Ben Rafter is the chief executive officer of Hotel Equities, a leading hospitality management and development firm with a diverse portfolio of hotels, resorts and outdoor hospitality destinations spanning the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Formerly president and CEO of Springboard Hospitality, Rafter assumed leadership of the newly merged Hotel Equities and Springboard Hospitality on May 1, 2025.

After joining Springboard Hospitality in 2016, Rafter led the company’s transformation from a 16-property firm (formerly known as OLS Hotels & Resorts) into a respected third-party management powerhouse with nearly 50 properties across 14 states. His leadership focused on revitalizing the brand through investments in technology, people, and culture—an approach he continues to champion at Hotel Equities.

Rafter steered Springboard through substantial growth coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding its presence on the East Coast and in key leisure markets including Stowe, VT; Branson, MO; Myrtle Beach, SC; Kona, HI; and Rancho Santa Fe, CA. He also launched the innovative Hospitality Intelligence (H.I.) platform, blending cutting-edge technology and human insight to enhance operational efficiency and guest experiences.

Previously, Rafter served as president and CEO of Aqua Hospitality and president of Aston Hotels & Resorts, overseeing 56 properties and nearly 11,000 rooms. Under his leadership, Aqua became the largest hotel operator in Hawaii and the only company with properties on all six tourism islands. Rafter led more than 20 hotel renovations before successfully selling the company to Interval Leisure Group (now Marriott Vacations).

Rafter began his career in the tech industry, where he spent 15 years leading successful startups and consulting for Fortune 2000 companies. In 1996, he co-founded Innerlinx (LiveBid), which was acquired by Amazon.com. He launched his hospitality journey in the distribution department at Westin Hotels & Resorts.

Al Smith serves as Chief Operating Officer for Hotel Equities, leading enterprise-wide performance across HE’s growing portfolio of hotels, resorts and outdoor hospitality destinations throughout the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Al most recently served as Senior Vice President, Lifestyle Hotels, with Highgate Hotels. Prior to that role, he served as Senior Vice President at Pivot Hotels & Resorts for Davidson Hospitality where he created and successfully grew their lifestyle division to a hotel portfolio of twenty-five during his five-year tenure. A 20-year luxury hospitality veteran, Al has held key leadership roles in ground-breaking hospitality companies including Viceroy Hotel Group, SBE, and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

Greg O’Stean serves as Chief Development Officer for Hotel Equities, an Atlanta-based, full-scale hotel ownership, management and development firm.

O’Stean brings more than three decades of hospitality development, investment, and strategy experience to the role, having held executive leadership positions with top hotel brands and investment firms. He most recently served as CEO of United Hospitality Management where he oversaw a global portfolio of hotels across Europe and the Middle East.

As CDO of HE, his focus is on identifying new development opportunities, deepening brand and owner relationships, and aligning initiatives with the company’s business goals. O’Stean shared that his passion lies in leading high-performing teams to drive company growth, while leveraging his experience to mentor others and support their career development.

Eric serves as Chief Financial Officer for Hotel Equities and brings over two decades of experience in both hotel and corporate roles and has worked for premier hospitality companies including: The Hotel Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Worldwide and Walt Disney World Resorts.  

Eric joined the team from The Hotel Group, an affiliate partner with Hotel Equities, where he led the hotel accounting team with a focus on accounting functions, internal controls and strategic planning. As an innovator, he’s always looking to streamline processes to produce efficiencies and create a sense of order.  

Eric’s role goes beyond typical accounting practices: he works directly with partner, clients, lenders and investors and peers providing support in compliance, centralized finance environments, hotel operations, project management, and strategic analysis. 

He is a graduate from West Texas A&M University with a degree in Business Administration and holds certifications as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) & Certified Hospitality Finance Professional (CHAE) from Hospitality Finance and Technical Professionals.

Eric enjoys spending time with his children in their family vegetable garden. He is also passionate about supporting children in the foster care system.

Tan serves as the Chief Investment Officer for Hotel Equities where he leads the company's investment strategies, capitalizing on new opportunities to enhance the portfolio and deliver sustained value to stakeholders. Tan is also a founding Principal for Greenwood Hospitality, an award-winning hotel operator and affiliate of Hotel Equities, where he actively shapes the company’s growth by steering its financial and investment strategies.

