Hospitality Operations & Leadership Advisory
26 years of operating experience across branded hotels, resorts, experiential and outdoor hospitality.
Every engagement starts with a real business problem, not a menu of generic consulting. Here is where Forgemark does its strongest work.
When margins are under pressure or execution is inconsistent, Forgemark gets into the operation, labor, expenses, standards, and service delivery, to find where performance is slipping and build a practical path forward without sacrificing the guest experience.
Turnover and thin bench strength can drain a business. Forgemark helps managers become stronger leaders through practical coaching in communication, organization, accountability, and mentoring, grounded in operating experience and current leadership research.
Most operators are data-rich and insight-poor. Forgemark builds custom dashboards and BI tools that use AI where it adds value, turning operating data into clear, faster decisions without waiting on slow reporting cycles.
Most teams are buried in repetitive work that pulls them away from guests. Forgemark puts AI to work on reporting, data entry, and routine administrative tasks, so your people can spend more time where they add the most value: on service, hospitality, and the guest in front of them.
Standards only matter if they live in the building, not in a binder no one opens. Forgemark builds a brand-standards program alongside your team, then turns it into training and daily operating habits so the guest experience holds up across every property and every shift.
Before you commit capital, the numbers have to hold up under pressure. Forgemark brings an operator's eye to new-deal underwriting for lenders and investors, building custom models that make every assumption easy to test, challenge, and defend.
For owners who need experienced leadership and accountability over time, not just a project.
Some owners need more than advice, they need an experienced operator actually in the seat. Forgemark steps in as your fractional COO, leading the operation alongside your team and carrying real accountability for how the business performs, without adding a full-time executive role.
Ownership and operations don't always pull in the same direction. Forgemark serves as your owner's representative, protecting your interests and holding the operation accountable to the P&L, from a single hotel to a full portfolio.
A defined problem, a clear scope, and a specific outcome. Best when you need focused expertise to assess a situation, solve a problem, or deliver a discrete piece of work.
Experienced operating support over time. Best when you want a senior operator alongside you, advising, leading, or carrying accountability, as the business grows, changes, or works through shifting priorities.
Not sure where to start? That's what the first conversation is for.
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I've spent 26 years leading hospitality operations, from branded hotels to some of the best-known names in experiential and outdoor lodging. Along the way, I've learned that strong businesses come down to a few things: sound operations, leadership that people trust, and teams that want to stay. That's the perspective I bring to every engagement. It's grounded in years of actually running businesses and working through the challenges operators face every day.
I started at Marriott, spending eleven years there and eventually launching the 348-room Renaissance New York Midtown as its opening general manager. From there I moved into senior operational leadership, first as Chief Operating Officer of Under Canvas, the largest glamping company in the country, then as Regional Vice President at Great Wolf Resorts, where I oversaw six resorts, roughly $500 million in revenue, and more than 5,000 people. Most recently I served as President and COO of AutoCamp, leading an eight-location outdoor hospitality portfolio. That range, from big branded hotels to boutique outdoor concepts, is why I can walk into almost any operation and understand quickly how it really works.
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Forgemark Advisory partners with hospitality owners and operators to strengthen the operation and develop its leaders. Success is measured by the lasting health of the business and the people inside it.
A hospitality industry that grows the good in every business, where better leaders build better teams and stronger teams create lasting results.
David doesn't just give you an answer and move on. He takes the time to really understand the business, ask the right questions, and genuinely cares about helping you succeed.
While Dave has deep experience with some of the biggest players in the industry, he's incredibly practical about what can actually be done with the resources you have today. He's realistic, thoughtful, and a rare talent.
Every good engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me a bit about your business and what you're working through, and we'll go from there.