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Bisnow Summit to Examine Southern California Hospitality and Retail Sectors
CGS3 Partner Dorothy Groza to Moderate Panel at Commercial Real Estate Event
SAN DIEGO (January 26, 2026) – As Southern California’s hospitality and retail markets continue to evolve, industry leaders are grappling with critical questions shaping the next phase of growth: What do the latest hotel occupancy and tourism recovery metrics signal for 2026? Where is investment appetite strongest? Which retail tenants and formats are driving leasing activity? And how are adaptive reuse, experiential design, sustainability, and technology transforming legacy assets while enhancing performance and guest experience?
These timely issues will take center stage at Bisnow’s Southern California Hospitality and Retail Commercial Real Estate Summit, taking place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on February 26, 2026, at the Hilton Los Angeles Culver City. Featuring a series of expert-led panels, the event will convene top owners, developers, investors, and operators to explore market trends, supply-and-demand dynamics, and innovative strategies that elevate customer and guest experiences across the hospitality and retail sectors.
Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3) partner Dorothy Groza, who has represented clients in numerous industries including real estate, hospitality, restaurant, manufacturing and technology, will moderate the event’s first panel discussion from 9 to 9:45 a.m., “Hospitality and Hotel Market Outlook: Investment, Development, Innovation, Competitive Positioning and Guest Experience.” Groza will host a panel of high-profile experts including David Kuperberg, managing director of real estate at Majestic Hospitality; Dustin Peterson, principal and vice president at The Athens Group; Ana Almada, CEO of DKN Hotels; Javier Cano, general manager at the Ritz Carlton Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE; Chris Hennessy, senior director at Shawmut; and Rachael Sery, managing director at George Smith Partners.
Subsequent panels will concentrate on “Retail Real Estate Reinvented: Consumer Demand, Asset Optimization and Strategies for Investment, Development and Leasing” – with panelists including Jim Dillavou, principal at Paragon Commercial Real Estate; Ray Kayacan, vice president of investments at Regency Centers; Jason Wilson, vice president of leasing at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, with moderator John Jackson, principal and managing partner at JRM Construction. A third panel “Placemaking and Experience Driven Real Estate: Driving Value Through Lifestyle, Community and Culture” will feature panelists Nicholas Zaharov, value add and development in SoCal at DWS Groups and Jeff Kreshek, senior vice president and western region president at Federal Realty Investment Trust – moderated by Craig Coan, a partner at Greenberg Glusker.
With more than 12 years of experience spanning all phases of complex real estate and business transactions, Groza brings a deep understanding of sophisticated deal structures. An invaluable legal adviser with an entrepreneurial spirit, she has served as counsel to purchasers and sellers of hotels, office buildings, multifamily properties, shopping centers, industrial warehouses, and mixed-use developments across the United States.
For further information or to register for the event, please visit https://www.bisnow.com/events/los-angeles/hospitality-entertainment/southern-california-hospitality-retail-commercial-real-estate-summit-9955.
About Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3)
CGS3 is a recognized leader among a new generation of commercial real estate law firms with practice areas covering the entire commercial real estate life cycle, including finance, acquisition/disposition, entity formation, tax, construction & development, land use, leasing, distressed asset workouts and dispute resolution. Earning a reputation as one of California’s leading commercial real estate law firms, CGS3 recruits some of the state’s top real estate attorneys from both large corporate firms and senior in-house positions. For more information, visit http://www.cgs3.com.