Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced the appointment of Tiffany Leadbetter Donato as its first chief investment officer. A proven hotel investment and asset management executive, Donato will oversee all transactional activities designed to fuel growth, including acquisitions, co-investments, and new third-party management contracts.
Donato brings over 25 years of experience leading complex transactions within the lodging industry, spanning multiple geographies, diverse market dynamics, and deal types. The majority of her career has been with Hyatt Hotels Corporation and its subsidiaries where she most recently served as senior vice president of capital strategy and real estate. In this role, she led strategic real estate transactions supporting Hyatt's substantial asset recycling and capital redeployment initiatives, which included more than $14 billion in transaction volume over the past 15 years. Donato previously served in increasingly senior roles within the Hyatt family of companies responsible for corporate transactions, acquisitions and development, and portfolio management.
"Tiffany is a proven leader with an impressive track record of success," said Michael R. Evans, president of Marcus Hotels & Resorts. "Her extensive experience will be a strategic asset as we actively pursue growth opportunities of both owned and third-party managed hotels and resorts. With more than 60 years of hotel management expertise and an exceptional leadership team, Marcus Hotels & Resorts is well positioned to continue offering extraordinary guest experiences while increasing the value and profitability of our portfolio."
Donato holds a bachelor's degree in real estate finance from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and an MBA from The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. In addition to her career achievements, Donato was an original member of the Women's Lodging Investment Industry Network and was a senior executive mentor for Women@Hyatt. She was also recognized by Crain's Chicago Business as one of the "Top 40 under 40" young executives.