In his pivotal role as Chief Investment Officer, Tan is instrumental in shaping the future of Hotel Equities through a comprehensive oversight of strategic investments, feasibility studies, acquisitions, and financial planning. His approach involves meticulous evaluation of market trends and investment opportunities to ensure that every decision aligns with the company's long-term objectives and maximizes stakeholder value. As a founding Principal of Greenwood Hospitality, Tan plays a key role in guiding the strategic direction of the company, leveraging his extensive experience in financial management and strategic investments to drive growth and innovation. His efforts focus on optimizing financial performance, ensuring that Greenwood Hospitality remains competitive and well-positioned in the evolving hospitality industry. 

With over 25 years of experience in the financial and hospitality sectors, Tan has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen, notably during his tenure as President of Richfield Hospitality from 2002 through mid-2009. Under his leadership, Richfield grew to become one of the top-ranked management companies in the U.S. He expanded the company’s role from a third-party property manager to an entity actively engaged in hospitality acquisitions and investments.

Prior to joining Richfield, Tan directed one of Asia’s leading e-commerce companies, representing over 3,000 hotels worldwide, and was a senior financial executive of a publicly traded company on the Singapore Exchange, focusing on power plant and energy-related holdings. His career includes overseeing major initiatives such as development of mixed-use real estate projects, issuance of bonds to international finance institutions, disposition strategies for power-related companies, and oversight of e-commerce/GDS and purchasing disciplines in the hospitality arena.

Tan earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the National University of Singapore. He serves on the Executive Advisory Board for the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver.

Sean Williams oversees new business development and investing for Hotel Equities. His professional and academic career in hospitality investment management, investment banking, and real estate private equity spans three decades across three continents.

At GreenOak he led the negotiation, structuring, acquisition and asset management for over $750 million in hotels based in the United States, including the Thompson Miami Beach, the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles, and the award-winning Surfjack Hotel in Hawaii. As a registered Investment Advisor and Finra member, he also advised multiple public firms on M&A and special situations.

During his tenure as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and Vice President at Merrill Lynch, he executed over $8 billion of acquisitions of non-performing loans, commercial real estate, public equities, and strategic investments as well as multiple joint ventures and partnerships in Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Sean is an active member of both the Urban Land Institute as well as the AHLA Hospitality Round Table. He graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and holds a Masters of Engineering from the University of Tokyo.

Juan Corvinos serves as the President of Hotel Equities’ Caribbean & Latin America division where he is responsible for overseeing operations, business development, commercial and establishing key partnerships and infrastructure to position Hotel Equities for success in the Caribbean and Latin America hospitality markets. With a proven track record in corporate development, development of Hotels and owners relations, Juan brings invaluable expertise in market conditions, strategic advice, commercial negotiations, and project management. His leadership will play a critical role in growing Hotel Equities' portfolio and strengthening its presence in these International dynamic regions.

Juan was most recently with Hilton where he served as Senior Vice President–Development, AD&C Latin America and Caribbean, where he was responsible for the full circle corporate development for all Hilton brands in Latin America & Caribbean inclusive of Development, Architecture, Design, Project Management, Owner Relations, and retention functions. Juan's focus was to inspire an award-winning team to drive the growth of Hilton's portfolio of brands in the region. During his CALA tenure the team signed 350+ cumulative franchise and management agreements & 5 strategic development agreements under all brands and launched strategic initiatives like All Inclusive by Hilton, as well as launched Brands like Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, Curio, Tapestry, Tru,Home2 and Spark in the region. The CALA region spearheaded growth of Hilton’s Luxury portfolio of brands in the Americas with the launch of LXR Hotels and Resorts . During Juan’s tenure with Hilton, the team more than tripled its presence from 63 open hotels in 2013 to 280+ hotels open in 2024. Juan also served as the Hilton Senior Leadership Sponsor for the Hispanic LatinX TRMG/ERG. His career has taken him to: Malaysia, Barcelona, London and lastly Washington DC based in the company’s Global Headquarters.

Juan is a graduate from Escuela de Hosteleria de Sevilla where he specialized in business and international compared law, he holds a Master Certificate from Cornell University in Hotel Management. A keen self-taught chef and a voracious reader, Juan particularly enjoys travelling within the Americas and Asia. Most of his leisure time is devoted to voluntary teaching and fundraising activities as well as spending time with his family.

In his role as President, Rob leads all facets of Springboard Hospitality, the Lifestyle Division of Hotel Equities with a focus on executing the company’s strategic plans, driving financial performance, championing a strong culture, and continuing to scale the portfolio.

