Aimbridge Hospitality is taking its former co-founder, executive chairman and CEO Dave Johnson to court, alleging he violated an exclusivity requirement in a consultancy contract.
Plano, Texas-based Aimbridge, the world’s largest third-party hotel management firm, is seeking — along with monetary damages — a temporary restraining order, a temporary injunction and a permanent injunction against Johnson. These would prohibit him from working for or consulting with any other business engaged in providing hotel management or hotel asset management services, among other restrictions, according to Aimbridge’s Dec. 5 initial filing with the Dallas County 14th District Court.
In his opposition filing, Johnson denied the allegations and said the sought-after temporary restraining order would stop him from being able to do any other business related to hotel management or asset management services as an owner and operator of hotels.
Aimbridge declined to comment on its lawsuit. A message sent to Johnson’s lead counsel seeking comment has not received a response.
On Tuesday afternoon, both Aimbridge and Johnson came to agreement setting certain terms before a hearing on the requested temporary injunction set for on or after Jan. 20, 2026. Under the agreement, Johnson is prohibited from, among other things, consulting with or doing business with any business engaged in providing hotel management or hotel asset management services; soliciting any person or entity that was an Aimbridge customer within the past two years; and soliciting or recruiting for employment or hiring any employee of Aimbridge.
The agreement states these requirements do not prohibit any hotel that Johnson has direct or indirect ownership in from doing business with any company that provides hotel management or asset management services or engaging in any business to provide such services instead of Aimbridge as long it meets other certain conditions related to the restrictions.
This is the second time in recent years Aimbridge has sued a former company executive. In June 2024, Aimbridge sued former Chief Operating Officer Robert Burg, who is now CEO of third-party hotel management company Avion Hospitality. Aimbridge alleged that Burg and Avion used confidential Aimbridge information to interfere with existing management contracts to grow Avion’s management portfolio.
The allegations
In its lawsuit, Aimbridge said it has entered into multiple contracts with Johnson in the years since he departed the company in August 2021. On May 26, 2023, he entered into a new agreement that created a consulting arrangement in which he would serve as an outside consultant to Aimbridge from Sept. 30, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2027, and provide the company with four to six hours per month of consulting services. In exchange, Aimbridge said it would pay Johnson “millions of dollars” in consulting fees over the term of the agreement.
Part of that agreement included Johnson acknowledging and reaffirming his promise to comply with the restrictive covenants laid out by Aimbridge’s employee agreement and restrictive covenant agreement as he had previously as an employee and when he left the company. The requirements under the restrictive covenants agreement said that Johnson could not, among other activities, directly or indirectly solicit clients or business partners of Aimbridge; solicit for hire or help others solicit for hire current employees; and directly or indirectly compete with the businesses of Aimbridge or any of its subsidiaries.
“Under the consulting agreement, Johnson's previous two-year, post-employment restrictions were converted into new term that would coincide with the four-year term of the consulting arrangement, during which time Aimbridge would continue to pay Johnson for his continued compliance with his restrictive covenant obligations,” according to the filing.
Aimbridge said that Johnson “flagrantly violated” his restricted covenant agreement through his association with hotel management company Dreamscape Hospitality Management. It also alleges he directly and/or indirectly solicited Aimbridge’s customers and employees for the benefit of Dreamscape.
It said Dreamscape, which formed July 18, 2024, is a direct competitor of Aimbridge as it offers many of the same hotel operations services. Johnson is the co-founder and managing partner of Horizon Capital Partners, a privately held real estate investment firm, and his company’s headquarters in McKinney, Texas, shares the same building as Dreamscape. Horizon’s office is Suite 120, and Dreamscape is 110.
Aimbridge’s filing also noted that Dreamscape recently hired more than 20 current or former Aimbridge employees, naming company President Adam Patenaude, Chief Investment Officer Bill Stadler, Executive Vice President Matt Greene, Vice President of Business Development Ron Phifer, Vice President of Brand Performance Transitions Austin Bucholtz and Director of Feasibility Connor Bussing.
Aimbridge said it lost management contracts for seven hotels to Dreamscape between June 2025 and October 2025, amounting to more than $1.4 million in revenue annually.
“Upon information and belief, Aimbridge lost these contracts, at least in part, as result of Johnson's breaches of his restrictive covenant obligations,” according to the filing. “Johnson continues to breach his restrictive covenant obligations by consulting with and rendering competitive services to Dreamscape Hospitality Management, including by facilitating meetings between Dreamscape Hospitality Management and current Aimbridge customers.”
The filing said Johnson traveled in November with several senior executives at Dreamscape, including Patenaude, and participated in business meetings with these executives and a hotel owner that is a current customer of Aimbridge.
As of press time, Dreamscape did not respond to a request for comment.
Johnson’s response
In his opposition filing, Johnson said he is an investor with an ownership interest in multiple hotels, so while it may not be Aimbridge’s intent, the temporary restraining order would “improperly enjoin” him from working with any business that provides hotel management or hotel asset management services in his capacity as an owner/operator of hotels.
Johnson said he recently acquired an ownership interest in two hotels in Wisconsin, and he advised Aimbridge President and CEO Craig Smith he would have Dreamscape operate the properties.
“No one at Aimbridge told me I was prohibited from doing so,” he said in the filing. “However, the [temporary restraining order] would improperly prevent me from engaging hotel management services or hotel asset management services of my choice on behalf of hotels that own/operate.”
Johnson said that his consultancy agreement with Aimbridge estimated roughly four to six hours per month, but he hasn’t provided any service to Aimbridge over the past 18 months.
“Instead, Aimbridge has essentially paid me to sit on the sidelines and not compete with it nor solicit its customers/employees, which I have complied with,” he said.
Johnson said Aimbridge did not confront him with these allegations prior to filing its lawsuit on Dec. 5, which would have allowed him the reasonable opportunity to respond and provide assurances he did not unlawfully compete with Aimbridge or solicit its customers or employees to leave the company.
Referring to Aimbridge’s allegation that he traveled with Dreamscape executives to facilitate a meeting with a hotel owner client of Aimbridge, Johnson said it was false and that he did not at any point in November facilitate any meetings between Dreamscape executives and one of Aimbridge’s customers.
He said the allegation “demonstrates that Aimbridge’s paranoia and accusations could have been diffused had Aimbridge attempted to contact me before preparing the lawsuit.”
While it’s true Johnson allowed multiple Dreamscape executives to fly on his plane in November, he said they traveled as friends, calling Patenaude a personal friend. Johnson also said they were not the only passengers he invited on the plane, they did not discuss any business involving Dreamscape or Aimbridge and they did not attend, participate in or organize any business meetings between the Dreamscape executives and the hotel owner.
Johnson said the generic allegations about violating the restrictive covenant obligations regarding any kind of work with Dreamscape or soliciting Aimbridge employees or customers lacked any specificity. He said these allegations were false as he does not work or consult for Dreamscape and did not seek to have any employees or hotel owner customers leave Aimbridge.
Johnson similarly called false his alleged breaches of the restrictive convent obligations resulting in Aimbridge losing seven management agreements worth $1.4 million in annual revenue. He said Aimbridge did not provide any specificity into how he purportedly caused Aimbridge to lose those contracts.