2010 Speakers
Here is a sample of some of the confirmed speakers for the 2010 Hotel Data Conference.
Randy Smith is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of STR.
Mr. Smith is the 2010 recipient of the ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the lodging industry. Mr. Smith was a 2007 inductee to the Florida State University College of Business Hall of Fame. He is a member and past co-chairman of the Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council (IREFAC) and the 2002 recipient of the prestigious IREFAC C. Everett Johnson Award. He is also vice-chair of the American Hotel Foundation Funding Committee. Mr. Smith is a charter member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants and a former member of the board of directors. He is the recipient of the 1996 Industry Pioneer Award of the ISHC for outstanding contribution to the lodging industry. Mr. Smith is a regular keynote speaker at major industry conferences.
Prior to starting STR, Mr. Smith was Director of Research for Laventhol & Horwath and has over 30 years experience in lodging industry research. He resides in Nashville, TN, with his wife and son. Mr. Smith is an avid fisherman and hiker.
Mark Lomanno is president of STR.
Mr. Lomanno serves on the advisory boards of the HSMAI Foundation, Travel Industry of America, and The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University. He writes a monthly column for Hotel Motel Management magazine. Because of his in-depth understanding of current industry issues Mr. Lomanno is asked to give numerous speeches at industry seminars and hotel company meetings throughout the year. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Prior to joining STR, Mr. Lomanno was National Director of Research for Laventhol & Horwath with over twenty years of experience in lodging industry research.
Mr. Lomanno holds an MS degree in Marketing from LaSalle University and an MBA in Marketing Research from Temple University. He lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife and two daughters.
Bob Adams is the Travel Subject Matter Expert for Acxiom Corporation. Bob is an expert in travel marketing, having served more than 20 years as a senior-level travel marketing executive before joining Acxiom in 2006. His experience includes serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for ResortQuest International, and senior marketing roles with Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton franchisees and Boyd Gaming Corporation.
Acxiom is a recognized leader in marketing technology and services that enable marketers to successfully manage audiences, personalize consumer experiences and create profitable customer relationships. Acxiom leverages over 40 years of experience to deliver consumer data and analytics, databases, data integration, consulting solutions and high performance information management services.
Mr. Scott D. Berman is the US Industry Leader of the Hospitality & Leisure Consulting Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. and a Principal in the Miami office. Before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P., Mr. Berman was the Director of Development for Hilton International where he was responsible for new hotel development and acquisition of existing properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mr. Berman is a specialist in the field of hotel and resort development and operations and has provided consulting services in the United States, South America, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean Basin, Europe, the Far East and the former Soviet Union. He has experience with a multitude of leisure time and tourism related projects including, but not limited to, hotels and resorts of all types, vacation ownership and resort residential development, recreational facilities such as golf courses and marinas, restaurants, and other food services operations, and casinos.
Mr. Berman holds a B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. He is Chair of the Urban Land Institute Hotel Development Council, Chairman of the Industry Relations Committee for the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association and is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants. He has also appeared on CNN’s Inside Business as a lodging expert and been quoted on hospitality issues in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, Forbes, and a variety of industry publications.
Bobby Bowers is Senior Vice President of Operations for STR. Mr. Bowers is the primary contact for many of STR’s major hotel company client base and oversees all aspects of STR client services and sales efforts. He is frequently quoted in national and industry publications on lodging trends and statistics. He is often the keynote presenter at international, national and regional industry conferences. Mr. Bowers has over 25 years of global lodging industry experience. He has a broad background which includes strategic marketing, industry analysis and product management. Prior to joining STR, Mr. Bowers was Director of Competitive & Industry Analysis for Holiday Inn Worldwide.
Vail Brown is Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing for Smith Travel Research (STR).
