Chicago, Ill. – AJ Capital Partners (“AJ”) today announced two key additions to its Graduate Hotels® acquisitions and development team. Phillip Allen joins as its Chief Development Officer for International Markets and Pedro Zevallos joins as Senior Vice President, Development for University Partnerships.

Phillip Allen most recently served as the Chief Development Officer for 21c Museum Hotels where he was responsible for the growth of the brand and real estate platform and helped orchestrate the company’s recent sale to Accor Hotels. Prior to his time at 21c, Phillip served as General Counsel for a division of Yum! Brands and practiced securities and mergers & acquisitions law at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City. Phillip is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and holds his J.D. from Duke Law School.

Pedro Zevallos most recently served as Vice President at U3 Advisors, a strategic real estate advisor to institutions including universities and colleges, where he focused on real estate strategy, financial modeling and transaction support. Pedro was chiefly involved in advising on Cornell University’s off-campus property in Ithaca and on Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island Campus. Pedro graduated from Middlebury College and holds a Master’s in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.