The NHIF Fall 2025 Meeting
The Northwest Hotel Investment Forum is a place where:
- Stakeholders learn about trends affecting hotel investment, ownership and development.
- Equity, debt, management, brands, and developers find each other.
- Stakeholders learn about opportunities in the region and elsewhere.
- Investors, owners and developers who are new to hotels make industry connections.
THE NHIF FALL 2025 MEETING
Thursday, October 30, 2025, 4:00–7:30 pm
The Somm Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection
14485 Woodinville Rd, Woodinville, WA 98072
AGENDA:
Pre-function: 3:00-3:45 – Tour of the Somm Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection, Redmond
Join a privately guided, optional tour of the recently-opened Somm Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection. Further details will be announced.
3:45-4:00 pm – Registration and Check-in
4:00-4:55 pm – Opening Networking Reception
Refreshments and light appetizers
Reconnect with regional and national industry colleagues. Learn from each other about deal opportunities and projects in the pipeline. Whether you’re equity, debt, brand, management, development, or ownership, build the relationships that will help you achieve your objectives.
5:00-6:45 pm – Presentation and Panel Discussion
Short Program—Hotel Performance. This presentation will provide current information and data on hotel performance and transactions.
Presenters:
Michael Stathokostopoulos, Senior Director of Hospitality Analytics, CoStar Group (Los Angeles, CA). At CoStar, Michael identifies industry trends and develops market insights for several of the top 25 hotel markets on performance, pipeline, and transaction activity. Michael has over fifteen years of experience in real estate transaction advisory and valuation for financial reporting across all major asset types, with a particular focus on hotels, advising clients throughout the lifecycle of their real estate investments. CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces. STR (acquired by Costar in October 2019) is the hospitality industry’s unparalleled information gatherer and supplier, providing global data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights. www.costar.com; www.strglobal.com.
Mark Lukens, Managing Director, LWHA (Seattle, WA; San Diego, CA). Mark has over 25 years of experience in hospitality real estate and holds the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. LWHA provides advisory, valuation, feasibility, investment counseling, asset management, and transactional services focused exclusively on hotels, resorts, gaming properties, and conference center assets worldwide. www.lwhospitalityadvisors.com.
Centerpiece Program: “Third-Party Hotel Management Companies: Making the Selection, Setting Expectations, and Motivating Performance.” In any hotel development or acquisition, the hotel management company is an integral element in the formula for success. How can hotel owners make the optimal choice, set reasonable expectations, and motivate top performance? Executives from four, excellent management companies will “face off” to provide in-depth insights into this important process.
Moderator:
Irvin Sandman, Principal – Attorney, Sandman Savrann PLLC (Seattle, WA). With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Irvin has served as lead counsel for hotel clients in thousands of hotel matters and transactions regionally, nationally and internationally, including hotel developments, acquisitions and dispositions, financial and entity structuring, management and franchise agreements, operational matters, and dispute resolution. He is the 2008 recipient of the Anthony Marshall Award for lasting contributions to hospitality law, is the editor-in-chief of the Washington State Hospitality Law Manual, Third Edition, and is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Leisure and Hospitality Law. Sandman Savrann is a national law firm devoted to the hospitality industry. The Firm is recognized a Tier 1 law firm by Best Law Firms® in the category of Leisure and Hospitality Law. Through its Associated Firms, which serve as Sandman Savrann’s departments, the Sandman Savrann team includes over 1,400 attorneys nationwide, delivering comprehensive, cost-effective counsel for regional, national, and international hotel companies and owners. www.sandmansavrann.com
Panelists:
Liz Dahlager, COO, Mereté Hotel Management (Springfield, OR). Liz was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Mereté in 2023 and is a partner alongside company founder Richard Boyles. In her role, Liz oversees the performance of Mereté’s hotel portfolio and leads the company’s strategic growth initiatives. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Liz brings a deep understanding of hotel operations across multiple brands, departments, and chain scales. She began her career in on-property roles and, for the past decade, has focused on hotel development. Before joining Mereté, she served as a regional director for both independent boutique hotels and Kimpton Hotels. Since joining Mereté in 2009, Liz has held several key leadership positions, including Vice President of Sales, Vice President of Market Intelligence and Executive Vice President. Her leadership and contributions have been recognized by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), Hotel Management Magazine, and Marriott International. Mereté is an award-winning 3rd party hotel operator with a portfolio of 20 select service, branded hotels in the Pacific NW, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Choice and Wyndham and employing 700 associates. www.meretehotels.com.
