Mr. Plasencia is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Plasencia Group. Mr. Plasencia is responsible for the strategic direction, client relationships and profitability of The Plasencia Group.

Mr. Plasencia has been involved in a number of high profile assignments including individual and portfolio engagements for clients such as Blackstone Group, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Host Hotels & Resorts, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, and MetLife Real Estate Investments. Other transaction and consulting clients include AEW Capital Partners, the Bank of America, USAA Insurance, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, and numerous other institutional and private owners of hotel, resort and golf real estate assets.

Mr. Plasencia is a member of and former Vice Chairman of the Hospitality Development Council of the Urban Land Institute. He serves on the Board of Directors of Tampa Bay & Company as well as the Board of Trustees and Investment Council of Jesuit High School (Tampa) and the Board of Directors of the 2009 NFL Super Bowl Host Committee. Mr. Plasencia is also a member of the Real Estate Advisory Board of the Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Florida. He received his Master's degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, and has a Bachelor's degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Now entering its 15th year, The Plasencia Group is a hospitality investment banking and advisory firm. The firm has provided personalized investment opportunities and services to owners of hotels, resorts, and golf courses throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The Plasencia Group offers a full range of value-added solutions, including portfolio and large asset transactions, property valuation analyses, debt and equity placement, hotel development and management advisory services, financial and strategic planning, and proprietary industry research through its network of eleven offices.