Speakers and Panels

Hospitality & Hotel Market Outlook

Investment, Development, Innovation, Competitive Positioning & Guest Experience

David Kuperberg

Managing Director, Real Estate, Majestic Hospitality

Dustin Peterson

Principal & VP, The Athens Group

Ana Almada

CEO, DKN Hotels

Javier Cano

GM, The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles & JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE

Chris Hennessy

Sr Director, Shawmut

Rachael Sery

Rachael Sery (née Lewis) serves as the Head of Capital Markets Operations at George Smith Partners, where she leads initiatives to enhance the firm’s value to clients and reinforce its position as a market leader during this dynamic period of growth. She is responsible for directing and managing the firm’s technology initiatives and dedicated team, oversees training and standards for all employees, and co-leads our recruitment efforts. In addition to this role, as Senior Director she is also active in originating and executing debt and equity placements across the United States, with a focus on structured finance. Rachael brings specialized expertise in esoteric financings, including EB5, tax credits and back-of-house leverage. She has a background in hospitality financing and dedicates a significant amount of her time to clients in that sector and collaboration throughout the firm as our in-house Hospitality expert. Over the course of her career, she has arranged over $5 billion in total project capitalizations across the debt and equity markets. She is known for structuring creative, full-capital stack solutions across large-scale development or heavy repositioning opportunities, providing clients with innovative and effective financing strategies. Rachael began her career at a buyside advisory firm, where she focused on net-leased properties and consulted on more than $400 million in commercial acquisitions, primarily in the retail and industrial sectors. She further honed her expertise during her years of tenure in the JLL Capital Markets debt & equity placement group, where she worked with institutional clients and offered invaluable insights into market trends and international capital. Having previously been an instrumental part of GSP, Rachael has returned in this expanded leadership role, bringing a fresh perspective and deep understanding of the capital markets landscape. When Rachael is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family in nature, traveling to new countries and learning Torah.

George Smith Partners

Managing Director

Rachael Sery

Managing Director, George Smith Partners

Krystle Fader

Design Manager, Sr Associate, RDC

Dorothy Groza

Dorothy approaches deals with an owner’s mindset and seeks to strike the right balance between business opportunity and legal risk. With experience both in-house and at top transactional firms, she brings an entrepreneurial perspective and a practical, solution-oriented approach to every negotiation. Her ability to anticipate issues before they arise, combined with her creative, business-forward problem solving, has made her a trusted advisor to clients across the real estate, hospitality, restaurant, cannabis, automotive, manufacturing, and technology sectors. With over 13 years of experience in all phases of complex real estate and business transactions, Dorothy has developed a deep understanding of how to structure and navigate deals in her clients’ best interest. She has facilitated the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of over $1.4 billion in real estate assets, including negotiating senior loans, portfolio refinances, seller carry arrangements, and distressed workout scenarios. Her practice includes extensive experience in purchase and sale transactions, commercial financing, leasing, due diligence, contract negotiation, loan documentation, regulatory compliance, construction matters, zoning, and easements. Dorothy has represented purchasers, sellers, landlords, and operating companies across hotels, multifamily communities, office buildings, industrial warehouses, shopping centers, and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. Prior to joining CGS3, Dorothy served as general counsel for Empire, a leading California retailer, manufacturer, and distributor. During her tenure at Empi4e, she led the company’s legal department where she handled complex business, real estate, and regulatory matters. Concurrently, she operated her own independent law firm, Groza Law, for nine years, focusing on major hospitality acquisitions and corporate transactions, including entity formation, governance, shareholder agreements, licensing, and distribution arrangements. Dorothy previously served as in-house counsel to SOCA, a multi-state real estate developer, and began her legal career as an associate at a business, real estate, and construction litigation firm in Orange County, giving her a foundational understanding of how disputes arise and how to draft to avoid them. Outside the office, Dorothy is a vintage auto and moto enthusiast who enjoys rally driving and racing through Baja with friends.

CGS3

Partner

Moderator

Dorothy Groza

Partner, CGS3

Retail Real Estate Reinvented

Consumer Demand, Asset Optimization & Strategies for Investment, Development and Leasing

Jim Dillavou

Principal, Paragon Commercial Group

Ray Kayacan

VP, Investments, Regency Centers

Jason Wilson

VP, Leasing, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

Moderator

John Jackson

Principal & Managing Partner, JRM Construction

Placemaking & Experience-Driven Real Estate

Driving Value Through Lifestyle, Community & Culture

Nicholas Zaharov

Value Add & Development, SoCal, DWS Group

Jeff Kreshek

SVP, Western Region President, Federal Realty Investment Trust

Moderator

Craig Coan

Partner, Greenberg Glusker

Why You Won't Want To Miss This Conference:

What You'll Learn:

The latest data on hotel occupancy, tourism recovery, and investment appetite.
Where new hotel, retail, entertainment, restaurant and mixed-use projects are being developed, and why.
How adaptive reuse and experiential design are redefining older retail properties and hotel buildings.
Which retail tenants are driving leasing activity and what formats are succeeding.
What investors are prioritizing: lifestyle brands, entertainment-driven spaces, and community-oriented developments.
How sustainability, technology, and design innovation are elevating asset performance and guest experience.

