New York 2019 Hotel Summit

Daniel H. Lesser brings more than 30 years of expertise in a wide range of hospitality operational, investment counseling, valuation, advisory, and transactional services. He provides services to corporate, institutional, and individual clients as well as public agencies on all facets of hospitality real estate including: litigation support and expert testimony, site evaluation, highest and best use analysis, appraisals for mortgage, acquisition, and portfolio management, workout strategies, operational analysis, property tax assessment appeal evaluations, economic impact studies, deal structuring, and fairness opinions. Mr. Lesser is a leading authority on hotel feasibility and valuation, and is highly sought after to speak at lodging and real estate events, as well as lectures at prestigious institutions of higher education, including Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University. He is widely published and quoted, and serves as a quarterly columnist for HotelNewsNow.com and GlobeSt.com. Most recently, Mr. Lesser created and served as the Senior Managing Director - Industry Leader of the Hospitality & Gaming Valuation Advisory Services Group at CB Richard Ellis Hotels (CBRE). Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Lesser founded and led the Hospitality & Gaming Group at Cushman & Wakefield and was a founding member of the team at HVS International. Mr. Lesser has also held operational and administrative positions with Hilton Hotels Corporation and Eurotels - Switzerland. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, and also attended the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland and Baruch College - City University of New York. Mr. Lesser holds the following professional designations: MAI (Member of the Appraisal Institute), FRICS (Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), CRE (Counselor of Real Estate), and CHA (Certified Hotel Administrator). Mr. Lesser is a member of and has served on numerous committees for the Counselors of Real Estate, the Appraisal Institute, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Board of Directors of the New York City Chapter of the Cornell Hotel Society. He is a former Advisory Board member and member of the Fundraising Subcommittee for the New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Mr. Lesser is a founding member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC), the hotel industry “think tank.” Furthermore, Mr. Lesser served as an Honorary Committee Member of the annual UJA - Federation New York Hotel & Hospitality Division Dinner, and is a member of the AIPAC Real Estate Division.

Alessandra Santopietro, Senior Designer at Santopietro Interiors, an A.S.I.D. (American Society of Interior Designers) Award winning family design firm based in New York City, has created luxurious interior spaces for the most prominent figures in the worlds of media, fashion and finance. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelors of Arts in Apparel Design, and began her career in fashion, where she worked for several notable fashion houses, including Ralph Lauren. In her current role, she draws upon her knowledge from years in the fashion industry and applies it to the design vision that she creates for clients. Alessandra’s clients span the country and extend across the pond to London. She specializes in residential and commercial design and was recently selected by the Four Seasons Hotel group to design several model residences for their new project in Tribeca. Incidentally, she and that project will be featured on an NBC show this winter. When she is not working, Alessandra loves to travel and search for inspiring themes to incorporate into her designs.

Ken Colao is a recognized leader and entrepreneur in the construction industry with more than 37 years of experience as a principal of several major firms, working on domestic and international high-profile projects. As Founder, President and CEO of CNY, Ken leads an innovative solutions oriented Manhattan based company that is credited with leading change in the industry including “open shop” construction that disrupted an otherwise all union labor marketplace for large-scale development. As a thought leader and early adopter of ESG initiatives at CNY he brings a discipline and an approach to problem solving that fulfills objectives of clients and designers. Ken enthusiastically challenges the norm, unlocking value and leading CNY’s management in the delivery of its proven best practices and expertise, including its Social Conscience, Technical Prowess and Sustainability Practices CNY provides CMAR and design assist services with a collaborative, open forum management style. The company differentiates itself with expertise involving complex reconstruction and repurposing of buildings, and buildouts of sustainable and uniquely designed spaces. The firm was named ENR Contractor of the Year, among other notable recognition from BD+C with three of its projects, Times Square Edition, Woolworth Tower and Tammany Hall receiving Best Project Awards. An engineer with a B.S.C.E. degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ken serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Overseers for NJIT and Chairs the Board of Advisors for the Hillier School of Architecture and Design. Ken has received the University’s Alumni Achievement Award and is amongst its Top 30 Influencers. He also serves as Vice Chairman on the Board of Governors for the New York Building Congress and has held positions at several charitable organizations. Ken has been an active member of YPO for over 28 years serving on boards of YPO Metro, Metro Gold and Big Apple Gold and Construction Industry Global Network where he is Vice Chair. He has spoken on several industry panels and was speaker at YPO CIN RT in 2014 on Life Lessons: Story about Construction and Perseverance Following 911. Ken was named EY Entrepreneur of The Year® in 2017 for the New York Region, in the category of Real Estate, Construction and Hospitality. EY’s global program recognizes individuals who excel in innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. He also Championed YPO CIN Digital Roundtable Event 2021 on ESG—An Emerging Influence in our Society, Industry, and Businesses—a topic Ken is passionate about. For more information, visit www.cnygroup.com

Julie Yurasek brings over 15 years of experience designing the interiors of hotels, spas, restaurants and offices. At MGA&D, Julie has been responsible for leading interior design teams on several large hospitality and residential projects in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Her designs evolve from truly listening to each client’s needs, a vast knowledge of materials and industry products, and her inspiration to create unique and memorable environments. Prior to joining MGA&D in 2005, she was an Associate at Rockwell Group and designer at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in New York. Julie has a Bachelor’s of Architecture and BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and additionally studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Architecture and Syracuse University.

