Top-Tier Leadership

David Buddemeyer, Principal and President of Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC is a hospitality veteran who has successfully facilitated the financial turnaround and growth of several multi-dimensional hotel companies. Before launching Driftwood, Mr. Buddemeyer served as Chairman and CEO of Servico Hotels and Resorts, a NYSE hotel company. During his eight-year tenure as the company’s Executive Vice President, which began in 1990, he was responsible for all facets of Servico’s operations. Under Mr. Buddemeyer’s leadership, the company grew from 28 hotels to 140 hotels and from $42M to $650M in sales, with EBITDA growing at a compound annual rate of 41%, from $16M to $280M. In December 1998, Servico merged with another hotel company, bringing the organization’s portfolio to 180 hotels and more than 30,000 rooms. Upon the successful completion of this merger, Mr. Buddemeyer – along with several of his executive team members – left to launch Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC. Prior to Servico, Mr. Buddemeyer served as Vice President of Operations for Prime Hospitality.

Michael Diaz has served as Chief Operating Officer of Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC since the company’s launch in 1998. In this position, Mr. Diaz oversees Driftwood’s rapidly expanding global hotel portfolio and manages the company’s operations structure. He has been directly involved in the management of over 100 hotels including full-service hotels and resorts and select service assets. Mr. Diaz began his hotel career at Servico, Inc. in 1993, serving roles in operations, acquisitions, projects, and purchasing. Mr. Diaz managed numerous successful renovations and hotel developments, after which he assumed the position of Executive Vice President of Administration, overseeing the legal, human resource and risk management functions for the company. During his tenure at Servico, Inc., the company grew from 32 hotels in 1993 to 140 hotels in 1998. Mr. Diaz was instrumental in executing Servico’s merger with another leading hotel company and upon completion, he left the company to form Driftwood.

As Chief Financial Officer Marc is responsible for overseeing the treasury, financial planning, analysis, and reporting for the company’s portfolio of properties. 

Marc joined Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC in 2016. He has 22 years of accounting and auditing experience, as well as extensive knowledge of hospitality financial operations. He has expertly managed accounts in industries such as hospitality, real estate, gaming, private equity, technology, distributors, and government during his tenure with a large national accounting firm.

As Chief Information Officer, Al brings with him over 15 years of experience building and supporting complex corporate infrastructures.  Harrison provides leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment that is relied on by over 3000 users across 70+ locations. Al holds a BS of Computer Science and has worked at several fortune 500 companies doing everything from network and server administration to enterprise architecture, to software development.

As Executive Vice President of Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC Steve is responsible for acquisitions and management contracts. Steve joined the firm in July 2002 and prior to joining Driftwood, he worked at Interstate Hotels from 1999 to 2002 and before that oversaw acquisitions for Highgate Holdings. He has also held development positions with Omni Hotels. Steve

began his career in 1984 as a consultant for Laventhol & Horwath, after graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management. Mr. Johnson has been involved in the development and acquisition of hotel and resort assets throughout the United States and Canada.

JAs Vice President of Operations, Jim has a senior leadership role working with the regional operations and sales team to assist the hotels in their operations and sales efforts.  

Jim has over 35 years of experience in the hotel industry and joined Driftwood in 1999 as the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Select in Memphis, Tennessee.  He then became a Regional Operations Manager in June of 2010.  Prior to joining the Driftwood team, Mr. Bolin worked at Servico, Inc./Lodgian Hotels for 6 years and held various positions, including General Manager of the Omni Hotel in West Palm Beach and Regional Operations Manager.

As Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Carol is responsible for all sales, marketing, revenue management, and e-commerce endeavors for the company’s 85+ owned and managed hotels.

Carol is a hospitality industry veteran with nearly 29 years of experience, has held several multi-hotel sales and marketing leadership positions throughout her career. Prior to joining Driftwood, Carol served in a variety of regional director roles at management companies such as Hersha Hospitality, Growth Properties, and Island Hospitality formerly known as Innkeepers Hospitality. She has supported Select Service, Full Service, Extended Stay, Boutique and Resort hotels with both branded and boutique flags.

As Vice President of Revenue Strategy, Jim works side by side with the Commercial Strategy team and oversees a team of 17 Area Revenue managers and 2 Corporate level Directors. 

Jim has been in the hospitality industry for 19 years, starting his career in 2004 as a front desk agent and relief night auditor. He spent the the bulk of his pre-revenue management career as a task force General Manager, AGM or Rooms Director for Interstate Hotels & Resorts before finding his way into revenue management in 2013 with Hilton Hotels. He joined Driftwood in August 2015.  

As Vice President of Acquisitions & Development, Andrew is responsible for growing the company’s portfolio of third-party management contracts and identifying business development opportunities.

Prior to joining Driftwood, Andrew owned and operated a start-up company in South Florida that included an e-commerce platform, a chain of retail stores, and an international wholesale operation. He has worked with several technology start-ups, including CareCloud and ContractRoom, specializing in product management and business development. Andrew has a BA from Duke University, an International MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, and an MBA from the University of Miami.