How You'll Do More Business From Attending This CRE Event: Strengthen your network and uncover new deal opportunities by connecting with leaders shaping the future of Southern California’s hospitality and retail markets. Learn how global events, evolving consumer expectations, and mixed-use reinvention are driving fresh demand for hotel, retail, and experiential spaces across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and surrounding cities. Walk away with actionable insights on where investment dollars are flowing, how assets are being repositioned, and how to capture the next wave of opportunity.

Why You Should Attend This Session: Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to identify opportunities, build your network and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than us.

Who You'll Network With At This Discussion: Owners, Developers, Investors, Architects, Construction, Designers, Brokers, Lawyers, Financial Institutions & Government Officials.

For questions, recommendations, comments or press inquiries please email our event producer, Samantha D'Angelo at samantha.dangelo@bisnow.com.

Notable Projects / Assets / Deals:

Paragon Commercial Group: Village Center, Fountain Valley, CA: Infill retail shopping center in the heart of Orange County. Replaced Big Lots with Sprouts Farmer’s Market, executed an extensive capital improvement plan to update and modernize the shopping center, and created two new pads leased to McDonald’s and the first Dutch Bros in OC ///// Citrus Landing, Riverside, CA: Former K-Mart anchored center located on a highly trafficked corner of Arlington and Van Buren in Riverside. Backfilled existing K-Mart box with Stater Bros Markets, Ross and AutoZone. Executed capital improvement plan to modernize center, update shops spaces, create two new pads ground leased to Quick Quack Car Wash and Chick-Fil-A ///// Studio Village, Studio City, CA: Located on highly trafficked Ventura Blvd in Studio City, Paragon redeveloped former LA Fitness into a Sprouts Farmer’s Market anchored center; remodeled existing shops with best-in-class quick service restaurants to create a new, cohesive grocery anchored shopping center ///// Airport Plaza, Burbank, CA: Southwest corner of Victory Blvd and Chandler Blvd in the high-barrier-to-entry Burbank market. Separately acquired the fee and ground lease interest of shopping center prior to redeveloping the shopping center into a neighborhood ALDI anchored grocery center //// Northridge Plaza, Northridge, CA: Infill Los Angeles shopping center at the highly trafficked intersection of Nordhoff Way and Corbin Ave. Restructured anchor leases into long term tenancy and stabilized the property at market rents by implementing a comprehensive capital improvement project to update common areas and shop buildings ///// Topanga Village Plaza, Woodland Hills, CA: Located directly across from Westfield Village @ Topanga on Topanga Canyon Blvd in Woodland Hills. Improved access to the site by adding a new access point and traffic signal connection from the shopping center to Topanga Canyon Blvd; opened the first Amazon Fresh grocery store in the United States and upgraded the tenancy as tenants rolled ///// Carson Crossing, Carson, CA: Located at the dominant, signalized intersection of Carson St and Main St in Carson. Surrounded by new multi-family developments (over 1,500 units are under construction within a 1-mile radius); executed capital improvement plan to replace Albertsons with Vallarta Supermarket and re-lease shop spaces to institutional-quality tenants ///// Target, Westchester CA: Located on highly trafficked retail corridor of Sepulveda Blvd in Westchester. Redevelopment of a former Office Depot into a Target flex-format store, Target Corporation has been operating since October 2020. Nearby retailers include Petco, Ross Dress for Less, CVS Pharmacy, Ralph’s, TJ Maxx & HomeGoods, Trader Joe’s, and Staples ///// San Bernardino Freeway Center, San Bernardino, CA: Located on the intersection of Varsity Ave and University Pkwy, the primary retail corridor in San Bernardino, Site is highly visible from Interstate 215 and easily accessible off University Pkwy. Redeveloped former vacant building into a high-performing retail center with best-in-class tenants including Chick-Fil-A, Panera Bread, Dutch Bros, and Mister Car Wash. Other prominent retailers nearby include Walmart, Ralph’s, and Lowe’s.
DKN Hotels: Continues to expand its portfolio with the successful opening of TownePlace Suites by Marriott Ventura Oxnard in June 2025, followed by being selected to provide pre-opening and management services for the upcoming TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Wildomar, CA, and the recent acquisition of Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Sorrento Mesa/Sorrento Valley. Looking ahead, DKN’s pipeline includes the opening of SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ventura Oxnard slated for Q1 2026, three AC Hotels currently in the development process in Southern California, and four planned renovations throughout 2026.

Venue

Hilton Los Angeles Culver City
6161 West Centinela Ave
Culver City, CA 90230

Ballroom Name/Floor: 3rd floor - Pacifica ballroom /foyer

Parking Information:

Hotel - $25 valet parking & $22 self parking.

Get Directions

Agenda

Time	Activity
8:00 AM 9:00 AM	Networking, Breakfast & Coffee
9:00 AM 9:45 AM	Hospitality & Hotel Market Outlook Investment, Development, Innovation, Competitive Positioning & Guest Experience
9:45 AM 10:00 AM	Networking Break
10:00 AM 10:45 AM	Retail Real Estate Reinvented Consumer Demand, Asset Optimization & Strategies for Investment, Development and Leasing
10:45 AM 11:30 AM	Placemaking & Experience-Driven Real Estate Driving Value Through Lifestyle, Community & Culture
11:30 AM 12:00 PM	More Networking!

Tickets

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