David DiFalco

Biography at a Glance

David DiFalco is a hospitality executive, educator and doctoral student whose career spans 26 years of multi-unit operations leadership across experiential lodging, resort and full-service hotel platforms. He is the principal and managing director of Forgemark Advisory, a hospitality operations and leadership advisory firm serving owners, operators and investors, and a member of Cayuga Hospitality Consultants.

Most recently, DiFalco served as president and chief operating officer of AutoCamp, a national outdoor lodging company with eight locations, where he led enterprise operations, finance, technology, people and culture, and brand performance. Prior to AutoCamp, he held senior operating roles at Great Wolf Resorts, Under Canvas and Stonebridge Companies, and served as opening general manager of the flagship Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel in Manhattan. His earlier career includes a range of operations, sales, and food and beverage leadership positions across the Marriott system. Throughout his career, he has focused on profitability, operational discipline and guest experience through periods of growth, transformation and market disruption.

DiFalco is a PhD student in Business Administration at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, with a research concentration in leadership theory. His dissertation examines the relationship between authentic leadership and voluntary turnover among frontline hotel employees, using longitudinal survival analysis of actual employee quit data. He teaches as adjunct faculty in hospitality management at the University of Denver and previously served as an adjunct instructor in the hospitality program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from the University of Delaware.

A U.S. Army National Guard veteran and Eagle Scout, DiFalco remains active in community service and hospitality education. He lives in Parker, Colorado.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Business Administration, Research Concentration in Leadership Theory, University of Denver (expected 2028)
• Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Notre Dame
• Bachelor of Science, Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, University of Delaware

Academic Positions Held

Adjunct Instructor, Hospitality Program, Metropolitan State University of Denver (2025-2026)

Awards and Honors

• General Manager of the Year, Stonebridge Companies (2016)
• Opening of the Year, Marriott International (2016)
• Selected as one of 11 general managers globally to the Renaissance GM Advisory Council
• Marriott Manager of the Month (four-time recipient)
• Leader of the Quarter (three-time recipient)
• Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America

Hobbies/Interests

• Hiking and camping
• Travel and dining