Currently Rob sits on the Executive Board of Directors of the Waikiki Improvement Association, holds a board position with the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, and is a founding board member of the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association where he currently serves as Chairman. Previously Rob was on the board of the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association, and the executive board of the Union Square Business Improvement District Association in SF where he served as Chairman of its marketing committee. Rob is also on the Advisory Board for Kapiolani Community College’s Hospitality program (HOST).

Before entering the hotel business, Rob was a successful restaurateur owning and operating restaurants and bars in the San Francisco Bay Area. From there he spent 5 years with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and then 10 years in multiple leadership roles with Highgate, a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company.

"Having integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking."

David Rosenberg serves as President of Hotel Equities' Focused Service division. With a dynamic career, David joined Hotel Equities in 2020 and has consistently elevated performance across the firm’s portfolio. In his current role, he leads Hotel Equities' deployment of analytics-driven performance dashboards, spearheads M&A integrations, and directly oversees a substantial portion of the company's expanding, multi-branded hotel portfolio. He also guided the company’s entry into the outdoor hospitality segment through the integration of Postcard Cabins into the portfolio. With extensive experience across both full-service and select-service hotels, David has held several executive roles throughout his career, consistently driving revenue growth, market share, profitability, and team engagement.

"Hire an attitude and teach them the business."

Peter joined Hotel Equities with over 25 years of progressive hotel operations and corporate leadership experience. In his role, Peter serves as President of Hotel Equities' Full-Service division, with responsibility for overseeing key Full-Service and owned assets throughout the firm's portfolio. Peter works closely with our internal and external stakeholders to drive operational excellence and profitability while enhancing guest and employee engagement.

Prior to joining Hotel Equities, Peter served in a variety of multi-unit roles with several notable management groups. He most recently worked with Davidson Hospitality Group where he was the Regional Vice President for Pivot Hotels and successfully led their lifestyle operating vertical.

Lisa Tully-Lavian serves as Executive Vice President of Marketing at Hotel Equities, where she leads all facets of integrated marketing across the organization’s expansive hotel portfolio as well as shaping strategic corporate marketing initiatives. With deep expertise in brand development, digital strategy, customer experience, and hospitality marketing, Lisa plays a pivotal role in driving innovation, elevating guest engagement, and aligning marketing efforts to deliver measurable impact and strategic growth.

Lisa brings a distinguished track record spanning luxury hospitality, real estate, and technology. Prior to joining Hotel Equities, she served as Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Bell Partners, where she spearheaded a corporate brand refresh, launched a loyalty platform, and scaled the marketing organization to support continued portfolio expansion. Earlier in her career, Lisa was instrumental in launching Highgate’s Luxury & Lifestyle Division, leading initiatives such as the redevelopment of The Newbury Boston and overseeing digital strategies that delivered a remarkable 20:1 ROI.

A native of Dublin and a lifelong global citizen, Lisa’s passion for travel and cultural connection fuels her strategic approach to hospitality. She currently resides in the New Jersey suburbs with her husband and their three daughters. When she’s not leading marketing innovation, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, exploring history, and learning about new cultures.

Toi Brown joined Hotel Equities from Jackson Pierce Public Affairs where she spent the last 11 years leading a diverse Human Resources team. Prior to Jackson Pierce, she served as the Training and Development Manager for Jamestown Properties. Toi is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and she is a current member of both SHRM and ATD.

In her role, Toi leads, develops and elevates all Human Resources services, policies and programs.  She proactively collaborates and partners with Hotel Equities' internal and external stakeholders to ensure we are delivering best-in-class support throughout the Human Resources discipline.

Team Member Since: 2018

With over 39 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Dan excels in asset management relations and maintains exceptional interactions with hotel owners. As Senior Vice President of Operations, he leverages his wealth of experience and strategic vision to drive operational excellence, implement innovative initiatives, and foster a culture of exceptional guest service across the Hotel Equities portfolio. Dan joined Hotel Equities through our partnership with Greenwood Hospitality, where he formerly held the position of Vice President of Operations, overseeing a diverse collection of lifestyle and full-service hotels.

Claudia Jackson has more than 30 years of experience in the hotel industry. She has worked with a variety of hotel companies in sales and marketing, including Embassy Suites, Intercontinental Hotel Group / Holiday Inn, Marriott, Radisson Hotels, and independent boutique properties. Prior to joining the Hotel Equities corporate executive team, Claudia held director of sales positions at several OLS-managed properties and also served as general manager of Le Montrose Suite Hotel in West Hollywood.

