-Fitts

Chief People Officer

Geri joined Highgate in 2008 and provides direction to corporate and field-based human resources professionals throughout North America and internationally in all labor-related activities, life-cycle processes, talent acquisition, workforce planning, and compensation strategies.

Prior to joining Highgate Hotels, Geri held a range of senior human resources leadership positions with several hospitality-based businesses, including Wyndham Worldwide and Hilton Hotels. In addition, she spent over seven years with distinguished retail service organizations including May Company and the Federated Organization.

Geri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management/Administration from Gordon University.

Mike Dickersbach

Chief Digital Officer

As Chief Digital Officer, Mike leads Highgate’s technology initiatives, identifying emerging trends, evaluating new opportunities, and guiding strategic decisions. His visionary approach and ability to navigate complex technological landscapes are instrumental in driving Highgate’s digital transformation efforts.

Mike began his career in the hospitality industry, initially serving as a Systems & Control Manager and Restaurant Manager after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Johnson & Wales University. Over the years, he has held various key positions within the industry, including CTO at Highgate, Head of IT for Thayer Lodging and Brookfield Properties, Director of Technology at HEI, and Global Head of Hospitality Services at Infor.

Mike’s contributions to the industry extend beyond his professional roles. He has actively participated in industry committees and advisory boards, such as the HITEC advisory committee, Advisory Board for Hospitality Technology Magazine, Advisor for Thayer Ventures, Hilton Advisory Board, and Chairman of the American Hospitality and Lodging Association’s Technology and e-commerce advisory committee.

In 2014, Mike further enhanced his educational background by earning a Master’s Degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, graduating Suma Cum Laude.

Kerry Mack

Chief Revenue Officer

Kerry Mack is the Chief Revenue Officer for Highgate Hotels. She joined Highgate in 2005 and has almost 30 years of hotel experience with 25 of those years in Revenue Management. Kerry’s responsibilities include direct oversight for Highgate’s 350+ properties as well as the planning and execution of the company’s property level revenue management strategies, pricing policies, CRM Program, and E-Commerce initiatives.

Prior to joining Highgate, Kerry has held property, regional and corporate Revenue Management positions throughout Manhattan with the Melrose Hotel Company and the Camberly Hotel Company. In 2004 she received an award for “Highest RevPAR Growth in North America” at the SRS World Hotel Conference and in 2008 she received the “Revenue Management Professional of the Year” award from the Big Apple Chapter of HSMAI. Most recently, she was honored in 2017 as one of HMSAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization.

Aside from her day job, Kerry has been an adjunct professor at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management for 20 years where she teaches graduate students in the classes that pertain to the discipline of Revenue Management. In 2011 she received a Teaching Excellence Faculty Award from NYU. She is also a member of HSMAI and was on the Board of Directors in 2007 to help jumpstart the Special Interest Group for Revenue Management in the Big Apple Chapter. She also is on the Executive Board of Directors for NYC & Company, which is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York.

A New York City native, Kerry holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel Management from New York University.

Kelly Sanders

Group President

At Highgate, Kelly oversees the management of an expanding portfolio of properties in Hawaii —including the ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach. An accomplished industry expert, Kelly brought with him over 30 years of hospitality experience, including 21 years with Marriott/Starwood.

Sanders was appointed a board member of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) by Governor of Hawaii David Ige. In addition to his extensive background in the hospitality industry, Sanders is active in numerous philanthropic endeavors. He is a supporter of the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI), a non-profit organization committed to returning the indigenous koa, milo and sandalwood trees back to the Hawaiian Islands. He was previously Chair of the Diamond Head Theater and is a board member of Gregory House Charities, Euro Cinema, Boy Scouts of America and The American Red Cross. He is also the Creative Entertainment Director for the Heart Ball benefiting the American Heart Association of Hawaii.

Steve Batta

Group President

As Group President, Steve oversees the performance of Highgate’s east coast portfolio. He is responsible for the delivery of both product and service quality in accordance with the hotel’s profitability goals.

Prior to joining Highgate in 2019, Mr. Batta served as Sr. Vice President of Operations, at MCR where he led the operations for all of MCR’s independent full-service hotels across the country, including the 60-room The High Line Hotel in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and the 512-room TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Mr. Batta also served at Marriott International for almost 25 years and held numerous senior roles, including the General Manager of the 1,780-room Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, the luxury JW Marriott Essex House New York and the Renaissance New York Hotel.

