Robert Cole is President and CEO of Hospitality Ventures Management Group, a company he founded in 2001. HVMG specializes in operating full-service & upscale hotels and turning around those underperforming, as well as renovating and repositioning properties. The company has a fully-integrated platform that also offers third-party services in the areas of revenue management, digital marketing, development and project management. Through February 2000, Cole was the president and chief executive officer of Lodgian Inc., formed as a result of the merger between Servico Inc., a publicly traded hotel company, and Impac Hotel Group. At the time of the merger, Lodgian was one of the largest owners of hotels in the country, with a portfolio of 143 owned and managed hotels and more than 26,000 rooms in 35 states and Canada. From 1990 to 1998, Robert was the founder and chief executive officer of Impac Hotel Group, an owner-operator and developer of hotels. Robert is a member of both the Hilton All Suites Owner Advisory Council, the Embassy Suites Owner Advisory Council and the Marriott Hotels Advisory Board.