# Thomas J. Baltimore Jr.

> Thomas J. Baltimore Jr. is the co-founder of RLJ Development and founding president and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust, which went public in 2011. He left RLJ in May 2016 and now serves as chairman, president and CEO of Park Hotels & Resorts. His career spans public accounting, Marriott, Host Marriott and Hilton, with additional board service at American Express and Comcast and educational and arts philanthropy with his wife, Hillary.

- **Role:** Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Park Hotels & Resorts
- **Organizations:** Park Hotels & Resorts, RLJ Lodging Trust, RLJ Development, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott Corporation, Host Marriott Services Corporation, Price Waterhouse, American Express, Comcast, University of Virginia Investment Management Company, UVA McIntire School of Commerce Foundation, The Real Estate Roundtable, American Hotel & Lodging Association, Nareit, Horatio Alger Association
- **From:** Front Royal, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Baldwin Wallace College (now Baldwin Wallace University), Bachelor of Science in finance, University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce, MBA, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded RLJ Development in 2000 and led its transition into a publicly traded lodging REIT in 2011., Led RLJ Lodging Trust before its May 2016 leadership transition; RLJ then had 125 hotels across 21 states., Became the founding leader of Park Hotels & Resorts as an independent public company in 2017.

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Transferred from Baldwin Wallace to the University of Virginia.
- **1985** — Graduated from McIntire; began his career in public accounting at Price Waterhouse.
- **1988-2000** — Held roles at Marriott, Host Marriott Services and Hilton before co-founding RLJ.
- **1991** — Earned an MBA from UVA Darden.
- **2000** — Co-founded RLJ Development with Robert L. Johnson and became its president.
- **2006** — RLJ’s second fund acquired 100 hotels in a $1.7 billion portfolio transaction.
- **2011** — Led the combination of RLJ Development and two affiliated funds and the IPO of RLJ Lodging Trust; became president and CEO.
- **2016** — Left RLJ in May to lead Hilton’s planned hotel REIT.
- **2017** — Park Hotels & Resorts began independent public trading following its Hilton spin-off.
- **2018** — Chaired Nareit’s Executive Board.
- **2019** — Park acquired Chesapeake Lodging Trust.
- **2020** — Received Darden’s Charles C. Abbott Award.
- **2021** — Joined the American Express board.
- **2023** — Joined the Comcast board in March.
- **2025** — Named a Horatio Alger Award recipient.

## Achievements

- Co-founded RLJ Development in 2000 and led its transition into a publicly traded lodging REIT in 2011.
- Led RLJ Lodging Trust before its May 2016 leadership transition; RLJ then had 125 hotels across 21 states.
- Became the founding leader of Park Hotels & Resorts as an independent public company in 2017.
- Past chair of Nareit’s Executive Board (2018).
- Recipient of the 2020 Charles C. Abbott Award from UVA Darden.
- Horatio Alger Award recipient, Class of 2025.
- With Hillary Baltimore, supported endowed scholarships and fellowships and Wolf Trap’s capital campaign.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 21, Park published its ninth annual corporate responsibility report. Baltimore highlighted resilience and efficiency investments, including stormwater pumps in Honolulu and solar panels at Hilton Waikoloa Village.
- **2026-09** — On September 30, Park announced repayment of the $1.275 billion CMBS loan secured by Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort.
- **2026-08** — Park’s second-quarter release reported comparable RevPAR growth of 5.8% and raised its full-year outlook; Baltimore continued to lead the company.
- **2026-07** — Park reopened the Royal Palm South Beach Miami following a renovation costing more than $100 million.
- **2025-04** — Recognized as a member of the Horatio Alger Association’s Class of 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://www.pkhotelsandresorts.com/company/leadership

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/thomas-j-baltimore-jr
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Last updated: 2026-10-23