Murphy Asset Management was founded in 2013 by John Murphy, a successful leader in the Chicago real estate market. As a pioneer in the industry, John developed the first and highly successful Hyatt Centric. As the portfolio continued to grow, he partnered with Steve Steinberg, who brought a wealth of expertise to hotel operations and investment analytics. Over the last decade, we grew from a small portfolio with one hotel developer, and now, a decade later, we provide services to institutional investors, family offices, universities, private equity firms, and individual owners. Murphy Asset Management provides real estate and hospitality consulting, advisory, and asset management services for clients across the United States and the Caribbean, covering major brands including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG, and Choice, as well as independent hotels.
EMAIL
PHONE: 312.625.0214
Recognized as one of the leading real estate experts in Chicago for his development, advisory, and management skills, John T. Murphy has been a prominent member of the real estate industry since 1989. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Murphy Asset Management, LLC, Mr. Murphy provides leasing and development services and serves as a principal and advisor to institutional clients. He also leads development initiatives and has been involved in various equity syndications for the acquisition and repositioning of assets across the United States.
As a principal and owner, Mr. Murphy has been involved in and led the development and repositioning of several million square feet of developments throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Currently, he is in partnership with CIM Group, developing a 500-unit apartment tower, The Paragon Chicago, located at 1326 S. Michigan. Additionally, he’s leading the redevelopment of Old Cook County Hospital. This five-phase, $1 billion project is located in the world-renowned Illinois Medical District. Upcoming projects include two office towers, totaling one million square feet, located at 301 and 321 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago, as well as a Cambria Hotels & Suites in Milwaukee, WI. Other notable accomplishments include Lincoln Park 2550, a prestigious three-tower, 228-unit luxury condominium development in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, the Hyatt Chicago “The Loop,” a $71 million redevelopment of 100 W. Monroe, transformation of a 130,976 square foot historic office high-rise in Chicago into a 257-room, full-service hotel, the 85,839 square foot redevelopment of the Chicago Motor Club building at 68 E. Wacker into a 143-room, select-service Hampton Inn, and a 237,200 square foot redevelopment of the Oriental Theater Building at 32 W. Randolph into the Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop. He is also actively involved in the development of a 206-acre private marina and beach resort on Lake Erie in Ohio.
Over the years, Mr. Murphy has also brokered high-profile properties such as the development site at 155 N. Wacker and 200 W. Jackson. Other notable past achievements include successfully leasing several Chicago properties such the Citadel Center, 200 N. LaSalle, and 230 W. Monroe.
EMAIL
PHONE: 571.213.4193
Steve Steinberg has been involved in hotel and portfolio management since the early 1990’s. He brings expertise in hotel development, NOI optimization, management company oversight, lender relations and workouts, pre-opening support, hotel operations, sales and marketing/revenue generation, financial analysis, and property condition assessments. He provides asset management and consulting services for an array of clients, and also oversees the Murphy Asset Management business unit and team.
Before joining Murphy Asset Management, LLC, Steve was President of MEI Hotels, Inc, a Cleveland-based hotel management company, where he oversaw the management function of a portfolio of hotels, and also launched the asset management/consulting arm of the group. He was also responsible for business development for the company. He previously served as Regional Director of Operations, Director of Human Resources, and Director of Training for Guests, Inc., a mid-Atlantic based hotel management company. He has also been a General Manager for several hotels, and was awarded “General Manager of the Year” during his GM tenure. Steve has led hotels he has managed and hotels within his portfolio to a number of prestigious brand and community awards.
Steve graduated from Virginia Tech in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management. He is a Certified Hotel Asset Manager (CHAM), certified train-the-trainer, and has been a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA).
Steve is an active member of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA), is a guest speaker for Virginia Tech’s Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) school, and has authored articles for industry trade journals.
EMAIL
PHONE: 573.673.3726
Bob McDonald brings over 30 years of expertise in all areas of hotel, resort, food and beverage, and conference center management. He has served for many years as a Vice President of Operations for several of the top management companies in the nation. In addition, he was an award-winning General Manager of resorts, branded hotels, and independent boutique hotels. Bob has successfully developed, opened, converted, and transitioned properties, and has a long track record of leading hotels into strong financial performance, and recognition for service and quality award-winning performance. His experience includes working closely with Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG, as well as independent hotels.
Bob is also the current Chairman of the Board for the Pamplin Business school’s Hospitality and Tourism School at Virginia Tech and a member of Hilton’s Circle of Leadership. In addition, he has been teaching for 15 years as a professor of Hospitality Management for the University of Missouri.
Bob holds a BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Virginia Tech. In addition, he has a BA in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from the Caesar Ritz College in Switzerland.
EMAIL
PHONE: 312.623.1711
Sabrina Green’s prior experience showcases a deep knowledge of the hotel industry, firmly grounded in quantitative analysis. In her previous roles, Sabrina has managed various due diligence processes, underwrote major acquisitions, and developed detailed financial models for valuations of single-asset and portfolio acquisitions, corporate level transactions, and new-build developments across multiple markets and asset-types. She also performed asset management analysis for property portfolios, food and beverage outlets, retail leases, renovations, partnership valuations, property expansions, residential development, highest and best use etc. In addition, Sabrina brings direct expertise in hotel operations and hotel construction management.
