The Hospitality Real Estate Executive Advisory Board held their first in-person meeting on Friday, May 10, 2024.

Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management establishes new real estate executive advisory board

New board’s mission: to help the hospitality-focused real estate master’s degree program become the leading choice for students and employers.

Campus & Community

By Ivonne Yee-Amor

April 3, 2024 at 9:00pm

Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management welcomes an impressive array of hospitality real estate leaders to its new Hospitality Real Estate Executive Advisory Board (HREAB). The new board members will help advise and provide hospitality industry expertise and guidance to Professor Clay Dickinson, Associate Dean and Professor Emeritus Rocco M. Angelo and Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University (FIU) on the growing real estate sector of the hospitality industry.

“We are excited to have these industry leaders help shape the Chaplin School’s real estate program and strategic initiatives by providing real-time insights into the current requirements of the hospitality real estate market,” said Dickinson, lead hospitality real estate professor and board liaison. “Our goal is to combine the strong work ethic of the typical FIU student with a practical, industry-based curriculum to produce graduates who are ready to hit the ground running and succeed in today’s highly competitive global market.”

The mission of the new HREAB board is focused on enhancing the practical relevancy of the Chaplin School’s real estate curriculum and the experiences afforded its students through internships, mentoring and direct engagement with industry leaders. Board members will contribute their experience-based insights, time, philanthropy and serve as ambassadors for FIU Chaplin School’s Hospitality Real Estate program. The program’s goals are further supported by a world-class full-time and adjunct faculty who strive every day to provide students with the practical knowledge necessary to meet the needs of employers and obtain meaningful careers in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace.

The global hospitality market is massive, having reached an estimated aggregate value of approximately $4.7 trillion in 2023, according to a new study by The Business Research Company. The industry is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5% from 2023 to exceed $5.8 trillion in 2027.

Real estate comprises the largest portion of most hospitality investments. In addition, its operations-intensive nature positions it among the most complex of all types of commercial real estate. These two factors, together with ever greater demand for experience-based value creation across all commercial property sectors, are expected to drive strong demand for hospitality-specific real estate expertise well into the future.

“FIU Chaplin School plans to leverage the talents of its board and its location in Miami, a leading global tourist destination, to position itself as a leading laboratory of innovation in the hospitality real estate space,” Cheng said. “We thank these power leaders for sharing their time, knowledge and commitment to our school and the future leaders of hospitality, who we are committed to providing a quality, relevant and experiential learning experience.”

The new board members represent every facet of hospitality real estate including developers, investors, hoteliers, bankers, alternative accommodations, and property and financial information technology.

The board will be led by an FIU Chaplin School alumnus as chair, along with a vice-chair and a steering committee:

Keith Space, president and chief operating officer of Fort Hospitality and HREAB chairperson. Space is an award-winning hospitality executive, who takes a vision and creates a successful business model around it. He’s spent his career repositioning existing non-performing hotels as well as creating distinct properties that cater to discerning upscale travelers. Space holds a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and a master’s degree in Hospitality Real Estate Development from FIU’s Chaplin School.
Marco Roca, chief executive officer of Reveille Hospitality and HREAB vice chair. Roca is a leader in global real-estate startup and operations. For nearly four decades, he has proven himself with a track record of consistently breaking sales records, improving operational results, profit and loss responsibility and strategic planning. Roca is tri-lingual with the capability to manage across multiple international sites.

Members on the Chaplin School’s Hospitality Real Estate Advisory Board include FIU alumni:

Natalie Castillo, managing director, Berkadia
Lani Kane-Hanan, chief executive officer, ONE
Todd Hricko, senior vice president and head of global hotel development, Hard Rock International
Jordan Kavana, chairman and founder, ARK Homes for Rent
Ethan Kramer, co-founder and chief investment officer, Paramount Hotel Group
John Lancet, senior managing director, HVS
Ed Miranda, founder and president, Luxury Development Consultants, Inc.
Jarel Portman, founder, JPX Works LLC

Additional board members include:

Karim Alibhai, chief executive officer, Gencom
Boaz Ashbel, senior managing director, Aztec Group, LLC
Eric Bass, executive vice president and chief development officer, GFI Development
Joan Bertran, executive vice president of commercial real estate, Banco Sabadell
James Bermingham, chief executive officer, Virgin Hotels
Barry Bloom, president and chief operating officer, Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
Stewart Brown, EVP Hospitality, Dart Interests
Nick Falcone, chief executive officer, Rentyl Resorts
Jonathan Falik, founder and chief executive officer, JF Capital Advisors
Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, President and COO, Flag Luxury Group, LLC
Aly-Khan Merali, president and CFO, Turnberry Associates
Pedro Miranda, managing partner, Cambridge Landmark
Donahue Peebles, III, executive vice president, The Peebles Corporation; chairman and chief executive officer, Legacy Real Estate Development
Michael L. Rock, SVP and Head of Asset Management, Host Hotels and Resorts
Steve Rushmore, founder, HVS

-FIU-

About FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management:
Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is the No. 6 best hospitality school among U.S. Public Universities and ranked 31 in the world. Nearly 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students from across the nation and around the globe choose FIU for its outstanding reputation, advantageous campus locations in Miami, expert faculty, rich curriculum and real career opportunities in the international hotel, real estate, foodservice, beverage and spirits management, travel, tourism, revenue management, entertainment, and mega and large-scale event industries. As the leading diverse hospitality program with over 70% women and students from 74 countries represented, Chaplin School graduates more undergraduate Black, Hispanic and international students than any other school. For more information about Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, visit http://hospitality.fiu.edu.

About FIU:
Florida International University is a top public university that drives real talent and innovation in Miami and globally. Very high research (R1) activity and high social mobility come together at FIU to uplift and accelerate student success in a global city by focusing in the areas of environment, health and innovation. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers. FIU serves a diverse student body of more than 56,000 and 300,000 Panther alumni. FIU is ranked No. 4 Best Public University by the Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report places dozens of FIU programs among the best in the nation, including international business at No. 2. Washington Monthly Magazine ranks FIU among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good and Degree Choices places it among the top 10 in the nation for return on investment.