Mrs. Brown oversees the worldwide sales and marketing efforts for STR /STR Global and recently tripled the size of the department to support her new initiatives. Along with lodging specific sales and marketing, Mrs. Brown’s efforts are directed towards expanding STR/STR Global relationships with third party vendors by promoting new products and services. Recently, Mrs. Brown spearheaded the development of a sales & marketing database, broadening STR/STR Global client base by over 9,000 contacts. She is often featured as a guest speaker at national, regional and state conferences. Mrs. Brown currently sits on the board of directors for the AH&LA Women In Lodging (WIL) Council and HSMAI Foundation.
Prior to joining STR, Mrs. Brown was the Director of Membership Development for the Tennessee Hotel & Lodging Association and Greater Nashville Hotel & Lodging Association. Mrs. Brown is a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Environment Studies. She resides in Nashville, TN.
Trevor Croop head’s up the Guest Satisfaction Program at the corporate level for Gaylord Entertainment with a focus on the hotels group. He works to facilitate integrating feedback from customers through a variety of channels including internal surveys and social media to bolster the voice of the customer. He works with stakeholders in Finance, Marketing, and Operations to report customer satisfaction scores and provide context for the daily operations of Gaylord’s four 1,500+ room hotels. Mr. Croop relies heavily on a family background in the hospitality industry to help place Customer Experience at the forefront of Gaylord’s competencies. In conjunction with the Guest Satisfaction Program, Trevor spearheaded the culmination of research in customer values in the hospitality sector and worked to integrate those findings with Gaylord’s existing operational framework. In addition to his work in the customer experience arena he works with other members of the strategic planning team to support financial reporting, annual budgeting, financial planning, and an array of operational improvement initiatives for the brand. Trevor lives in Nashville, Tennessee and holds a BS degree in Finance from Belmont University.
John (Jack) B. Corgel, Senior Advisor PKF Hospitality Research. In 1999, Dr. Jack Corgel joined the PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR) group of PKF Consulting as Managing Director of Applied Research where he developed new products for the hotel industry based on property-level financial performance information. Prior to joining PKF-HR, he was a member of the Cornell Hotel School faculty for ten years and served as the first Director of the Center for Hospitality Research from 1992-1994. After receiving undergraduate and Ph.D.(1979) Degrees from the University of Georgia in real estate and corporate finance, he taught at the University of Florida, Georgia State University, and the University of Connecticut. During the academic year 1985-1986, he was a visiting scholar at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board in Washington, DC. He is a Fellow of the Homer Hoyt Institute.
Dr. Corgel has published 60 articles in academic and professional journals, mainly on the subjects of real estate finance, investment, valuation, and hospitality real estate. He has published in the most prestigious journals in real estate (Real Estate Economics), urban economics (Journal of Urban Economics), insurance (Journal of Risk and Insurance), business law (Journal of the American Business Law Association), and Hospitality Management (Cornell HRA Quarterly and International Journal of Hospitality Management). In addition, he has written for nearly every national journal read by real estate professionals. His textbook, Real Estate Perspectives (with Smith and Ling) is entering its fourth edition and is used throughout the nation for real estate survey courses.
Dr. Corgel has consulted with hotel companies, pension funds, and investment banks on real estate finance, investment, and valuation problems. He often assists clients in legal disputes involving real estate. Other work includes participation at professional seminars, such as the Advanced Management Program and Professional Development Program sponsored by the Cornell Hotel School.
During the past few years, Dr. Corgel helped create PKF-HR’s Benchmarker service, which gives customers the ability to generate reports on hotel profitability. He has also helped design Hotel Horizons, PKF-HR’s econometric forecasting model.
While continuing his role as a Senior Advisor to PKF-HR, Dr. Corgel accepted the offer to return to Cornell to hold the Baker Chair of Real Estate Studies at the Cornell Hotel School in the fall of 2003.
Eric Deichmann, Manager, SH&E, an ICF International Company, works primarily in the management consulting practice, analyzing market and financial data and studying the strategic implications of critical developments. His engagements have covered both domestic and international projects. He joined SH&E after working at The Beacon Group, a strategy consulting firm based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At the Beacon Group, Mr. Deichmann performed primary source-based market analyses. He has passed Level I of the CFA Program.