Sabrina has held various corporate roles including the Real Estate Investment and Development department at Choice Hotels, Omni Hotels & Resort’s Development and Acquisitions Department and worked for the Feasibility and Investment Analysis Team for Hilton Worldwide in the UK. Further international experience includes time at the London branch of STR, Deloitte, Four Seasons Park Lane, and Seetel Hotels in Germany. She received her degree in Hotel Management from Cesar Ritz in Switzerland, as well as her certification in Hotel Real Estate and Asset Management from Cornell University.
EMAIL
PHONE: 312.625.1417
Chris Horney joined Murphy Development Group in 2013 and currently serves as the division’s Managing Director. Chris brings a breadth of real estate and finance experience to the role that includes real estate/asset investment analysis, as well as development execution on a number of assets. Chris leads the development team by analyzing and underwriting commercial real estate development and acquisition opportunities and is actively involved in the execution of all development projects.
Chris is also involved in the day-to-day management and oversight of the firm’s development initiatives, such as the redevelopment of the Old Cook County Hospital and adjacent land, the construction of The Paragon, a 500-unit luxury apartment building at 1326 S. Michigan, and the ground-up development of a 132-key Cambria Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. His completed projects include the Hyatt Centric “The Loop” Chicago, a redevelopment of Class C office into a 257-key hotel, the award-winning redevelopment of the landmark Chicago Motor Club into a 143-key Hampton Inn, the ground-up development of a 276-key Holiday Inn on the Cleveland Clinic Campus, and the redevelopment of the Oriental Theater Building in Chicago into a 199-key Cambria Hotel.
Additionally, Chris is a LEED-accredited professional, and a member of both the Economic Club of Chicago and Young Real Estate Professionals, and is the Treasurer of Purdue Sigma Chi House Corporation.
Prior to joining Murphy Development Group, Chris held roles at Inland American, Hersha Hospitality Trust, and Barton Malow.
EMAIL
PHONE: 972.897.6003
With over 30 years experience in IT, financial management, & data analytics, Sandy brings a vast amount of experience with significant focus in the Hospitality Industry. Sandy has managed, built, and grown large organizations through his relentless pursuit of operational, organizational, and managerial excellence. Sandy & teams he has led have been recognized with Global Organization of the Year and the Service Consulting Excellence Awards.
Prior to joining Murphy Asset Management, Sandy led Professional Services / Consulting for the America’s at NCR. This team oversaw all aspects of Aloha (FOH) and NBO (BOH) implementation projects, including implementation, design, configuration, project management, & training. While at NCR Sandy grew the team from 30 to 127 members, tripled revenues and margin, and created new product offerings for clients. Prior to that, Sandy ran multiple outsourced IT organizations for a boutique consulting firm, created and led the Global Business Management organization at Hotels.com/Expedia, and coordinated the ancillary revenue program at Archon Group (a REIT subsidiary under Goldman Sachs).
Sandy graduated from George Mason University in 1989 and holds an ITIL certification. His mantra has always been “people don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much your care”.
EMAIL
PHONE: 703.798.6067
Leandra James is a versatile professional with a rich background in hotel operations and a track record of crafting success stories in the hospitality industry. With over 20 years of hotel experience including hotel openings, operations and multiple renovations, she brings a keen eye for detail and a flair for excellence. From the excitement of unveiling new hotels to the meticulous planning involved in revamping existing one, her journey has been a testament to strategic leadership.
She brings this diverse expertise to the projects she oversees by leveraging this hands-on experience to ensure our financial ventures not only thrive but also exceed expectations. Her role as Special Project Manager at MAM, encompasses task force coverage and project management oversight. Leandra holds a bachelor’s in business administration from University of Maryland. She has been a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and is currently completing her certification in Hotel Real estate investments and Asset Management from Cornell University.
Outside of work, she finds solace in the great outdoors, embracing the thrill of hiking and is passionate about rescuing, fostering and making a positive impact on the lives of four- legged friends.
Peter brings more than 20 years of international experience across hospitality, real estate development, capital structuring, and brand creation. His career has been defined by building innovative hospitality platforms, leading complex cross-border developments, and driving performance for institutional owners across both traditional and alternative lodging categories.
Most recently, Peter served for seven years at Sonder, where he was Senior Director of Real Estate and played a key leadership role in scaling Sonder’s portfolio throughout the South, Southeast, and Florida. He oversaw and negotiated high-impact hotel and multifamily transactions, restructured major lease obligations, and partnered with developers, operators, and institutional investors to expand Sonder’s footprint in highly competitive markets.
Peter’s background has been a catalyst for MAM’s expansion into the alternative accommodations sector. He has also owned and repositioned branded and boutique hotels, giving him hands-on operational and ownership experience that reinforces MAM’s commitment to asset-side advocacy and performance governance.
The Murphy Asset Management team is comprised of some of the best and brightest minds in the business. The firm continuously challenges the status quo and does not accept conventional wisdom in protocols or solutions if the desired results are not achieved. Depth of experience in all aspects of the hotels, real estate, commercial strategies, and operations is preserved in a team full of thought leaders and innovators.
227 W Monroe Suite 5200 Chicago, IL 60606
571.213.4193
