Mark W. Brugger
Real estate executive who delivered top-quartile returns as CEO of a public REIT and led more than $7 billion in career transactions.
Open to public and private company board seats and senior advisory roles.
Founder, CFO, then CEO of a NYSE-listed REIT
Mark co-founded DiamondRock Hospitality Company (NYSE: DRH) in 2004 and led its initial public offering as Chief Financial Officer. The board appointed him President and Chief Executive Officer in 2008, and he served as CEO and a director until April 2024.
Under his leadership DiamondRock grew from a start-up to more than $1 billion in revenue and 9,000 hotel rooms across the United States, ranked first among lodging REITs in its first full year as a public company, and distributed $1 billion in capital to investors.
Earlier, at Marriott International, he was lead negotiator on billions of dollars of hotel transactions and ran the company's then-largest non-lodging business unit by revenue. He was named to the Forbes list of Most Powerful CEOs: 40 and Under.
Current roles
Brugger Family Office
Focuses on strategic investments in private equity platforms that range from distressed debt to AI transformation.
Elmsworth Advisors
Independent strategic counsel to owners of hotels, senior housing and multifamily real estate, including family offices, public REIT boards and private owners.
Elmsworth Partners
Acquires and repositions hotels and resorts in supply-constrained markets, investing alongside family offices and institutional co-investors.
Transactions and capital markets
Shareholder returns as CEO
Total return from September 1, 2008 to April 30, 2024. Source: FactSet. Peer average is HST, SHO and AHT, the lodging REITs public for the full period.
48 hotels acquired or sold
Luxury resorts, lifestyle and urban hotels, including:
- The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
- Hythe Vail, Luxury Collection
- The Lodge at Sonoma
- L'Auberge de Sedona
- Cavallo Point, Sausalito
- The Lexington, New York
- The Gwen, Chicago
- The Lindy, Charleston
More than 25 years in real estate and hotels
DiamondRock Hospitality
- Co-founder, EVP, CFO and Treasurer (2004 to 2008); led the NYSE IPO
- President, CEO and Director (2008 to 2024); promoted to CEO at 38
- Grew the company to $1B in revenue
- Top-quartile returns through two full cycles
Marriott International
- Vice President, hotel transactions
- CEO of Synthetic American Fuel Enterprises, then Marriott's largest non-lodging business unit by revenue
- Completed $1B in hotel transactions
Earlier roles
- Investment sales of institutional multifamily properties at Transwestern
- Residential land acquisition and development at Brookfield Residential
Two public company boards
DiamondRock Hospitality
Director for more than 15 years while serving as President and CEO, from 2008 to 2024.
Chambers Street Properties
- Compensation Committee Chair
- Audit Committee member
- Approved the company's merger with Gramercy; the combined company was later sold to Blackstone
Industry roles
Director, American Hotel & Lodging Association. Member of the Marriott Ownership Advisory Council, the Urban Land Institute and The Real Estate Roundtable.
Education
Juris Doctor with honors, American University Washington College of Law. Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, University of Maryland. Member of the Maryland Bar.
Considering a director or advisor?
Mark is glad to talk about board seats, advisory work and real estate investments. Full background materials are available on request.