Top-Tier Leadership
Hospitality Experts
Boasting nearly 30 years in the industry, the leadership at Driftwood has a remarkable track record in transforming and enhancing hotel operations. This team, a convergence of exceptional skills and deep insight, seamlessly navigates the complexities of hotel management, development, ownership, and asset management, setting them apart in the hospitality sector.
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 successfully completing this merger, Mr. Buddemeyer and 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.
As Chief Operating Officer, Bryan oversees all aspects of operations for the company. Prior to his current position, Bryan's role was Managing Director of Operations, interfacing 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 properties 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.
Michael Diaz serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC. Prior to this he served as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s launch in 1998. In that position, Mr. Diaz oversaw 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, as well as 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 Executive Vice President of Acquisitions & Development for Driftwood Hospitality Management, Andrew is responsible for overseeing Driftwood’s acquisition and development efforts including sourcing and underwriting hotel investments for third-party owners, third-party management, new development deals, franchise selection & negotiations, Receiverships & REO assignments, equity and debt sourcing, financial modelling, strategic partnerships, and M&A initiatives to grow Driftwood’s hotel portfolio.
Andrew has over 15 years of analysis and investment experience in Commercial Real Estate with a specialization in hospitality assets. He has a BA from Duke University, an International MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, and an MBA from the University of Miami. Andrew was selected as a “40 Under 40 Honoree” in 2024 by the South Florida Business Journal.
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 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 in 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.
As 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 six years and held various positions, including General Manager of the Omni Hotel in West Palm Beach and Regional Operations Manager.
Michael joined Driftwood Hospitality Management in 2016 as the General Manager of
the Four Points Boston Logan property. After that, he moved into the role of Regional
Director of Operations in 2018, with oversight of many of the company’s focus service
and special service properties.
Prior to joining Driftwood, Michael was Vice President of the Hotel Division for First
Bristol Corporation. He was responsible for the growth of a new hospitality division, and
was instrumental in the planning, construction, and operations of the company’s hotel
portfolio throughout New England.
He is a hospitality veteran, having started his career in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1992, while
with Servico Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Buddemeyer has also worked for Prime Hospitality,
overseeing Holiday Inn properties in the New York metro market from 1998-2003.
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 and has held several multi-hotel sales and marketing leadership positions throughout her career. Before joining Driftwood, Carol served in various 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, 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 Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Development, Matt is responsible for optimizing Driftwood’s ability to attract and retain the best in industry talent throughout all locations. This includes innovative approaches to recruitment and development initiatives that align seamlessly with organizational and property goals, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals. Matt also leads the Internship and Manager in Training initiatives for DHM.
Matt has been with Driftwood since 2011, where he began as a Human Resources Director at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Denver. He has held several roles in the organization since, including General Manager and Regional Director of Operations. Prior to DHM, Matt spent nearly 15 years in retail, which included stints with two Fortune 500 Companies. His roles in retail included General Manager and multi-unit leadership as both a District Manager and Regional Director of Business Development.
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 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 by over $50 million.
As Vice President of Revenue Strategy, Jim works alongside 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 most 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.
In his current role as managing director of corporate operations, Joe’s responsibilities include working with Acquisitions & Dispositions, Legal matters and Litigation, Compliance, Risk Management, Insurance programs, Brand and Franchise Relations and Corporate Purchasing programs.
Joe has spent his whole adult life working in hospitality - leaving Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1989 for a resort in St Thomas, U.S.V.I., which led to opening a new restaurant owned by Servico in 1992. He’s been working with Mr. Buddemeyer and Mr. Diaz ever since. Joe’s first role with Driftwood Hospitality in 2000 was general manager of the company’s 4th hotel and opened the 5th. After countless moves, hotel acquisitions, an IHG Hotel Indigo GM of the year award, temporary assignments, and hotel openings from the Jersey Shore to the Bahamas to Houston and Ft Lauderdale, Joe settled in at the Corporate Office in 2016.
In his free time, Joe enjoys spending time with his family, collecting Pittsburgh sports memorabilia, riding his motorcycle, and firing up the smoker to create new, modern BBQ.
As Managing Director of E-commerce, Teresa oversees the team that handles 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, 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 and 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 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.
As Director of Owner Relations, Aimee serves as the key liaison between the corporate office and our ownership groups, facilitating seamless communication and ensuring that owner and asset manager inquiries are promptly addressed. She collaborates closely with internal departments and regional teams to maintain effective, responsive relationships. With a strong accounting background, Aimee is also actively involved in the month-end closing process and plays a pivotal role in coordinating the preparation and distribution of the annual business plan for each hotel within the portfolio.
Before joining Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC in 2017, Aimee built a diverse skill set across several hybrid financial roles, focusing on business process improvement, project management, and implementation within the agricultural industry. With over 25 years of experience, she has held a variety of traditional accounting positions, establishing a solid foundation for her current role.