Allie is responsible for setting and implementing Virgin Hotels’ global growth strategy. Allie’s primary responsibilities include identifying properties in key markets, and structuring transactions that work for Virgin Hotels and our Owner/Developer partners. Prior to joining Virgin, Allie worked on acquisitions, dispositions and asset management at Sunstone Hotel Investors where she was on a team that completed over $1 billion of hotel transactions. Allie was previously a partner at HMR Analytics, a hospitality asset management firm based in California, and a consultant with PKF Consulting, one of the top advisory services firms in the hospitality industry. Other experiences include hotel operations with Interstate Hotels and Resorts and spa development at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Allie is a graduate of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration where she received the Dean’s Baccalaureate Service Award, is a guest lecturer at Cornell Hotel School Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, Columbia University and NYU, was named Southern California Real Estate “Woman of Influence” in 2007, and is the co-chair of the Dean’s Young Advisory Board for Cornell Hotel School.

Ashish Lall is Director and Head of Acquisitions and Asset Management. Lall leads and oversees Fortuna’s M&A, Financing and Asset Management efforts. This includes evaluation, due diligence, acquisition and asset management of all real estate opportunities that the firm pursues. Previously, Lall was an investment banker at Cantor Fitzgerald and Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for securing equity and strategic advisory for real estate operators and private equity funds. Lall worked on numerous completed transactions to include M&A assignments, alternative investment funds and structured investment vehicles totaling over $1 billion in transactional volume. Prior to his career in investment banking, Lall was an Officer in the United States Marine Corps and served on active duty for four years. He was deployed to Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait in 2004 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Lall graduated with a BA in Economics and Psychology from Johns Hopkins University, earned an MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and received a JD from Concord Law School. He is a licensed attorney in the State of California.

Jonathan Falik is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of JF Capital Advisors. Mr. Falik leads the firm’s hospitality business, which includes equity and debt placement, asset acquisitions and dispositions, portfolio transactions, joint venture structuring, asset management, management company and brand evaluation, and strategic and capital markets advisory services. Mr. Falik was a Senior Managing Director and the Head of Hospitality Capital Markets at BGC Real Estate Capital Markets. Simultaneously, Mr. Falik was the Head of Hotel Investment Sales for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. Previously, Mr. Falik was a Managing Director and Head of the Lodging and Leisure Investment Banking group at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Prior to joining Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Falik was the founder and CEO of JF Capital Advisors, a lodging advisory and principal investment firm. While at JF Capital, Mr. Falik led the acquisition or development of 25 hotels with over 5,500 keys and an aggregate cost of approximately $1 billion. Additionally, Mr. Falik was the CEO of Eagle Hospitality Trust, a 13 hotel-property private REIT. Mr. Falik has led the sales of single assets and portfolios of 100 hotels for over $2 billion of value. Before founding JF Capital in 2004, Mr. Falik was an investment banker at Bear Stearns in the Gaming, Lodging and Leisure Group. Mr. Falik began his career as a CPA at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Falik has over 25 years of experience in the real estate and lodging sector. He has worked on numerous M&A and financing transactions involving well over 2,000 hotels and over $30 billion of transaction value. He has been actively involved with mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies, portfolio sales and single asset sales, equity financings, high yield financings and mortgage financings. Mr. Falik has extensive hospitality experience as an agent, advisor, principal, owner, borrower, guarantor, franchisee, lender and asset manager. Mr. Falik received a BA in economics with high honors from Rutgers College and an MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in Real Estate Finance. Mr. Falik has been an adjunct professor at NYU’s Real Estate Institute and is an active lecturer and panelist at industry events.

Arthur Shmulevsky is the General Manager of Sonder in New York City where he oversees all of the company’s local operations including hospitality, real estate and property management. Previously, Arthur was the Co-Founder of The Clean Cube, a NYC based Real Estate start up.

