Chatham Lodging Trust, the US hotel REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange and focused on upscale extended-stay and premium-branded select-service hotels, has announced the appointment of Liam Brown to its board of directors. His appointment as an independent director is effective immediately.
A Marriott International veteran
Liam Brown joined Marriott International in 1989 and built the bulk of his career there, until his retirement in June 2026. Since January 2021, he had held the role of Group President, U.S. and Canada, overseeing financial management and operations for the group’s hotels across North and South America, a portfolio spanning more than 6,000 hotels and around 160,000 associates.
Before that role, he led Marriott’s European operations as President and Managing Director, Europe, between 2018 and 2019, then as Group President, Europe, Middle East and Africa in 2020. From 2012 to 2018, he also headed Marriott’s North American franchising, owner services and select-service brand operations. His career also includes positions as Chief Operating Officer for the Americas in the select-service and extended-stay segments, as well as senior vice president and executive vice president of development roles for those same product categories.
Expertise sought by hotel REITs
The recruitment of former operating executives by listed REITs reflects a structural challenge in the sector: balancing portfolio management with relationships with operators and franchisors. Chatham Lodging Trust, whose strategy rests on disciplined capital allocation, has recently acquired six Hilton-branded hotels [FLAG 1], its first transaction of this kind in almost two years.
Jeffrey H. Fisher, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Chatham, said [FLAG 2] he had worked with Liam Brown for thirty years. He noted that Brown’s track record speaks for itself, and that his arrival on the board brings substantial insight from both an operational and a franchisor-franchisee standpoint — input he considers valuable as the REIT continues its efforts to maximise operating results and refine its capital allocation decisions.
Governance and cross-board appointments
Liam Brown already sits on the board of directors of EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR), a diversified net-lease REIT focused on experiential assets, where he chairs the compensation and human capital committee and serves on the nominating and corporate governance committee. EPR Properties has notably acquired several North American amusement parks from Six Flags [FLAG 1] in recent months, illustrating the diversification of its portfolio beyond traditional hospitality.
He also sits on the executive committee of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the leading trade body for the US hotel industry. He holds a hospitality management degree and a business degree from the Dublin Institute of Technology – Trinity College, along with an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Management at the University of Maryland.
A signal for investors
For a listed REIT such as Chatham Lodging Trust, the arrival of a director with such a strong operational profile sends a signal to investors about the strength of its governance. The group, which invests primarily in upscale extended-stay hotels and premium-branded select-service hotels, is thereby continuing to strengthen its board at a time of heightened focus on shareholder value creation.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Chatham Lodging Trust appoints Liam Brown to its board
Effective immediately, as independent director
37 years at Marriott International, retired June 2026
Formerly group president, US & Canada (6,000+ hotels, ~160,000 associates)
Also sits on EPR Properties’ board (NYSE: EPR)
Member of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Executive Committee
