Driftwood Capital has appointed Carlos Rodriguez Jr. as CEO. He has served as president/COO since cofounding the company with Carlos Rodriguez Sr. in 2015.
Rodriguez Sr., who has led Driftwood Capital since its founding, will continue as executive Chairman. In this role, he will remain actively involved in setting the firm’s long-term strategy, advising senior leadership and supporting key investor, lender and partner relationships.
Over the past decade, Driftwood Capital has grown from an entrepreneurial hospitality investment firm into a scaled owner, developer and lender, with approximately $3.5 billion in hospitality assets under management; more than $1 billion in projects under construction/ development; participation in more than $2 billion in loan originations; and more than 80 hotels under management through its subsidiary, Driftwood Hospitality Management.
“Carlos has been at the center of Driftwood Capital’s evolution from the beginning,” said Carlos Rodriguez Sr., executive chairman, Driftwood Capital. “I’ve had a front-row seat to his growth as a leader, and he has helped shape our investment approach, our culture and the way we work across the firm and its subsidiaries. This transition reflects the leadership role he has already been playing and positions the firm well for its next stage.”
As CEO, Rodriguez Jr. will lead Driftwood Capital’s investment strategy and firmwide execution, with an emphasis on consistency, transparency and continued refinement of the firm’s internal systems and reporting to support long-term growth.
“I’m proud of what we’ve built at Driftwood Capital alongside our investors, partners and team,” said Rodriguez Jr. “That includes the foundation my father established, and the longstanding relationships built with the stakeholders over many years. We’ve grown by staying close to our investments and maintaining accountability across our vertically integrated model. As CEO, my focus is to strengthen coordination across our people, data, and systems so we can continue to execute consistently while scaling thoughtfully.”
Look for insights about the World Cup’s impact on the hotel industry from both Carlos Rodriguez Jr. and Sr. in the cover story of the January issue, found here.