Mr. Deichmann holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston College.
Christine DeZarn is dedicated to helping travel suppliers transform their performance. Her work taps into Rubicon’s warehouse of market data to research and deliver targeted solutions to travel suppliers with complex revenue management and market research needs. Christine’s Enterprise Services team assembles and assists in interpretation of forward-looking rate and demand data to help hospitality clients gain unprecedented insight into their competitive landscape.
With 22 years experience inclusive of airline, travel agency, hotel and global distribution companies, Christine brings depth and breadth of travel industry background to the table. An alumnus of upstart, post-deregulation People Express Airlines, Christine began her industry career at a very exciting time in U.S. aviation history, an experience that today leads her to challenge long-held assumptions and perceived limitations in industry practices in her current role at Rubicon. She went on to United Airlines technology spin-off Apollo Galileo USA, later acquired by Cendant, and through a series of promotions made her way to Cendant Travel Distribution’s Trust/Wizcom division. There, Christine led the ground-breaking initiative of driving and implementing leading-edge non-traditional hotel distribution technology. Christine is particularly excited to now be part of the Rubicon family, continuing her mission to serve the travel industry with unique products and services that break the old mold and shatter limiting assumptions in hospitality revenue management.
Christine DeZarn lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a BA degree from Wittenberg University, and has great passion for downhill skiing and aviation. She is the founder of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, a 501c3 non-profit organization providing education and support in the global women’s health community.
Sarah Duignan departed Irish shores in May 2005 having spent 7 years in Hotel operations. She joined the HotelBenchmark team at Deloitte in London as a Business Development Executive and as the team re-structured came to manage a number of key international clients in the Account Management Team. STR Global was formed in March 2008 following the merger of the HotelBenchmark team with The Bench and Smith Travel Research. Sarah is now the Senior Account Manager within the team and regularly attends and presents at Hotel Operator and Industry events. She holds an Honours Degree in Translation (German & Spanish) from Dublin City University, Ireland.
John Fareed , managing partner of Fareed Zapala Koepke, is an internationally recognized authority in the field of hospitality marketing. He has spoken on the topic at industry events in Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Egypt, Mexico, and across the US, Canada and Caribbean. He has appeared as an expert on national television programs including ABC News, CNN and Fox News Network, in publications such as USA Today and the New York Times, and has had articles published in numerous trade journals. Fareed holds a post-graduate from the Dublin Institute of Technology's School of Hospitality Management and Tourism in Dublin, Ireland, as well as professional designations from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and the International Society of Hospitality Consultants. HSMAI recently recognized Fareed as one of The ‘Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing’, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for HSMAI’s International Foundation.
Before his career in hospitality marketing, Fareed spent fifteen years as a professional magician performing on cruise ships, in casinos and at private clubs such as the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. He also served six years in the US Marine Corps Reserve, from 1981 until he was honorably discharged in 1986.
Mr. Jan Freitag is a Vice President – Global Development at Smith Travel Research (STR). In his capacity Mr. Freitag is a frequent public speaker and is quoted in trade publications and the general news media such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, Forbes, etc. He also writes a monthly column for Lodging Magazine, the official magazine of the AH&LA. At STR he oversees a variety of projects, all charged with the accumulation and interpretation of global lodging data.
Prior to joining STR, Mr. Freitag was the Director of Content Integrity at hotelreports.com in upstate New York and a hospitality consultant with Ernst & Young in Phoenix. Mr. Freitag holds a Bachelor Degree, with distinction, from the School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, and received his Executive MBA, with honors, from Vanderbilt University.
Mr. Nate Fristoe is one of the directors of RRC Associates, a market research and planning firm based in Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Fristoe has pioneered the development of a variety of consumer travel and leisure research techniques for resorts across North America. These methods have most significantly been applied to develop long-range strategic growth plans for the snowsports industries in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Mr. Fristoe has extensive research experience in the fields of customer satisfaction, publishing, analysis of consumer trends, and real estate. He has been a featured speaker and panelist at many national and regional conferences and seminars. Mr. Fristoe did his undergraduate work at Washington University and graduate work at Georgia Tech.