A leader in New York City’s hotel industry, Mr. Batta is the Secretary of the Hotel Association of New York City, where he chairs the finance committee and is a member of the audit and nominating committees. He also serves as a Trustee for the New York Hotel Trades Council & Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. Employee Benefit Funds. In addition, he is the President of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society Foundation Inc., a nonprofit that provides scholarships for culinary arts students, and Vice President of Inside Broadway, a New York City-based children’s theater company.

Mr. Batta received a B.S. in Business Marketing from Marist College.

Brian Winston

EVP, Sales and Marketing

Brian re-joined Highgate in April 2013, bringing to the company over 25 years of experience as a dynamic sales and marketing professional in the hotel and hospitality industry.

Brian came to Highgate from the Trump Hotel Collection, where he served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing and oversaw the company’s domestic and international sales and marketing growth, competing in the high-end luxury sector. Prior to Trump, Brian held senior sales and marketing positions with Highgate, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Westin Hotels & Resorts.

A native of Boston, Brian graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Management.

Paul McElroy

EVP, Construction and Design

Paul McElroy oversees all aspects of LUCID’s Design and Construction activities across the globe. Prior to joining Lucid, Paul was the Vice President of Design and Construction for Kyo-ya Hotels and Resorts and oversaw all of their portfolio renovations and redevelopments for its Hawaii region properties and The Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco.

Paul began his construction career at Rider Levett Bucknall and during this 11 years with the construction consulting firm, he managed notable construction projects including the ground up construction of the Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations Club, restoration of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Lagoon, renovation of The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort and redevelopment of the Sheraton Waikiki.

Over the course of his 25 year career, Paul has worked on projects in excess of $4 billion and is currently responsible for $1 billion in active projects across the Lucid platform. Paul’s leadership philosophy is rooted in methodically building the right teams, creating the right chemistry and environment, and empowering those teams to be the best they can be. Paul’s creative eye is the perfect complement to his core expertise of cost control, risk management and value creation.

A native of Donegal in the northwest region of Ireland, Paul earned a Bachelor’s Degree with honors in Quantity Surveying from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.

Gopu Menon

EVP, Revenue & Distribution

Gopu Joined Highgate in 2007. As EVP of Revenue & Distribution he oversees Revenue Management Operations for Highgate Hotels. He has opened & set up several properties in new markets for Highgate.

Gopu recently relocated back to NY after a 5-year stint in UK/EU where he assisted in setting up Highgate’s London office & oversaw Revenue & Distribution for Highgate’s EU portfolio.

Gopu was awarded the coveted HSMAI Revenue Management Professional of the Year in recognition of exceptional contribution to the discipline in the year 2013.

Prior to joining Highgate, Gopu worked with the Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces. Gopu has a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Administration form Welcomschool, Manipal.

Marianne Balfe

VP, Sustainability

As Vice President of Sustainability, Marianne is responsible for driving Highgate’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy across the company’s guest experience, construction projects, external reporting, and corporate culture.

Prior to Highgate, Marianne was Director of Energy and Environmental Sustainability for the Americas at Marriott International where she was responsible for the development and implementation of sustainability strategies, establishing strategic partnerships across all sectors, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, contributing to ESG reporting, and delivering annual carbon, water and waste footprint reductions.

Before joining Marriott, Balfe founded a sustainability strategy consulting firm after completing an MBA while working in the solar industry. Marianne holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies. She has served in advisory roles for the Cleantech Open Competition, Business Renewables Centre Canada, The Water Risk Monetizer and Marriott International’s Women’s Engineering Advisory Council.

Jeff Toscano

EVP, Luxury and Lifestyle Hotels

As Executive Vice President Jeff oversees Highgate’s portfolio of lifestyle, luxury, and independent hotels.

For decades, Jeff has been at the forefront of the boutique lifestyle segment – working with hotel management, ownership, and developers in creating, innovating, and executing distinctively unique hotel products and concepts. Toscano originally joined Highgate in 2011 specializing in new hotels, from acquisition, design and construction and branding and marketing to hotel openings and asset stabilization. Some of his most notable hotel projects include The Refinery NYC, The Gates Key West, Washington Park South Beach and The Quin Central Park. He is returning to the brand most recently from Davidson Hotels & Resorts where he served as the Executive Vice President of Pivot. He also brings unmatched experience from Hyatt’s newly formed lifestyle division, where he led the integration of legacy Two Roads Hospitality following Hyatt’s acquisition of the company, and as Executive Vice President of Operations at Two Roads. His early career included senior level corporate roles at Amsterdam Hospitality, Denihan Hospitality Group and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Rachel Winter

SVP, Communications and Brand Strategy

Rachel is a global marketing and communications leader with deep experience in brand building, strategic marketing and creative visioning. She has spent her entire career in hospitality, driving commercial services for leading luxury and lifestyle hotels.

