All Consultants / David DiFalco
David DiFalco
Hotels, Resorts, Experiential Lodging
A partner to owners and operators who helps grow the business and the people who run it, with experience spanning branded hotels to experiential lodging.
Key Consulting Services
- Operational Effectiveness - Hotels, Resorts, Experiential Lodging
- Leadership Development & Coaching
- Custom BI Dashboards & Practical AI
- Fractional COO & Asset Management
- New Deal Underwriting
Expertise
Dave DiFalco brings 26 years of hospitality operations leadership across branded hotels, resorts, and the experiential and outdoor lodging space. Through Forgemark Advisory, he helps owners and operators strengthen performance, develop leaders, and grow both the business and its people.His strongest work is in operational effectiveness, from labor and expense management to guest-service training and process analytics that cut friction, all aimed at stronger GOP and EBITDA. He pairs it with leadership development that improves frontline retention, anchored in his doctoral research on authentic leadership.Dave also builds the tools many operators go without, developing custom BI dashboards and practical AI that turn data into faster, clearer decisions. When an owner needs hands-on leadership, he steps in as fractional COO or asset-management owner's rep, owning P&L performance while supporting capital planning, renovations, and key hires.
Background
- Dave DiFalco is a hospitality operations executive with a 26-year career spanning Marriott International, Under Canvas, Great Wolf Resorts, and AutoCamp. He most recently served as President and COO of AutoCamp, overseeing an eight-location outdoor hospitality portfolio. Prior to that, he was COO of Under Canvas, the largest glamping company in the U.S., and Regional Vice President for Great Wolf Resorts, where he oversaw six resorts, $500M in annual revenue, and more than 5,000 employees. Earlier, he spent 11 years at Marriott International, advancing from event management at the 1,946-room Marriott Marquis in Times Square into hotel operations leadership at various full and select service locations. He later launched the 348-room Renaissance New York Midtown as its Opening General Manager. His track record includes developing new properties, building the systems behind fast-growing lodging brands, and driving strong GOP and flow-through across every portfolio he has led.
Testimonial
As a first-time founder, having someone like David in my corner from day one has been invaluable. David has been with Caravan since the very beginning and has played a huge role in helping me build the business and navigate the challenges of starting and growing a company. He has an incredible understanding of the operational and financial side of the business and is always willing to go above and beyond to get into the weeds, understand the problem, and help identify real solutions.
What I appreciate most is that David doesn’t just give you an answer and move on. He takes the time to really understand the business, ask the right questions, and genuinely cares about helping you succeed. That level of support has been incredibly valuable to me as a first-time founder.
I genuinely can’t recommend David highly enough. Caravan would not be where it is today without his mentorship and perspective he has shared with me throughout this journey.
-Cara Lash, Founder, Caravan
From the start, Dave has been hands-on and really taken the time to understand our glamping business. He’s challenged us to stop solving the issue at hand and instead think about the decisions and structure we need to scale. Among other things, he’s also helped sharpen our financial strategy, provided candid feedback on key hires, and audited our operations manuals.
While Dave has deep experience with some of the biggest players in the industry, he’s incredibly practical about what can actually be done with the resources you have today. He’s realistic, thoughtful, and a rare talent who can balance practicality with growth. We would highly recommend him to any hospitality business looking to get to the next level.
-Brian & Joanna Linton, Co-Founder Ferncrest Campground
Professional & Other
Dave is an adjunct instructor in the University of Denver's hospitality program, and previously taught hotel management at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
His recognitions include Opening of the Year from Marriott International and General Manager of the Year from Stonebridge Companies, both stemming from the Renaissance New York Midtown launch. He was also selected to the Renaissance GM Advisory Council as one of eleven general managers worldwide.
Dave served on the Marriott NY/NJ business council and helped create a mentorship program for students in the hotel program at NYU.