Rick Garlick, Ph.D. is Senior Director of Consulting and Strategic Implementation for Maritz Research. He has worked with many Fortune 500 companies to translate research findings into actionable solutions with the goal of driving organizational growth and profitability. In addition to his client work, Rick also serves as an internal consultant for the design and execution of Maritz’ various research initiatives. He serves a key role on Maritz’ international leadership team guiding its employee measurement and training program. A great deal of his work has focused on the integration of brand values, employee engagement, and customer experience. The alignment of consumer and employer brands has been of particular interest. Currently, he is involved in the development of Maritz’ ‘next generation’ of customer experience research.
Rick has a diverse research background that includes extensive experience with employee engagement measurement and training, talent selection, brand research, customer satisfaction and loyalty programs, image and awareness research, as well as national polling studies. Before joining Maritz almost 10 years ago, he spent seven years working with The Gallup Organization. Rick currently serves as chair of the Research Committee for the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI) and has served a similar function in the past for Meeting Professionals International (MPI.) He also works as a research consultant with many of the largest global hotel chains. In addition to his research experience in the hospitality sector, his work spans a number of other diverse industries including utilities, manufacturing, media, retail, and financial services.
Prior to entering the private sector as a researcher and consultant, Rick spent a number of years as a university professor where he taught courses in research methods, statistics, marketing, communication, and psychology. During his years, as an academic, he was a frequent presenter and speaker at national and international conferences. He has published numerous articles in psychology and communication journals and appeared on national media outlets such as CNNfn, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, and National Public Radio. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State in 1987.
Brad Garner is Vice President of Operations & Client Services for STR.
Mr. Garner directs STR’s client and customer service. He is also the primary contact for investment banks and institutional investors. Mr. Garner is frequently quoted in national and industry publications on lodging trends and statistics. He makes numerous speeches at industry conferences, seminars and hotel company meetings throughout the year.
Mr. Garner joined STR in 1995 shortly after earning his BS degree in marketing from Old Dominion University. He resides in Nashville, TN with his wife where they recently had their first daughter. He is an avid baseball player and loyal supporter of Georgia Tech basketball.
Stuart W. Greif Stuart Greif is Vice President and General Manager of the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice at J.D. Power and Associates. Mr. Greif is responsible for leading the practice, which includes the hotel, airline, airport and car rental industries, among others.
Prior to assuming leadership for the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice, Mr. Greif led Strategic Planning and Business Development and served as a member of the company’s executive team.
Mr. Greif transitioned to J.D. Power and Associates from its parent corporation, The McGraw-Hill Companies, in 2007. He previously served as the director of Planning and Business Development for McGraw-Hill’s Information & Media segment, comprised of six businesses, including J.D. Power and Associates. He played a leading role in setting corporate strategy, planning and M&A/divestitures and served as a member of the segment executive team. Mr. Greif also frequently partnered with the business units on key strategic and operational initiatives.
Previously, Mr. Greif served as a director of Finance and Operations for Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, one of the corporation’s educational businesses, where he partnered with editorial executives and led cross-functional teams in the areas of business strategy, product development, commercialization, process management and financial control.
Mr. Greif joined The McGraw-Hill Companies in 2002 as an Associate in the Management Development Program. His rotations included Investor Relations for the corporation, where he led various investor and shareholder activities; Standard & Poor’s Corporate and Government Ratings Group in Tokyo, where he played a leading role in the assessment and introduction of various syndicated loan rating products for the Japanese and Korean markets; and Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, where he devised a turnaround strategy for a struggling product/service line.
Mr. Greif began his career in consulting working with Fortune 500 client executives across a variety of industries and across a variety of strategic, management, operational and functional challenges. During this period, he spent five years with Andersen Consulting (Accenture), followed by one year of independent practice.
