RobertDouglas has promoted Matthew Dower to partner, while Joe Langley has joined the company as SVP. Both executives will work out of the company’s Chicago office.
Dower joined the firm in 2022 as managing director with more than 15 years of hotel industry experience, a Cornell-trained hospitality background and a reputation for navigating complex, multi-tranche capital structures with precision and creativity, according to the firm.
In the years since, he has become the engine of RobertDouglas’ Chicago operation — building lender relationships, cultivating client partnerships and executing across the full spectrum of the firm’s capabilities, from investment sales to structured debt and joint venture equity raises.
Prior to joining RobertDouglas, Dower was a founding member of the National Hotels and Hospitality team at Berkadia, a joint venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group, where he served as managing director and director of operations. Over his tenure there, he developed expertise in multi-tranche equity and debt transactions and structured and closed more than 100 transactions representing more than $1 billion of commercial real estate.
“We always knew that Matt had the talent, the relationships and the leadership instincts to grow into a partner,” said Rob Stiles, principal/managing director, RobertDouglas. “Chicago is a market we believe in deeply, and Matt is the reason our presence there has become what it is. He has earned every bit of this.”
Dower said, “Joining RobertDouglas four years ago felt like the right next chapter, but even then I could not have imagined how much this platform would grow—and how much I would grow with it. Becoming a partner is both an honor and a responsibility I take seriously. We are building something special in Chicago, and the best is absolutely ahead of us.”
Langley, a 15-year veteran of hospitality investment responsible for more than $1.4 billion in transaction volume, is a familiar face to the RobertDouglas team, having worked alongside the firm for years as a client and counterpart on the equity and ownership side.
Having spent his career as a principal—raising capital, deploying it, managing it and returning it to partners—Langley understands what owners and investors need from their advisors at every stage of a deal, according to RobertDouglas.
“Joe is as complete a hospitality investment professional as I have encountered in this industry,” said Dower. “He has lived on the ownership and equity side of these transactions. He understands exactly what our clients are thinking, their concerns and what they need to succeed. That perspective is invaluable, and will help make us a better advisor.”
Langley said, “I have long admired what RobertDouglas has built—a firm that combines true capital markets sophistication with a deep, operational understanding of how hotels actually work,” said Langley. “Having worked with the team as a client and partner over the years, I have seen firsthand how they show up for the people they represent. I am excited to bring everything I have learned—across development, stabilization, repositioning and disposition—to a platform where it can directly benefit our clients.”
Prior to joining RobertDouglas, Langley served as VP, investments at Fractal Education Group and Wexford Lodging Advisors, where he built an investment platform from scratch—acquiring 12 assets in 20 months, raising $60 million in equity capital across multiple capital partners and driving approximately 5x revenue growth. Before that, he spent nearly seven years at Waterton, where he helped grow the portfolio from 1,300 to 3,400 units, closed $1 billion in capital transactions across major U.S. markets, raised $300 million in LP equity and drove a roughly 5x increase in portfolio NOI. He began his career at Common Sail Investment Group, advising on multi-asset transactions and developing analytical frameworks for acquisitions in fragmented owner-operated markets.