Douglas Dreher, CEO, The Hotel Group (THG), an affiliate of Hotel Equities (Edmonds, WA). As CEO of THG since 2009, Doug oversees all facets of the company, including the company-wide portfolio, real estate acquisitions and dispositions, investor relations, and capital and strategic planning. Before joining THG in 1989, Doug worked for Westin Hotels & Resorts in various management positions. He has supervised over 125 hotels in 25 states and Canada, overseen 50 new developments, and has background experience with brands such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, and several others. Doug serves on Hilton’s Distribution Owners Advisory Council, sits on the Washington State University School of Hospitality Business Management’s Advisory Board, is a current member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council, is Past Chair of the Washington Hospitality Association, and is Past Board and Executive Member for AHLA. He was honored with the 2021 WSU Bellhop Hall of Fame Award. THG, a 40-year hotel company, specializes in hotel management, development, renovation oversight, turnarounds, asset management, and ownership. Its current portfolio includes 18 hotels in five states. THG is an affiliate of Hotel Equities, whose collective ownership and management portfolios include over 300 hotels in the U.S. and Canada. www.thehotelgroup.com.
Jason Gold, SVP Business Development, Highgate Hotels (Denver, CO). As Highgate’s SVP Business Development, Jason oversees the 3rd party management growth for the firm. He brings with him close to 25 years of industry-related experience. Before joining Highgate, Jason led the business development team at Crescent Hotels & Resorts and held senior positions within the business development team at Two Roads Hospitality (formerly Destination Hotels & Resorts), the then-largest operator of independent hotels & resorts in North America. Jason also worked for Denihan Hospitality Group, one of the early pioneers in the independent and lifestyle space, and held positions with Lehman Brothers and PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City. With over 400 hotels and resorts under management, Highgate and InnVentures, its Seattle based management company affiliate, is an industry-leading hotel management, investment, technology and development firm, with a diverse portfolio of hotels, resorts and hospitality-related platforms across North America, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe.
James Oppenheimer, Vice President, Columbia Hospitality (Seattle, WA). James Oppenheimer leads development at Columbia Hospitality, overseeing the company’s business development and growth initiatives, onboarding of new properties, pre-opening support for projects in development, and ongoing ownership relations. He also manages financial planning for Columbia’s hospitality assets in development, ensuring projects are grounded in strong economic fundamentals and long-term viability. James brings a unique blend of hands-on operational, financial, and strategic expertise. His background includes leadership roles across Columbia’s portfolio as well as prior experience in commercial lending and strategy at Northern Trust Bank in Chicago. Columbia Hospitality is a North American management and consulting firm founded in 1995. Its growing portfolio includes more than 100 award-winning hotels and resorts, residential communities, restaurants, golf clubs, conference centers, and distinctive venues. columbiahospitality.com.
6:45-7:30 pm – Post-Presentation Networking and Cocktail Reception
Cocktails and appetizers
Pick up your discussions and connections from earlier in the evening. Meet those still on your list. Make plans for follow-up meetings or visits to northwest sites, hotels, or markets.
7:30 pm – Adjournment
REGISTRATION AND NHIF MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION:
Registration is open only to Members of NHIF and to NHIF’s invited guests. Early registration (through Friday, October 3, 2025) is $250; later registration is $275. Early registration is recommended. To register, please go to the link shown in the email notifications you have received about the meeting.
RESERVATIONS AT THE HOST HOTEL:
The SOMM Hotel & Spa is providing a limited block at the favorable rate of $349 for NHIF attendees. The room block will end on end on Thursday, October 10, 2025, or when the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. To make a reservation under the room block, please follow the instructions in the email notifications you have received about the meeting.
NHIF STEERING MEMBERS:
Irvin W. Sandman, Sandman Savrann PLLC ~ Mark Lukens, LWHA
