Carlson Hotels Worldwide restructures business development strategy
Apr 29, 2008 H&MM Week In Review
MINNEAPOLIS (April 24, 2008) – Carlson Hotels Worldwide today
announced leadership appointments and a new structure in business
development that supports a renewed focus to grow its portfolio of owned
and managed hotels, in addition to expansion of its franchise system."This restructuring places renewed emphasis on the importance of property
acquisitions and management in our growth strategy," said Paul Kirwin,
president of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the Americas. "We are specifically
targeting such key destinations as Washington, DC; New York; Chicago; andSan Francisco for growth."
Named Corporate Vice President of Development was William (Bill) Sipple, who
will oversee growth in the company's portfolio of owned and managed hotels
for all brands. Named Corporate Vice President of Franchise Development was
John Sturgess, who will oversee the growth of franchise properties for all
brands. Carlson Hotels Worldwide includes the brands of Regent Hotels &
Resorts; Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts; Country
Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn. Also announced was a new role for Jeff
Summers as vice president of Investment & Analysis for Carlson Hotels Real
Estate Company.
Under the new structure, Sipple and Summers will report to Wendy Nelson,
executive vice president and managing director of Carlson Hotels Real Estate
Company. Sturgess reports to Nancy Johnson, executive vice president of
Franchise Operations for Full Service Hotels.
Sipple's new role includes leading the team that will expand Carlson Hotel
brands through acquisitions and management contracts in the Americas.
Sipple has 30 years experience in hotel development, finance, valuation and
operations. Most recently he served as corporate vice president of
development for Carlson Hotels Worldwide's full service brands. Other
experience includes HVS Capital Corporation (HVSCC) where he was
responsible for originating debt, equity and consulting assignments,
including
a leading role in the development of HVSCC's Special Hospitality Assets
Group.
Sipple also worked as regional director of development for Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide. During his tenure at Starwood, Sipple was responsible for
developing over $1 billion of assets including portfolio transactions, ski
resorts, golf resorts, mixed-use developments, urban high-rise and luxury
destination resorts.
He is a Certified Hotel Administrator with the American Hotel &
Lodging Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel
Administration from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, and
is
a member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council and the Cornell Society
of Hotelmen. Additionally, Sipple serves on the steering committees for
several major industry investment conferences and is a frequent speaker and
panel moderator.
Kirwin added, "Licensing hotels continues to be an important part of our
ongoing strategy and we expect to sign nearly 90 franchise agreements this
year."
In his new role, Sturgess will lead the team responsible for expanding
Carlson
hotel brands through franchise agreements. Most recently Sturgess served as
corporate vice president of development for Carlson Hotels Worldwide's
select
service hotels. During the past several years, his select service
development
team has doubled the Country Inns & Suites By Carlson portfolio. In other
experience, Sturgess served as vice president of development for Park
Hospitality, including the Park Plaza and Park Inn brands. During his first
full
year leading Park Hospitality's development, Sturgess helped design new
business models and built a development team whose success resulted in
growing the Park Inn and Park Plaza brands in North America by nearly 90
percent.
Prior to joining Park Hospitality, Sturgess was vice president of
franchise sales and development for Prime Hospitality Corp. In that
capacity,
he handled franchise sales negotiations, regional sales, acquisitions and
market analysis for AmeriSuites and Wellesley Hotels.
Sturgess serves on the advisory boards for National Association of Black
Hotel
Owners, Operators and Developers; the Hispanic Hotel Owners Association
and the Hotel Investment Conference. He graduated with a Bachelor of
Science degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and
earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of
Management.
Summers' new role is concentrated on analysis and structuring of corporate-
owned hotel real estate. Summers works within Carlson Hotels Real Estate
Company, the entity which owns all of Carlson's corporate hotel real estate
assets. Summers will work closely with Sipple on all acquisition-related
activity.
Summers is a graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration
and is a member of the Cornell Hotel Society and the Cornell Real Estate
Council. Summers has more than ten years experience working with Carlson
and more than 25 years in the hotel industry. Prior to joining Carlson he
led
the hospitality consulting practice for Arthur Andersen's Chicago Office.
Summers also formed a hotel consulting company in Prague, Czech Republic in
the early 1990's, working with hotel investors seeking investments in
Eastern
Europe. Summers began his career with the hospitality consulting firm
Laventhol & Horwath in New York City.
About Carlson Hotels Worldwide Carlson Hotels Worldwide includes more than 980 locations in 71 countries.
Specific brands include: Regent® Hotels & Resorts; Radisson Hotels &
Resorts®; Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By
CarlsonSM; and Park Inn®. Carlson Hotels Worldwide is one of the major
operating groups of Carlson, a global leader in providing corporate
solutions
and consumer services in the marketing, travel and hospitality industries.
Note to Editors: For photos, please contact Rosanne Swanson at 763-212-
5451 or rswanson@carlson.com.
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