BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE: RLJ) today announced that Sean M. Mahoney will join the Company as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective August 1, 2018. Mr. Mahoney will report directly to Leslie D. Hale, the Company’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are excited to welcome Sean to the RLJ team. Sean is a seasoned REIT executive with broad industry experience and deep financial knowledge with a proven track record of prudent balance sheet management. He is well-respected by the investment community and will be a great addition to RLJ,” stated Leslie D. Hale.

Mr. Mahoney recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of DiamondRock Hospitality Company (NYSE:DRH), a lodging real estate investment trust, from September 2008 through March 2018. In this role, Mr. Mahoney led the finance and accounting teams, oversaw all capital markets activity, and played an active role in corporate strategy and planning, investor relations, acquisition and dispositions, and risk management. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mahoney worked in the audit practices of Arthur Andersen, KPMG and Ernst & Young. Mr. Mahoney received a B.S. in accounting from Syracuse University in 1993.

About RLJ

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on acquiring premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The Company’s portfolio consists of 154 hotels with approximately 30,000 rooms located in 26 states and the District of Columbia and an ownership interest in one unconsolidated hotel with 171 rooms.