Mr. Greif earned a bachelor’s degree in East Asian studies at Wesleyan University and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Robert Habeeb has been president of Chicago’s First Hospitality Group (FHG) since 1997. FHG operates 43 hotels in the Midwest and has been recognized each of the last three years in Inc Magazine's "fastest growing private companies in America".
FHG has gained national acclaim as an award winning and successful developer of high quality hotels and also as a leader in cutting-edge employee programs that have increased productivity and reduced turnover rates. This successful “People First” program is centered on gathering feedback, providing meaningful incentives and building a strong and effective culture.
In addition to his duties at FHG, Mr. Habeeb is an adjunct professor in the masters program at Roosevelt University’s school of hospitality. He is also active on numerous industry and academic boards, serving two terms as Chairman of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. Mr. Habeeb is a popular speaker on issues relating to the hospitality industry and has received a myriad of awards and recognitions including International Hotelier of the Year. Widely quoted in business, real estate and hospitality media he has authored several articles on effective hospitality management.
GregHartmann, MAI, CHA, is Managing Director of STR Analytics. Mr. Hartmann has over 23 years in hotel and real estate counseling including brand and independent multi-property portfolios ranging from 10 to over 600 hotels. He has performed appraisal and consulting assignments for over 10,000 hotels, resorts, casinos, conference centers, golf courses and timeshare facilities. A graduate of the Cornell University Hotel School, Mr. Hartmann has written dozens of articles on hotel-related topics such as lodging REITS, cap rates, extended stay brands, Latin American tourism, hotel technology and franchising. He also co-Founded HVS - Boulder as well as 10 HVS offices and divisions during his 23 years with HVS.
Stephen Hennis, CHA, ISHC, is Director of STR Analytics. Mr. Hennis has over fifteen years of experience in the analysis of lodging investments. He has appraised and evaluated over 500 lodging facilities, and has been involved in the underwriting, negotiation, and acquisition of over $400 million in luxury hotels and resorts. Mr. Hennis founded Hospitium, a consulting firm focused on the upscale and luxury sectors of the lodging industry. He served as Vice President of Hospitality Investments for Lowe Hospitality Group and Destination Hotels & Resorts and was Vice President and Director of Research for HVS International. Mr. Hennis is a graduate of the University of Denver’s School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management.
Christine Hight is Vice President of Market Research for Hilton Worldwide. Ms. Hight leads the company’s global guest satisfaction tracking program, custom research initiatives, and syndicated research programs/relationships.
Christine is a twenty year veteran of the market research industry, with the past eleven years with Hilton Worldwide in their Market Research Department. Prior to joining Hilton, she held research positions with several boutique research firms, including Food Insights of Cordova, Tennessee; Ethridge & Associates of Cordova, Tennessee; and six years with Chadwick, Martin, Bailey, Inc., of Boston, Massachusetts. During her tenure with CMB in Boston, Ms. Hight served as Project Manager and as Director of Data Processing, providing consumer and business-to-business research services to a broad range of industries, including educational publishing, manufacturing, and travel/hospitality. Christine has extensive experience in customer satisfaction, choice-modeling, segmentation, awareness and image, product development, and customer experience research.
Christine earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Lambuth College and completed her graduate coursework in Sociology at Memphis State University.
Jay Hubbs oversees hotel supplier relationships for Hotwire.com, an Expedia Inc. company, as part of the Expedia Partner Services Group. A graduate of both the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Jay has extensive experience at the property, regional and corporate level of hotel and revenue management. Prior to Hotwire, Jay worked on the distribution and revenue management teams for Starwood Hotels in New York and before that as a consultant for companies in the travel and other industries. Jay lives in San Francisco with his wonderful newlywed wife, Laura.
