DANBURY, Connecticut—To expand its portfolio and capital partner alliances, Meyer Jabara Hotels welcomed Ian McAuley as chief investment officer. In this newly created position, McAuley will source acquisition opportunities, equity investors, debt financing, and third-party management contracts. He has 30 years of experience in publicly traded and privately held real estate, as well as in hotel development, operations, and ownership.
“Good things really do come to those who wait,” said Meyer Jabara Hotels President Justin Jabara. “Ian is the rainmaker we have been searching for—for well over a year. He spent his career raising capital from kitchen tables to Wall Street, co-founded a management company, operated hotels, and knows where the money is made. His breadth of experience is profoundly unique in this space. With Ian running the investment side of our business, we can focus more closely on operations, profitability, and growth. We welcome him aboard.”
McAuley will relocate from Toronto to the company’s office in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the short term, he will focus on getting to know people, culture, and operating practices. In the midterm, he will speak to the investment community about MJH’s differentiators and focus on securing sources of capital. And in the long term, McAuley will seek out capital partners that don’t know about MJH and introduce them to the company.
Over the years McAuley has incorporated more than $2 billion in real estate transactions across North America. His corporate finance experience with private equity and institutional capital partners includes more than 100 ground-up developments and acquisitions, along with several initial public offerings.
Prior posts include co-founder, CEO, president, and director of VM Hotel Acquisition Corp; Canadian president of Aimbridge Hospitality; president of American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP; president and COO of Superior Lodging Corp.; co-founder and executive vice president of Royop Hospitality Corp.; and co-founder and vice president of InnVentures Hospitality Corp.
McAuley is a graduate of the University of Toronto—ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and holds a Dipl T Hospitality, and Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees. He is a board member of Northern Vision Development LP, current board member and executive of The Musical Stage Co., former two-term director of the Hotel Association of Canada, and was a board member of Hilton Hotels Advisory Board, Hallmark Properties Ltd., Airline Hotels and Resorts Ltd., and Theatre Calgary.