Evan Weiss serves as Chief Operating Officer, Principal of LW Hospitality Advisors®. He was previously an associate at CBRE Hotels – Hospitality & Gaming Valuation Advisory Services Group, where he was awarded Silver and Gold production awards during each year of his tenure. He also received the Valuation Services Professional of the Year Award for the Tri-State region in 2007. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Weiss held the executive position of Director of Operations for CARINO Hotels & Resorts in New York, a sales and marketing firm representing 75 luxury hotels throughout the globe. Mr. Weiss was the first official hire for this firm and grew the entity by recruiting twenty professionals around the world. Mr. Weiss’s operational experience includes serving as General Manager at City Food Bar Inc., where he led corporate management and operational efforts at the restaurant ownership and management firm as well as worked with the Founder and President to build and expand the business. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Tourism Management from New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Following successful terms as Board Member, Vice President, and President of the NYU Tisch Center Alumni Society, Evan also served as a member of the Tisch Center’s Advisory Board. While attending NYU’s Tisch Center, Mr. Weiss was twice honored with the President’s Service Award for Leadership and Community Service. He also recently served on the search committee for the Divisional Dean of the Tisch Center, and is privileged to hold the position of adjunct faculty member at the Tisch Center. Mr. Weiss currently serves as a member of the REX Next committee of the UJA – Federation of New York, as a member of the AIPAC Washington Club and Real Estate Committee, as well as a board member of RESA. Evan is also intimately involved with Our Soldiers Speak, a 501(c)(3) based in Midtown Manhattan, NY.

Kathleen (Kat) Chiechi Flores, executive vice president at Trump Hotel Group, is responsible for a variety of functions across the portfolio including Sales, Marketing, Innovation, Branding and Communication. She is charged with driving the innovation and evolution of products and services across the business and has been instrumental in the launch of the Company’s recently announced 4-star brand SCION and 3-Star brand American IDEA Hotels. Flores joined Trump Hotels from The Assemblage, a hospitality concept blending social clubs and innovative work environments, where she served as managing director. There, she was responsible for the development and administration of the nascent brand concept. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer for Hampshire Hotels Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where she was responsible for strategy and performance management and the shared services of sales and marketing, revenue management, e- commerce, information technology and human resources. Prior to joining Hampshire, Flores was executive vice president of Human Resources and Communication at Wyndham Hotel Group, charged with oversight of the organization's global human resources strategy, including talent selection, talent management, workforce planning and administration of more than 4,000 employees. She also led the business’ global communication strategy. In addition, she has held senior-level roles with WhiteFence, ZipRealty and Kaplan, Inc. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia School of Business, a Master of Education degree from the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of California, Irvine. She is based in New York City.

Jay Stein is Chief Executive Officer at Dream Hotel Group, responsible for the successful evolution, growth and expansion efforts of the Company and its portfolio of brands: Dream Hotels, The Chatwal, Unscripted Hotels and new By Dream Hotel Group collection. With over four decades of experience and nearly 30 years with Dream Hotel Group, Stein has worked in a variety of property and corporate roles at some of the world’s leading hospitality groups and boutique lifestyle brands, including Hilton Worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Doral Hotels. Jay Stein began his career in 1983 with Hilton Worldwide at the Vista International Hotel in the World Trade Center in New York City. A veteran of food and beverage management, Stein turned his sights to hotel operations in 1987 and quickly rose through the ranks to become Managing Director for three Doral Hotels in New York City. In 1995, after taking two of those properties through the transition to Starwood, Stein stayed on as Area General Manager for almost three years with Starwood. He joined Dream Hotel Group as Executive Vice President of Operations in 1997 and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer soon thereafter overseeing all new and existing hotel operations and playing a vital role in the company’s global expansion efforts. Stein was named Chief Executive Officer in 2015. An engaged professional dedicated to making a difference, Stein is a true ambassador for the industry, having spoken on numerous panels at conferences worldwide and having served as adjunct professor for the Hospitality programs at NYC College of Technology and New York University.

Melissa Brown is the Vice President of Business Development for Luxe Collection Hotels, a global representation hospitality brand that represents a collection of 75 independently owned and operated properties in 18 countries. For these member hotels, Luxe Collection provides global reach in sales, marketing and distribution for a property’s success and growth without sacrificing their individuality. In addition, her role also includes the acquisition of hotels for Luxe Hotels, a boutique hotel brand with unique portfolio of properties that offer individualized personality and style with an unmatched guest experience that blends authentic hospitality with casual luxury. Its current collection of hotels includes: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and now Rome. She started her hospitality career in operations 25 years ago while earning her degree at San Diego State University. She quickly moved into the luxury and lifestyle hotel space in sales and marketing and held positions as Regional Director and Vice President for global brands such as Park Hyatt, St Regis, W Hotels, Trump Hotel Collection as well as independent hotels such as Nikko San Francisco and Paramount Hotel in New York. Her expertise has been with repositioning, openings and building brands. She also has worked in residential and hotel real estate development sales for Town Residential and Douglas Elliman. She is native to San Francisco, California but has resided in New York City for the past 10 years.

Jack Pulvirenti, an Audit Partner, member of the Executive Committee, and the Hospitality Practice Leader at Berdon LLP, has been with the firm since 1988. A specialist in the hospitality and real estate industries, with a focus on closely held businesses, he also advises clients in retail, distribution, and professional services.