Steve Hood is Senior Vice President of Information Technology at STR. He has been with STR for over 14 years. Mr. Hood has a database and training background, and, prior to joining STR, he served as Vice President at two database consulting firms in the DC area. Mr. Hood received his BA degree from the University of Maryland. He frequently represents STR at lodging and tourism events, as well as at hotel company conferences, and he writes articles for HotelNewsNow.com. He has worked closely on hotel-related research projects for corporations and colleges around the country and for the US government.
Angela Keen is the Director of Client Services for STR. Ms. Keen is responsible for managing and maintaining positive relationships between STR and its corporate clients and properties. She joined STR in 2000 as a phone receptionist, and has worked in different departments of the company through the years. Ms. Keen was a vital part in the creation of the Client Services department. She has spoken and presented at various industry events and specializes primarily in the STAR Report.
Ms. Keen resides in Westmoreland, TN with her husband and daughter
Karrie Keen is the Director of CVB/DMO Operations for STR.
Ms. Keen is responsible for overseeing the relationships of North American Convention and Visitor Bureaus and Destination Marketing Organizations. She also assists in the service and support of corporate and customer requests across the globe.
Ms. Keen has been with STR for almost ten years, serving in multiple roles and departments including: Census, Data Output, Trend Processing, Sales, and Client Services. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The University of Louisiana at Monroe.
John McKibbon, Chairman of McKibbon Hotel Management, is the third generation to head the company founded in 1926 by his grandfather and great uncle. Originally, the company found success in the grocery business, but when Jack McKibbon, Jr., John’s father, returned from World War II, his desire to get into the hotel and restaurant business led him to open a restaurant and small motor court, The Avion, in Gainesville, Georgia in 1946. In 1962, John’s father was awarded one of the early Holiday Inn franchises, and over the next three decades, developed Holiday Inns and other brand hotels throughout Georgia.
John began his career in the industry as a teenager, working in the family-owned Holiday Inn. His desire to learn more about the industry took him to Florida International University in Miami, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management in 1975. During and after college, he worked at various hotels and restaurants. In 1977, he rejoined the family company as a hotel general manager, and later became a regional director.
After being named president of the company in 1991, John McKibbon began divesting the company of its older properties and established a strong partnership with Marriott, becoming one of the first Courtyard by Marriott licensees in the country. This decade saw the construction of 29 hotels throughout the southeast, including Courtyard, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites brands.
Entering the new millennium, McKibbon expanded franchise relationships with Hilton and Starwood, and has seen construction of 28 new hotels to date, including Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites products and the new Aloft Hotel brand from Starwood. The company also has numerous contracts for providing third-party management services to outside owners.
In addition to hotel development and management, the McKibbon family of companies also includes a software development company, M3 Hotel Accounting. This company was started in the late 80s to offer an accounting solution to McKibbon’s properties exclusively. By the 90s, the solution was offered as an Internet-based accounting system, and was further refined by a team of experienced hoteliers and computer programmers. The product was marketed and embraced by other hotel owners and management companies, allowing M3 to become the largest hotel specific accounting company in the industry, with over 2,000 properties online today.
Maria Moore is Director of Global Integration and is responsible for the implementation of operational best practices within and across the STR and STR Global business units. Ms. Moore has been with STR 8 years. She began her career with STR in the Census Department and worked in Client Services for six years before moving into global operations and services. Ms. Moore resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee and frequently travels to STR Global’s headquarters in London.
Scott Roby Vice President of Revenue Management, Tarsadia Hotels leads the revenue management department’s efforts in driving top-line revenue and increasing market share for Tarsadia Hotels’ portfolio. Using a collaborative approach, the team leverages proprietary technology to provide world-class analysis, utilizes brand systems and resources to maximize franchise contribution, and maximizes in-depth market knowledge to generate proactive strategies. Prior to joining Tarsadia Hotels in 2005, Mr. Roby held revenue management positions with Hilton Hotels in San Diego and La Costa Resort & Spa. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. Mr. Roby also currently serves as Vice-Chair on the Advisory Board of HSMAI's Revenue Management Special Interest Group. He is the father of three girls and enjoys sports and outdoor activities, including camping and hiking.
