Briad Group – Building Hotels, Building Trust
Chuck Pagnotta has spent over 20 years as senior vice president of construction and design at The Briad Group. In that time, he’s helped build and maintain over $1 billion in developments—ground-up hotels, restaurants, lifestyle centers, and renovations spanning the country.
“Running the day-to-day business comes with its challenges. Creating a detailed master plan — where you prepare for months to years ahead — is crucial. It is important to stay ahead of today. I have learned that the unexpected can happen, so preparation has taken on a whole new meaning.”
Since 2020, Briad has opened 40 ground-up hotels, over 100 restaurants, a multi-building lifestyle center, and hundreds of property renovations. Pagnotta and his team navigated the pandemic, material shortages, cost increases, and high interest rates, and kept building.
Back to Basics: Building Hotels in 12 Months
Briad recently pivoted back to its original business model: building hotels from start to finish within a year. The strategy helps control costs and keeps projects moving in a challenging economic environment.
“Plus, our strong, longstanding relationships with subcontractors have been crucial to the success of recent developments.”
The company works exclusively with Marriott and Hilton brands, focusing on properties that serve both business and family travelers.
“Extended-stay properties are becoming more attractive to people traveling with kids.”
Active Projects
AC Hotel by Marriott — San Diego, CA (Gaslamp District)
Built during the pandemic and opened in 2023. Includes the Techo Beso Rooftop pool and bar. Pagnotta calls this project an anomaly, Briad typically manages properties within its geographic region, but the location was too good to pass up.
Residence Inn by Marriott — Ocean, NJ
Broke ground in September 2023. Scheduled to open July 2026.
Element Hotel — West Windsor, NJ
Near Princeton University. Currently in permitting.
Homewood Suites by Hilton — Cheshire, CT
Also in permitting.
New York Hotel Renovation
A 125-guestroom renovation currently under construction. Additional hotel renovations are in design.
The Art of the Schedule
Construction timelines have stretched over the years. Twenty years ago, a hotel took 11 to 12 months. During the pandemic, that stretched to 24 months. Now Briad targets around 18 months for projects with site improvements.
“Building quickly is crucial because of the increase in costs the longer a project takes. But you also don’t want to rush through the work. Attention to detail and maintaining the highest level of quality supersedes all else.”
Pagnotta’s approach: drive the schedule daily, keep all stakeholders aligned from day one, and leverage long-standing relationships with trades and suppliers.
“Creating a logical and detailed plan is the first step. Leveraging our relationships to convince all of our trades to buy into the plan was crucial to the success of the project.”
Technology on the Job Site
Pagnotta has seen the industry transform. He started doing everything by hand—drawings, plans, payments. No computers, no cell phones. Today, every Briad superintendent carries an iPad with instant access to hundreds of drawings, agreements, and schedules.
“Now we walk around with all this technology in our hands. It has been a huge benefit, but it also can slow production because of the distractions a cell phone or tablet can provide.”
He also sees AI playing a growing role in construction—streamlining workflows, improving design, and enhancing project management.
A Career That Started at Age 5
Pagnotta’s family owned a development and general contracting business. He was on his first construction site at five years old, and soon after was sneaking onto roofs and learning the trade hands-on.
He remembers a time when a handshake was enough to seal a deal.
“When I was younger, you’d shake hands with someone, move forward with the project and honor the handshake agreement. Today, lawyers are involved throughout the process and more layers and paperwork.”
Looking Ahead
“The last four years have changed the way we conduct our business. While preparing for the typical challenges ahead, we must be ready for the unexpected. Whether we expand our markets or the types of asset classes we develop, we will continue to believe in our staff and business partners to help lead us to successful growth.”
Bottom Line
The Briad Group builds hotels, a lot of them. Under Chuck Pagnotta’s leadership, the company has navigated a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs by sticking to a proven formula: detailed planning, strong subcontractor relationships, and a relentless focus on schedule and quality. With a pipeline of new projects across the Northeast and beyond, Briad shows no signs of slowing down.