As Senior Vice President of Marketing at Highgate, Rachel oversees all communications and public positioning for Highgate’s corporate office as well as its independent luxury lifestyle division where she leads integrated marketing across global channels including PR, content development, social media, influencer relations and digital marketing to fulfill business objectives.

In her previous role as Senior Director of Marketing at Lightstone, Rachel managed all pre-opening and opening marketing efforts for their new Moxy Hotels across New York City. She collaborated with all cross-functional corporate and property departments to ensure alignment, innovation and to drive results for ownership and the brand. At Dream Hotel Group, Rachel was responsible for extending Dream’s identity to current and pipeline Dream Hotels across all marketing platforms and programs. Rachel previously managed social media and communications for various travel brands including Paradisus Resorts and Booking.com.

Earlier in her career, Rachel was named to Hotel Management’s “30 Under 30” class among the industry’s top rising hospitality stars.

Judy Matz

Executive Director, Programming, Partnerships & Activations

As the Executive Director of Programming, Partnerships & Activations, Judy oversees the strategy, development and curation of culturally relevant brand initiatives and events across Highgate’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio, leveraging her diverse expertise to craft compelling activation platforms that shape brand relevance.

Judy began her dynamic career at Condé Nast, working inhouse at the likes of GQ, Vanity Fair, W and Condé Nast Traveler, producing branded content and activations at The Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Art Basel Miami, Tribeca Film Festival, Global Citizen and SXSW. Prior to joining Highgate, Judy was the Executive Director of Global Programming at IMG Fashion Events, where she conceived and successfully launched, New York Fashion Week’s first cultural programming platform, anchored in design, music, art, wellness, travel and sustainability.

At IMG, she traveled the world with Etihad Airways, curating partnerships and events with luxury designers, including Oscar de la Renta’s first runway show in Sydney, Jimmy Choo’s 20th Anniversary celebration in New York & London and collaborations with Prabal Gurung for the Formula One Grand Prix and Moda Operandi & Diane Von Furstenberg at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

Megann Samperisi

Marketing Director

As Marketing Director at Highgate, Megann implements success-driven strategies within the luxury and lifestyle portfolio, geared towards building optimal brand awareness and driving market share.

Over the past 10 years, Megann has built extensive knowledge of branding, programming, and marketing for the unique needs of luxury hospitality. Gaining notoriety with Sydell Group’s NoMad Hotels, Megann helped to develop holistic brand expression through the brand’s pioneering F&B, events, and activations. Joining LDV Hospitality in 2021, Megann specialized in pre-opening strategy on behalf of multiple ownership interests and hotel partners globally – helping to break LDV’s signature brands into international markets in Europe, Middle East and Asia. In between, she has produced community-driven marketing initiatives for accoladed restaurant brands in partnership with LVMH and American Express.

Callie Peck

Creative Director

As The Studio’s Creative Director, Callie Peck has built a sustainable creative agency with a team of hospitality-minded creatives. Her rounded expertise encompasses creative and brand strategy, art and copy, technology and interactive, content direction and advertising, with over 14 years of hospitality focus. At Highgate, she drives creative branding, repositioning and concept development, including the creation and development of Highgate’s first brand, Romer Neighborhood Hotels — which launched in 2023 in NYC and Honolulu.

For over a decade, Callie built and led the creative team at Sideways, one of the country’s most noted hospitality creative agencies. She personally led and oversaw each of the agency’s nearly 100 multidisciplinary projects, her clients have included prominent lifestyle brands and groups such as Equinox Hotels, Sydell Group’s Freehand, The Line and The Saguaro, SBE’s SLS Hotels, Hyde Hotels, Moxy Hotels, Thompson Hotels, and JDV Hotels.

Caroline Gompers

Creative Producer

At Highgate, Caroline is the creative producer of The Studio, providing leadership, strategic vision, and a commitment to the marketing of Highgate’s properties. She brings an agency mindset to Highgate, managing a team of creatives and the team’s day to day project deliverables to deliver campaigns, photos, video, websites, brand identities and marketing strategies.

With 10 years of working in project management and production, Caroline has been instrumental in guiding creative departments and projects throughout the entire brand life cycle across various industries. From corporate and experiential events to hospitality and residential branding, she has managed teams, vendors, projects, budgets, and deadlines for major brands including Moxy Hotels, SH Hotels, The Corcoran Group, Diageo, PepsiCo, HBO, Google, and CoverGirl.

