COLUMBUS, OH—Rockbridge’s hotel development company, RBHD, has named John Lapins president. He will report to CEO Jim Merkel.
Lapins has more than 30 years of design and development experience with the last 15 years focused on the hospitality industry.
“John’s experience leading teams and working on the exact type of projects we invest in make him a unique candidate for the role,” said Merkel. “John will bring experience, relationships and a passion for hospitality development that will strengthen the team and help us grow.”
RBHD, a hotel development and construction management company established in 2011 by Merkel, has completed more than $1.8 billion in renovation and ground-up construction in 51 hotels nationwide and currently has 22 active projects worth more than $900 million.
“I am excited to join Rockbridge to lead such a talented and focused group of development professionals at RBHD,” said Lapins. “I have known Jim and Rockbridge for over 10 years dating back to their first Starwood deal, which eventually grew to over a dozen. I have always been impressed by the quality of their work, professionalism and attention to detail. As we all look forward to 2021 and a return to travel and hospitality, I am eager to join such an innovative team.”
Prior to joining RBHD, Lapins led Auro Hotel’s design and construction team and was a partner at Geolo Capital, where he led design and oversaw renovation and new build hotel construction. Prior to Geolo, he spent 10 years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts leading its North American divisional architecture and construction team on more than 300 new-build, conversion and renovation projects annually. He began his development career at the NYC office of Hines, working on large-scale commercial developments for almost 10 years.