Brian Jenkins is Head of HE Labs and EVP of Strategy at Hotel Equities, where he leads the company’s innovation and incubation platform focused on evaluating emerging technologies, developing AI-driven workflows, and advancing new operating models that improve hotel performance. He is responsible for building a more disciplined, performance-oriented approach to innovation across the organization — ensuring initiatives are evaluated rigorously, tested in real operating environments, and aligned with measurable business outcomes.

In addition to leading HE Labs, Jenkins helps shape Hotel Equities’ broader technology and innovation strategy and the company’s approach to technology deployment across the portfolio. His work reflects a cross-functional perspective grounded in strategy, technology, and operations, with an emphasis on execution, scalability, and owner value.

Jenkins joined Springboard Hospitality in 2016, prior to its combination with Hotel Equities in 2025, and has since worked across strategic initiatives spanning technology evaluation, business development, and portfolio growth, applying a background in quantitative analysis and financial modeling to strategic decision-making.

Prior to joining the hospitality industry, Jenkins was a strategy consultant at Capco in New York, where he advised leading financial institutions IT strategy, organizational restructuring, change management, and risk management.

He holds a B.A. in Financial Economics from Columbia University.

Carol joined HE in 2021 through our strategic partnership with The Hotel Group and has driven initiatives that grow market share, revenue, and brand awareness. With over 20 years of experience and deep relationships across Hilton, Marriott, and IHG, Carol has been instrumental in fostering collaboration among property teams, ownership groups, and franchise partners. She will now lead sales growth initiatives across the Focused Service portfolio.

Team Member Since: 2022

Lindsay Meadows serves as the Senior Vice President of Accounting & Procurement at Hotel Equities, where she ensures operational efficiency, financial health, and consistency in service delivery across the organization.

Since joining Hotel Equities in April 2022 as Director of Procurement, Lindsay has leveraged over 20 years of diverse hospitality experience spanning Food & Beverage, Finance, and Procurement. Her strategic and innovative leadership has been instrumental in strengthening vendor relationships, optimizing corporate rebate programs, and enhancing purchasing strategies, delivering measurable results.

Lindsay’s comprehensive experience in Corporate Finance and Global Procurement has honed her expertise in managing complex financial operations and procurement strategies. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University and a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Phoenix. Known for her forward-thinking mindset and commitment to driving meaningful organizational impact, Lindsay is a valued member of Hotel Equities' senior leadership team.

"Hire an attitude and teach them the business."

Team Member Since: 2010

A performance management and talent professional, Nancy supports the company’s passion for identifying exceptional talent and growing leaders in our industry. Her experience includes nearly 25 years with Marriott International, where she led their national leadership training programs for North America.

Nancy earned a B.S. in Economics from Providence College and a M.S. in Adult Education/Organization Development from Georgia State University and is currently pursuing her PHD in Organizational Leadership. She holds numerous professional certifications, including Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Stephen Covey Master Trainer, Gallup Strengths Assessment, Extraordinary Leadership 360 Assessment, and more. An avid Pickleball player and golfer, Nancy enjoys gardening and spending time with her family, especially on vacations to Cape Cod.

Brad Read serves as Senior Vice President of Finance at Hotel Equities, where he leads the organization’s financial strategy, ensuring fiscal integrity and implementing forward-thinking solutions to drive long-term success.

Bill comes to Hotel Equities with 26+ years of hotel Revenue Management experience. He serves as the Senior Vice President of Revenue Optimization for HE’s hotels and reports directly to the firm’s President of Operations. In his role, he works closely with our executive team, as well as the regional Revenue Management teams to ensure optimum performance across the portfolio. Bill has experience in both Full Service and Select Service hotels in U.S., Canada, and CALA regions.

Martin oversees operations for HE’s portfolio of hotels in Canada, provides support to the firm’s regional directors in-market and serves as a valuable resource for our hotel owners. He leads the Canadian regional team based in Edmonton, Alberta which provides corporate support in all areas including operations, food and beverage, sales and marketing, revenue generation, accounting and human resources for the firm’s managed hotels in market. 

Martin brings 30+ years of industry experience and a track record of success to his role with HE, as well as broad experience in all market segments from select service and extended stay, to resort, full-service and luxury. Prior to joining HE, he served as Area VP, Canada with Marriott International from 2015 to 2020 where he successfully led the integration of Delta Hotels and Starwood Hotels for Western Canada growing the portfolio from 5 to 26 managed properties with over 5,000 Associates and $600 million in annual sales.

