
David Buffam
Founder & Chairman Emeritus

David Buffam
Founder & Chairman Emeritus
New Castle’s founder and Chairman Emeritus, David directs the company’s strategic plan and oversees acquisition, development, legal and financing activities. He also guides the company’s asset management, renovation, and repositioning strategies for owned properties and managed assets.
After graduating from Wheaton College, David served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Seoul, Korea, and completed graduate degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the University of Michigan Law School. After five years as an associate at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, David went on to independently represent a foreign investor in the acquisition of US real estate assets. Beginning with a 103-room airport property in Bangor, Maine, David oversaw several hotel acquisitions and ultimately established New Castle as a management company in 1988 under the leadership of Gerry Chase.
Since founding New Castle, David has been involved in the ownership or management of over seventy hotel properties, guided the company through several investment cycles, and cultivated relationships with strategic partners in the hospitality investment community.
Expertise
- Acquisition project evaluations
- High-barrier location negotiations
- Internal strategic planning and leadership
- Property repositioning strategies
- Thought leadership