# John Murphy

> John “Murph” Murphy founded Evolution Hospitality in January 2011 and led its expansion from nine hotels to more than 100 assets open or in development by the end of 2019, with over $1 billion in managed revenue. After hotel investment and brand-development ventures, he was named CEO of Great Wolf Resorts in November 2022. His hospitality career began as a busboy at fifteen.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Great Wolf Resorts
- **Organizations:** Great Wolf Resorts, Evolution Hospitality, Aimbridge Hospitality, Triton Hospitality Group, Illuminate Hospitality, Tarsadia Hotels, Richfield Hospitality Services, Starwood Hotels and Resorts
- **Known for:** Founded and led Evolution Hospitality from nine hotels at launch to more than 100 assets open or in development by the end of 2019., Evolution’s managed revenue surpassed $1 billion under his leadership., Led creation of Second Wave, Evolution’s internal branding, marketing and ecommerce agency, which grew to 45 associates.

## Career timeline

- **Age 15** — Started in hospitality as a busboy; continued in frontline roles through high school and college.
- **Age 23** — Took his first management position in Scottsdale, Arizona.
- **1990s** — Worked in hotel management, including roles with Richfield Hospitality Services and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
- **2011-01** — Founded Evolution Hospitality from Tarsadia’s hotel management division and became its president; the business launched with nine hotels.
- **2015** — Evolution was acquired by Aimbridge Hospitality; Murphy continued leading the subsidiary.
- **2019** — Evolution exceeded 100 assets, including 75 open and 25 in development, and surpassed $1 billion in managed revenue.
- **2020-01** — Stepped down into a strategic advisory role at Evolution/Aimbridge and pursued lifestyle brand-development work with T2 Hospitality; worked with Bulmaro Farias through Illuminate Hospitality.
- **2021-01** — Announced Triton Hospitality Group with David Parsky, focusing on distressed hospitality assets and loans.
- **2022-11** — Named CEO of Great Wolf Resorts, succeeding Murray Hennessy.
- **2024-11** — Participated in the opening celebration for Great Wolf Lodge South Florida in Naples.
- **2025-05** — Participated in Great Wolf Lodge Mashantucket’s grand opening celebration with Mindy Kaling and tribal chairman Rodney Butler.

## Achievements

- Founded and led Evolution Hospitality from nine hotels at launch to more than 100 assets open or in development by the end of 2019.
- Evolution’s managed revenue surpassed $1 billion under his leadership.
- Led creation of Second Wave, Evolution’s internal branding, marketing and ecommerce agency, which grew to 45 associates.
- Murphy and his partners collectively invested in more than 20 hotels during the Evolution period.
- Oversaw Evolution’s integration into Aimbridge following the 2015 acquisition.
- Co-founded Triton Hospitality Group with David Parsky.
- Appointed CEO of Great Wolf Resorts in November 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Great Wolf announced Jay Markham’s appointment as CFO; Murphy highlighted his financial experience and the trust he had earned across the company.
- **2025-05** — Joined the Mashantucket grand opening celebration; the 549-room property was Great Wolf’s 23rd North American resort.

## Links

- Website: https://www.illuminatehospitality.com/team
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsmurphy

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-murphy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27