Biography
Ben Davison is a managing director at BDT & MSD Partners, LLC and co-head of the firm’s real estate private capital hospitality team. BDT & MSD Real Estate maintains a value-oriented approach, focusing on high-quality assets with strong long-term growth potential and significant barriers to entry. The firm’s hospitality investments include Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii, Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, Four Seasons Vail and The Boca Raton. BDT & MSD is also involved in the development of Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort in Florida and The Knox, an Auberge Resorts Collection property in Dallas.
Prior to joining BDT & MSD in 2021, Davison led hotel acquisitions, development and asset management at RFR Holding, whose portfolio includes W South Beach in Miami, 11 Howard in New York City and The Jaffa Hotel in Tel Aviv. Before that, Davison worked at Hotel Capital Advisors (Kingdom Holding), where he managed hotel real estate assets and provided transactional services for properties including Four Seasons George V in Paris, The Savoy in London and The Plaza in New York, as well as brand investments such as Four Seasons, Fairmont and Mövenpick across North America and Europe. He began his career at Ernst & Young.
Davison earned a Bachelor of Science in hotel administration from the School of Hotel Administration (now the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration) at Cornell University, with a concentration in real estate. He previously served as co-chair of the Dean’s Council of Young Alumni and is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Hotel Development Council.
Davison lives in New York City with his wife, Dr. Janette Davison ’05, and their two children.