

Turning Hotel Operations Into Investment Alpha - Carlos Rodriguez, Jr. - Founder, President & COO of Driftwood Capital
Oct 10, 2025
Carlos Rodriguez, Jr., Founder and COO of Driftwood Capital, shares his family's journey from Costa Rica's first Holiday Inn to a leading hospitality investment platform. He discusses how Driftwood’s GP fund structure enables growth and institutional investing. Key topics include the impact of data technology through Project Domino, the role of AI in enhancing guest experiences, and the unique opportunities in private credit for hospitality. Carlos emphasizes adaptability and strategic leverage in the evolving market.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
GP Fund Origin Story
- Carlos describes building a GP fund to bridge timing and syndication gaps for Driftwood's deals after the Jobs Act enabled broader capital raises.
- He raised a $50M first GP fund and scaled the model to roughly $300M pre-pandemic while expanding investor platforms.
Operations Data Drives Investment Choices
- Driftwood treats management data from 90 hotels as a competitive edge to underwrite acquisitions, development, and lending.
- Combining operational and real estate data gives a fuller picture of where to buy, build, or lend.
Connect Systems Before Building AI
- Invest in technology that connects disparate hotel systems and investor platforms to unlock insights.
- Use APIs and a central data glue (Project Domino) to make operational tools speak to investor reporting and underwriting.