Andrew Rubinacci is Vice President, Distribution & Intermediary Sales, for InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LON: IHG; NYSE: IHG [ADRs]). InterContinental is one of the world’s largest hotel groups. In this role, Mr. Rubinacci is responsible for all Third Party Internet, Luxury Travel and Traditional Travel Agency strategy and distribution for InterContinental Hotels Group’s family of brands.
Mr. Rubinacci is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, with extensive experience spanning sales, revenue management, guest services, hotel operations and e-commerce. Most recently, Mr. Rubinacci served as Vice President, Distribution Marketing, responsible for all facets of IHG’s reservations & distribution for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Mr. Rubinacci started with IHG in the managed hotel side of the company in 1991 in the management training program at the Holiday Inn Select in Nashville, Tenn. After that, he continued to serve in management roles at multiple properties, before moving into corporate roles in revenue management, ecommerce and distribution. He has held roles of increasing responsibility with InterContinental Hotels Group, Bristol Hotels & Resorts, and Meristar Hotels & resorts.
Mr. Rubinacci earned two bachelor’s degrees in business administration, majoring in marketing and hospitality administration from Florida State University. Mr. Rubinacci previously served on the board of Worldres, the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA), and the advisory board of HSMAI’s Revenue Management Special Interest Group.
Duane Vinson is Vice President of Smith Travel Research (STR).
Mr. Vinson joined STR in 1997 and serves as the contact for over 350 Convention & Visitors Bureaus, local and state lodging associations and tourism offices. Mr. Vinson is also head of the STR’s Global Lodging Census and Global Pipeline Groups, which oversees the creation and updating of hotel information from the earliest stages of planning through the life of the property. Mr. Vinson is often requested as a guest speaker at local, state and national lodging and tourism conferences and is often quoted in leading trade publications and the news media.
With a genuine interest in local tourism, he currently sits on the board of the Southeast States Chapter of Travel and Tourism Research Association (SETTRA) for the state of Tennessee. Prior to joining STR, Mr. Vinson was with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. Mr. Vinson has a Marketing degree from the University of Louisville. He resides in Hendersonville, TN, with his wife and three sons.
Aaron Walls is Product Manager and Research Analyst at PKF Hospitality Research. He has been with PKF since 2006. PKF Hospitality Research manages an extensive database of hotel property income statements and sale prices. These data provide the foundation for e-business product and custom research relationships with all who have an interest in hotel property financial performance. As the research affiliate of PKF Consulting, PKF Hospitality Research possesses the expertise to analyze data in a variety of ways to best serve its customers. Mr. Walls has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Georgia.
Kristi White is the Director of Revenue Optimization at TravelCLICK. Ms. White’s team is dedicated to providing personalized attention to TravelCLICK’s iHotelier Central Reservations customers to maximize each hotel’s transactions revenue through best practices in marketing and distribution. On a regular basis, Kristi advises hundreds of hotels across the globe on their business strategy, improving hotel performance and overall profitability.
Ms. White has more than twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry with positions ranging from Front Office Operations to Regional Director of Sales at both independent and flagged hotels. Before joining TravelCLICK, she built and managed a Revenue Management organization with Vantis Corporation where she was responsible for growing hotel performance for their 1,000+ hotel portfolio.
A recognized expert in her field, she is a frequent speaker on revenue management and distribution at industry conferences and hospitality schools. Ms. White is also a member of the Board of Directors for the HSMAI Revenue Management Special Interest Group. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Louisiana State University and a Certified Hospitality Sales Professional and Certified Hospitality Supervisor certification from the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
Carter Wilson is Director of STR Analytics. Mr. Wilson has over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry and consulting for over 15. He has performed appraisal and consulting assignments for over 3,000 hotels, resorts, casinos, conference centers, and golf courses in all 50states and abroad. He served as Senior Vice President of HVS, where he co-managed the day-to-day operations of the office and spearheaded efficiency and scalability efforts for the group. Companywide, Carter also oversaw the company’s valuation models and boilerplate initiatives for several years. Mr. Wilson is a graduate of the Cornell University Hotel School, with a focus on hotel real estate finance, and he is a Certified General Appraiser in the State of Colorado.
