With a hotel career that began over 30 years ago with the management of a small hotel in Durham, NC, Ernest J. Acquaro is one of today's most respected hospitality investment advisors.  His education and professional affiliations are extensive.

After graduating from Cornell University's Hotel School, Mr. Acquaro joined the consulting firm of Laventhol, Krekstein, Horwath & Horwath, conducting market and economic feasibility studies for developers, lenders and financial institutions.  He then received his Masters Degree in Hotel Restaurant and Travel Administration from the University of Massachusetts, where he co-authored a forward-thinking treatise entitled. Some Social Costs and Benefits of Tourism to Rural Communities. The Cape Cod Case.

Mr. Acquaro's impressive career continued with a variety of firms where he was responsible for conducting numerous financial and market analyses in the northeastern United States, Europe and the Middle East.  He also provided nationwide hotel appraisal reviews, due diligence research and expert witness testimony for hotel related litigation.

He was also the first official employee for the noted VMS Hotel Division, joining the company in 1983.  There, Mr. Acquaro was responsible for creating and developing the due diligence, underwriting and asset management programs for the division, from among 7,500 acquisition candidates submitted, due diligence was performed for over 500 hotels, including bids for the chains of Westin, Inter-Continental Hotels and Rock Resorts.  Finally purchasing 54 hotels, this portfolio was valued in excess of $3 billion.

Mr. Acquaro has continued to supervise the acquisition and due diligence processes for hotel, resort, office and residential projects in Hawaii, Arizona and Florida.  He has written over 35 articles on hotel related topics, is a frequent speaker at industry functions, and serves as a resource person for both the private and public sector.