John A. Kelley III, CHIA, joined Newmark Valuation & Advisory in 2018 and currently serves as Vice President in the Denver, Colorado, office. A hospitality and leisure real estate veteran, John has substantial expertise in the valuation and advisory of amusement parks, waterparks, sports complexes and arenas, aquariums, hotels and resorts, bowling centers, convention and conference centers, campgrounds and stayaway camps, family entertainment centers and other leisure-related assets. He has completed appraisals on assets ranging in value from less than $1 million to more than $600 million throughout the United States and the Middle East.
John joined Newmark after serving as a senior associate for about three years with Hotel & Leisure Advisors, a Cleveland-based hospitality and leisure appraisal and consulting firm. In this capacity, John was responsible for completing appraisals, feasibility studies, economic impact studies, brand impact studies and operational reviews for various hospitality-related assets. Some unique assets included indoor waterpark resorts, municipal aquatic centers and mixed-use developments.
Prior to Hotel & Leisure Advisors, John was a senior quality assurance consultant with LRA Worldwide (now LRA by Deloitte). During his tenure there, he traveled to more than 20 countries completing hotel and resort quality assessments for some of the largest international brands. He managed Westin Hotels in Providence, Rhode Island, and Baltimore, Maryland, prior to joining LRA Worldwide.
Professional Affiliations
- Member, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)
- Member, Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OHLA)
- Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI)
- Member, World Waterpark Association (WWA)
Publications
In recent years, John has shared his expertise through articles appearing in highly respected hospitality trade publications, including:
- “In Ohio Markets, Occupancy Doesn’t Tell Whole Story,” Hotel News Now, March 2018
- “Convention Center Hotels Boost Both Supply, Demand,” Hotel News Now, June 2017
- “Measuring the Economic Benefits of Tourism,” Hotel News Now, July 2016
- “How Hoteliers Can Handle Minimum-Wage Jump,” Hotel News Now, December 2015
Licenses and Designations
- Certified general appraiser in Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio
- Candidate for MAI designation, the Appraisal Institute
- 2020 Connect Commercial Real Estate’s Next Generation National Recipient
- 2019 The Cleveland Professional Twenty-Thirty Club Top 25 under 35 Movers and Shakers Award
Education
John earned a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science degree in finance from Northeastern University. He previously earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international hotel and tourism management from Johnson & Wales University. Additionally, John holds a certificate in hotel real estate investment and asset management from Cornell University.