Caroline graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Journalism and Film.

Matt Greene

EVP, Luxury Residences

As Executive Vice President of Luxury Residences, Matt Greene is responsible for overseeing Highgate’s growing portfolio of managed condo-hotels and residences. Prior to joining Highgate, Greene served as Executive Vice President, Lifestyle Operations for Evolution Hospitality & Aimbridge Hospitality, where he oversaw the Lifestyle hotel portfolio as well as 10+ new hotel developments across the US & Mexico. He previously held senior operations roles at Hotel ZaZa Dallas, which first sparked Greene’s interest in the condo-hotel space after successfully opening an adjacent condo tower to the hotel. Greene then took his experience at ZaZa to Starwood Hotel & Resorts as Senior Director of New Builds & Conversions for W Hotels Worldwide, where he opened the iconic W Dallas Victory, which featured the first residences under the W brand. Greene also managed the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, a condo hotel located in the city’s entertainment corridor.

Tony Maness

EVP Operations, Highgate Select

Tony is a select service operations veteran who brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. He joined the Aimbridge team in 2012 and demonstrated exceptional leadership skills while leading Channel Point Hospitality and overseeing the THL (aka Prime) portfolio, which Highgate took over in early 2021. Throughout his remarkable 30-year career in the hospitality industry, Tony has consistently exhibited a commitment to operational excellence, and the building of best-in-class operating teams.

Prior to his tenure with Aimbridge, Tony served as the Executive Vice President of Operations for Jameson Brands at Park Management Group L.L.C. Tony’s journey in the hospitality industry began at the ground level as a line-level employee at Holiday Inns, Inc., and he steadily ascended to corporate and executive positions at several leading select service platforms, including Holiday Inns, Inc., Equity Inns/McNeill Hospitality Corporation, Winfield Hospitality, and Jameson Inns.

Jason Gold

SVP, Business Development

Jason joined Highgate in 2020 and brings to Highgate a wealth of industry-related experience, having most recently spent over two years with Crescent Hotels & Resorts, as the Senior Vice President of Business Development, leading the business development team and personally generating over $200M in new revenue under management, with a focus on premium full service, branded and lifestyle hotels.

Prior to Crescent, Jason spent over six years as Vice President of Acquisitions & Business Development for Two Roads Hospitality (formerly Destination Hotels & Resorts), the then largest operator of independent hotels & resorts in North America, where he was instrumental in strategically developing and expanding growth within the Two Roads portfolio before the subsequent sale to Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.

Jason also worked for Denihan Hospitality Group as Director of Acquisitions & Development and was involved in the acquisition and subsequent growth of the James brand in New York City and Miami. Jason has also held positions with Lehman Brothers and PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City.

For Business Development opportunities, contact Jason at:

JGold@highgate.com

Matt Wechsler

SVP, Acquisitions and Development

Matt joined Highgate in 2011 and is adept at underwriting and analyzing complex portfolios, seasonal resorts, lifestyle urban hotels, and mixed-use developments. He joined Highgate after a successful career as a Senior Analyst with Rockbridge during their peak hotel investment period and began his career with Choice Hotels.

Matt is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Real Estate and Development.

MWechsler@highgatecapinv.com

Sarve Eshtehardi

VP, Development

Sarve brings over 15 years of real estate expertise to Highgate. She previously served as Vice President of Acquisition and Head of Real Estate at Butler Hospitality, leading the national market expansion strategy, and the acquisition and asset management of the real estate portfolio, where she expanded the company’s hospitality footprint from five locations in NYC to 35 locations across 13 top 25 markets.

Sarve’s professional career has been concentrated in institutional commercial real estate roles in hotel acquisitions, investment banking and development. Prior to joining Butler Hospitality, Sarve was Director of Acquisitions and Development for GFI Hospitality, handling acquisitions, fundraising, development and asset management across a portfolio of full service and boutique hotels. Sarve has held previous roles with JLL’s Hotel Investment Banking team, Tishman Speyer and RealFoundations.

Sarve earned her M.B.A from NYU Stern School of Business with specializations in Real Estate and Corporate Finance and holds a B.A. from the University of California Irvine. Additionally, she is an active board member of the Urban Land Institute – Young Leaders Group, the Stern Real Estate Club Alumni Board and is a member of the WX Women in Real Estate Mentorship committee.

SEshtehardi@highgate.com

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