As Vice President of Food and Beverage, Brian oversees the food and beverage operations of over 36 restaurants in our portfolio and is responsible for strategic sales initiatives as well as cost reduction strategies. 

Brian brings with him over 20 years of hospitality experience, holding key roles in operations acquisitions and development for organizations such as Marriott, Hilton, Gold Key | PHR, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. Prior to joining Driftwood, he served as Senior Vice President for Schulte Hospitality Group where he managed $200M in annual Food & Beverage revenue, leading teams across 120 hotels.  He also managed the formation and growth of an independent private equity enterprise, Table 95 Hospitality Group where he was responsible for concept development, brand alignment and product management across the portfolio while growing company revenues over $50 million.  

As Vice President, Human Resources. Nasima is responsible for the company’s overall Human Capital Strategy throughout the employee lifecycle including Talent Acquisition, Employee Development, Performance Management, and Employee Engagement. As a trusted adviser and partner to the executive leadership team, she supports the company’s growth and continuous improvement initiatives.

Nasima has more than 15 years of professional human resources experience spanning multiple industries including technology, hospitality, department of defense, and non-profit. In her prior roles, she provided counsel and support to key stakeholders helping them achieve strategic and operational goals while mitigating risk, developing trust, and building effective partnerships.

As Managing Director of Operations, Bryan interfaces with the regional support teams and property executive teams to develop and execute operating strategies to improve revenue generation, margin performance, and profitability.  He is also actively involved in planning and executing capital projects, continuous improvement in guest experiences, product quality, and recruitment and retention of industry leading talent.

Bryan joined Driftwood Hospitality in August 2011.     Bryan has led several teams in ground up openings, brand conversions, and asset repositioning in the lifestyle hotel space.  This work has involved collaboration in design and renovation, branding, food and beverage conceptualization, programming, and marketing.  Prior to his current role, Bryan was a Regional Director of Operations overseeing a full-service portfolio of assets.  Before moving into operational roles, Bryan worked within the sales and marketing function for several hotel management companies.  He has worked on property within several brands, and hotels ranging from 200 room transient focused assets to 1,200 room convention properties.  He holds a Hospitality Management degree from Central Michigan University and brings over 20 years of industry experience.

As Managing Director of Ecommerce, Teresa oversees all SEO, SEM, and paid search strategies for our portfolio.  Her role combines sales, marketing, technology, and management expertise to develop and implement plans that deliver results to our portfolio.  

Teresa is passionate about helping our properties succeed. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality sales, marketing, and e commerce she provides a wealth of knowledge as well as unique insights and targeted approaches to helping our hotels and resorts successfully navigate digital marketing and commerce channels, leveraging the latest insights from both technology and data science. Her mission is to help our properties to advance their revenue objectives by creating meaningful connections with customers through innovative technologies and best practices.  Teresa is a graduate of Fleet Business School.

As Managing Director of Marketing, Monica oversees our local marketing managers and assists the property teams with overall strategic social strategy, property marketing initiatives, restaurant promotions and collaborations, as well as PR initiatives with onboarding hotels and restaurants.

Monica is a seasoned hospitality professional with over a decade of marketing experience, delivering exceptional customer service and driving revenue growth through strategic planning and execution.  Monica has worked on both the brand-marketing agency and client sides of hospitality and is highly skilled in managing teams, collaborating with cross-functional departments to achieve organizational goals. She is a versatile leader, successfully partnering operations with marketing initiatives and executing portfolio-wide marketing strategies. Her strong communication skills and ability to guide operational teams on brand initiatives have earned her a reputation as a trusted and effective leader. 

As Managing Director Special Assets Pete has the primary responsibility of overseeing third-party management contracts with multiple brands and brings over 30 years of extensive hospitality experience.  He joined the company in 2020 as Regional Director of Operations, overseeing a selected portfolio of hotels. Recognizing his exceptional skills, in 2021 Driftwood promoted Pete to his current position.

Prior to joining Driftwood, Pete held positions at Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, White Lodging Services, and Remington Hotels & Resorts. His previous roles encompassed General Manager, Complex General Manager, and Regional Director of Operations. Pete has been actively involved in the successful opening and renovation of over 45 assets, ranging from 120 to 1002 rooms. In addition to his professional achievements, Pete attended Park College while serving 6 years in the U.S. Army. He currently resides in Bennington, Nebraska.

As Director of Legal Administration Paula leads a team of paralegals, licensing and permitting specialist to assist ownership of the Properties with all legal aspects of the business including contracts, litigation, correspondence, and corporate governance for all Driftwood properties. 

Paula has 30 years of experience within the legal industry working with Senior Partners, General Counsel and Executive teams. Her experience provides knowledge and skills in areas such as Litigation, Insurance, Compliance, Auditing, Governance, Employment, Data Protection, Contract Negotiation, Contract Management, Marketing and filing for protections of Intellectual Property.