Martin received his MBA and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph. In 2014, he received the University of Guelph George D. Bedell Alumni Award for Industry and Community Leadership. He continues to contribute to the development of leaders as Chair of the Policy Advisory Board for the School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management. In addition, he provides Customer Experience advisory services to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Martin has actively served in the community participating on numerous boards in Canada including the Hotel Association of Canada, the Vancouver Hotel Association, the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Tourism Calgary, and the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

Fred "Coach" Cerrone serves as Founder and Co-Chairman of Hotel Equities. His hospitality career spans a five-decade progression from desk clerk at the Sheraton Boston hotel, to managing hotels across the country and ultimately launching Hotel Equities in 1989.

A general manager at age 21 and twice recognized as "General Manager of the Year" by national hotel franchises, Fred has hospitality in his blood. After many years in key positions with top hotels, he founded Hotel Equities and became one of Marriott’s first franchise partners. Other major franchise partnerships soon followed. With over 240 hotels in its present portfolio, Hotel Equities continues its successful growth.

HotelWorld Network named Fred "Hotelier of the Year” in 2009. He sits on Marriott’s Fairfield Inn Franchise Advisory Board, Marriott's Homes and Villas Advisory Board. He also sits on the Advisory Board for. Georgia State University's Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality. He is a member of the Alumni Advisory Board and received the Alumni Entrepreneurship Award from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business. Additionally, Fred is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau in Alpharetta, GA. He is also the 2023 recipient of the Hunter Conference’s Industry Award for Excellence and Inspiration.

Hospitality is a people-centered business and people are Fred’s passion. He enjoys seeing Hotel Equities' associates thrive and is often referred to as Coach of the hospitality firm’s team. Before embarking on a hospitality career, he served in the United States Marine Corps. 

Fred is a graduate of Georgia State University (MBA in Business) and Miami Dade College (A.S. degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management). He holds a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation through the American Lodging Association.

He is married to Christine, his high school sweetheart, and resides in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Brad Rahinsky serves as Co-Chairman of Hotel Equities. He most recently served in the role of President and CEO where he helped develop the long-term vision for Hotel Equities and supported all aspects of the firm’s various disciplines. In early 2023, Mr. Rahinsky guided Hotel Equities through a strategic partnership with private equity firm PPC Enterprises to accelerate its development pipeline and strengthen its position as an industry leading partner for hotel owners and developers seeking unparalleled performance and returns.

Mr. Rahinsky joined Hotel Equities as Vice President of Operations in early 2012 and quickly moved into senior leadership where he has powered the firm’s explosive growth taking the firm to over 250 hotels in over 35 states and multiple provinces in Canada. To handle the rapid and unprecedented expansion, Mr. Rahinsky has internally developed and externally recruited some of the industry’s brightest leaders.  Prior to joining Hotel Equities, Mr. Rahinsky co-owned a successful portfolio of Hilton and Hyatt branded hotels in the Southeast. He spent his early years learning the business through progressive executive level positions with Sheraton, Hyatt, Wyndham and various independent resorts.

Mr. Rahinsky serves as a member of Hilton’s Hampton Inn and Suites Owners Advisory Council, Marriott’s Element by Westin Franchise Advisory Board, and serves on the AHLA Board of Directors. He is a proud alumnus of the University of West Florida. He and his beautiful wife, Tricia, have five children and reside in Fulton County, north of Atlanta, GA.

Joe Reardon serves as Vice Chairman for Hotel Equities, bringing 30 years of extensive experience in the hospitality industry. He has played a pivotal role in the organization’s strategic growth, overseeing its expansion to nearly 200 open and operating properties across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean and Latin America regions. Reardon's expertise continues to guide the company's development, reinforcing its position as a leading player in the hospitality sector.

Before his tenure with Hotel Equities, Mr. Reardon held key leadership positions at Noble Investment Group and Shamin Hotels, where he contributed significantly to their growth and success. He began his career at Marriott International, starting in Sales and Marketing and ultimately advancing to Regional Director of Sales and Marketing. Over his 17-year tenure, he earned numerous prestigious awards for his work across select-service, full-service, and resort hotels. Recognized for his ability to transform sales cultures and systems, Reardon excelled at driving revenue growth and improving market share by building and leading high-performing teams.

Mr. Reardon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Tourism Management from North Carolina State University. His continued leadership at Hotel Equities reflects his deep industry knowledge and commitment to driving strategic growth.