NEW YORK CITY—Bolstering the hotel platform in launched last year, Berkadia has brought in a trio of senior hospitality executives. John J. DePaul, David Weymer and Mark Morris have joined the company as managing directors in its hotels & hospitality group, each with 30-plus years' experience in the lodging sector.

When Berkadia hired Andrew Coleman this past April to lead the newly formed hotels & hospitality group, the company was looking "to grow into a full-service commercial real estate advisory firm across all platforms, moving out of what would be just the debt space," Coleman tells GlobeSt.com. At Walker & Dunlop, Coleman's previous employer, "we were primarily focused on debt, and I see the market moving toward where we need to provide ancillary services across an entire platform."

Coleman tells GlobeSt.com that this past April, "Berkadia expressed to me that I would be able to custom-build a group that met what I thought were our client's needs, which was very exciting to me." DePaul will be responsible for the capital markets and asset management & advisory functions of the hotels platform, while Weymer and Morris will focus on the investment sales function of the platform.

"Prospective clients in the hotels & hospitality sector expressed the need for integrated finance solutions, which is why we hired Andrew last year to lead our efforts in the space," says Ernest Katai, EVP and head of production at Berkadia. "By adding John, Dave and Mark, three of the most well-known and respected hospitality professionals in the industry, we're showing our continued commitment to expanding our platform and becoming a leader in the space."

Based out of Berkadia's Ambler, PA office, DePaul has advised, acquired or managed assets with an aggregate value of more than $5 billion. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of strategic advisory & asset management with JLL's hotels & hospitality group in New York City.

Both Weymer and Morris have three decades' experience in hospitality lending. Weymer joins Berkadia from Lantern Realty Advisors, where he represented clients in an advisory and legal capacity on multiple transactions totaling over $1 billion between 2012 and 2015. Before that, he held senior principal positions at Noble Investments and Thayer Lodging Group.

Morris most recently was SVP at Hunter Hotel Advisors. Focusing on the Mid-Atlantic, he has successfully structured and completed hotel sales transactions totaling more than $3.5 billion in North America. Along with experience, Morris brings to Berkadia a team of investment sales professionals, including John Testerman and Matt Bailly.