Upscale lodging REIT Summit Hotel Properties is installing two new executives atop its leadership structure, tapping Mike Nieves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and elevating Adam Wudel to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer — both effective November 1, 2026.
The New CFO
Nieves arrives from PENN Entertainment, Inc., where he served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, managing investor relations, capital markets, financial planning and analysis, treasury, and risk management for the publicly traded gaming, entertainment, and hospitality company. Before PENN, he was a Director in JLL's M&A and Corporate Advisory group, advising on real estate dispositions and capital-raising transactions, and earlier held a Vice President role in Citigroup's Real Estate and Lodging Investment Banking Group. He also practiced corporate law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Nieves holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from American University – Washington College of Law, and an M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
"Mike brings a wealth of financial expertise and capital markets experience across the real estate, hospitality and entertainment sectors," said Jonathan Stanner, President and Chief Executive Officer, citing Nieves's track record in capital raising, investor relations, and treasury and risk management.
Wudel's Expanded Role
Wudel's promotion caps an 18-year tenure at Summit during which he held positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently serving as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, he oversaw asset management, revenue strategy, data analytics, and transaction activity. Before that, he led capital markets, investor relations, financial planning, and treasury functions as Senior Vice President Finance, Capital Markets and Treasurer. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration – Finance from North Dakota State University.
Stanner described Wudel's deep familiarity with Summit's portfolio and the broader lodging landscape as central to the promotion. For operators and investors tracking hospitality industry leadership trends, the internal promotion signals organizational continuity even as the company brings in outside financial firepower.
As of October 29, 2026, Summit's portfolio comprised 92 assets — 50 wholly owned — totaling 14,027 guestrooms across 24 states, concentrated in the Upscale lodging segment. The dual appointment reflects a broader pattern across the hotel and restaurant and hospitality real estate sector of fortifying C-suites with executives who combine capital markets depth and operational fluency as companies navigate a competitive post-pandemic lodging environment.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
