Avison Young Hospitality Group is pleased to highlight Chris Stark, Eric Gunderson and Michael Bernath, who are located in the Avison Young Atlanta, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon offices, respectively.
Stark, a principal with the hospitality group, previously served as a partner with Hotel AG, where he applied a diverse background in hotel franchise development, finance and marketing. He is considered one of the top hotel brokers in the country and has been involved in the analysis or disposition of more than $1 billion in hospitality assets. At Avison Young, he specializes in the sale of hotel portfolios and institutional quality assets throughout the country.
Stark began his career in hospitality real estate as part of the franchise development team for Choice Hotels International. In that role, he travelled to every state west of Nebraska, identifying hotel sites and conversion properties for major brands, including Ascend Collection. Throughout his career, he has developed a strong understanding of hotel branding, market dynamics and hotel development process. He is an active member of his church and volunteers regularly with several local Portland, Oregon area non-profits.
Gunderson, a principal with the hospitality group is also considered one of the top hotel brokers in the country. He recently joined Avison Young with nine years of hotel real estate experience, which included, most recently, Hotel AG, where he served as a partner. He is a licensed real estate broker in the state of California and focuses on all aspects of hospitality real estate, including tourist hotels, SRO hotels and development sites, with an emphasis on California and the western U.S.
A lifelong Californian, Gunderson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and currently resides in Santa Monica, California.
Bernath, a principal with the hospitality group, brings a decade of hospitality real estate experience to Avison Young. He most recently served as a partner with Hotels AG. Considered one of the top hotel brokers in the country, Bernath has worked with a variety of clients to execute an array of single asset and portfolio transactions throughout the continental United States.
Prior to hotel brokerage, Bernath served as the vice-president of acquisitions and finance for an Atlanta-based developer, where he focused on investor relations, sourcing new acquisitions, securing financing for new acquisition and construction projects and market analysis. He began his career in the hospitality industry as assistant vice-president of originations for a Dallas-based, non-traded hotel REIT, focusing on securing debt financing for third-party hoteliers.
Bernath is a board member of the Triple Play Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to using sports to promote education, health and community service to at-risk youths in the Atlanta and Athens areas. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in economics from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
“Chris, Eric and Michael have been an integral part of building the Avison Young Hospitality Group,” said Keith Thompson, principal at Avison Young. “Their leadership and performance cannot be replaced and each in his own right is considered one of the top hotel brokers in the country. “