Ross Woods is the founder and President of Hotel Investment Strategies LLC, a hotel advisory firm that provides strategic guidance and tactical advice on the processes involved in maximizing risk-adjusted returns for a wide variety of hotel portfolios and individual assets. The firm’s mission is to help its lodging industry clients make rational, systematic and meaningful management decisions by arriving at optimal solutions to difficult and complex problems, by employing a range of sophisticated techniques from the field of management science.
Mr. Woods has extensive international experience in consulting, asset management and portfolio management especially in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. He is an industry leader in the development and implementation of hotel portfolio strategies and provides advisory services for hotel owners and investors faced with making complex asset and portfolio decisions. His services include the design and execution of hotel investment strategies, asset allocation, diversification, asset selection, and asset management and performance attribution. He also provides transactional and due diligence advisory services and assesses the portfolio implications of acquisitions and dispositions.
He is a former Director of Hospitality & Leisure Consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, where he was responsible for hotel portfolio strategy and investment analysis and led selected engagements in New York as well as national clients in his specialities.
Prior to joining PwC he was Vice President, Hotel Investments with Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI) where he was responsible for overseeing the performance of a portfolio of eighteen institutional quality hotels throughout the U.S. Prior to joining PREI, Mr. Woods was a Director of Horwath Asia Pacific where he was responsible for over 500 hotel advisory and asset management mandates in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Guam, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.
He is an Adjunct Professor at New York University, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Hotel Investment Analysis & Financing, Entrepreneurship, Financial Markets & Instruments and Statistical Methods for Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Management in the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.
Mr. Woods’ clients include HEI Hotels & Resorts, Carlyle Group, DiamondRock Hospitality, ING Clarion Capital, Thayer Lodging Group, Hersha Hospitality Group, Tarsadia Hotels, RLJ Urban Lodging Funds and United Airlines.
Mr. R. Mark Woodworth is an Executive Vice President of PKF Consulting ("PKF/C"), and President of PKF Hospitality Research, an affiliate of PKF/C. Mr. Woodworth is based in the Atlanta office of PKF/C. Mr. Woodworth is responsible for all of PKF/C’s activities in the Southeast and Caribbean.
Mr. Woodworth is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and a lecturer at Cornell University and Georgia State University, among others. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Finance Committee of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and the Council at the Henderson Mill Elementary School. He also recently completed a three-year term on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University.
Mr. Woodworth holds both a B.S. and Master’s Degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. He also served on the faculty of the Center for Professional Development at Cornell for 12 years, where he continues to guest lecture. He and his wife Mary Kay, along with their children Harry, Will, Sam and Savannah, reside in Atlanta.
Lana Yoshii is Vice President, Research for STR.
Ms. Yoshii is responsible for developing new products to supplement STR’s current offerings as well as heading the hospitality industry research team. Her current projects include a market forecast product and other industry research.
Ms. Yoshii has 23 years of global lodging industry experience. She has a broad background which includes internal audit, finance and accounting, market analysis, performance metrics, competitive intelligence, custom and syndicated research, and customer satisfaction metrics. Prior to joining STR, Ms. Yoshii was Senior Director of (Global) Research for Hilton Worldwide. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Christian Brothers University.
About STR
STR is the recognized leader in providing hotel performance data. STR provides a single source of global hotel data covering daily and monthly performance data, forecasts, annual profitability, pipeline, and census information. STR tracks market share performance for virtually every major global hotel chain and most major owner & management companies through its STAR program. Clients rely on STR’s data quality and absolute data confidentiality to make strategic and operational decisions in the areas of sales and marketing, development, revenue & yield management, reservation forecasting, and internal audit.
STR founded the STR family of companies and is proudly associated with STR Global, RRC, STR Analytics and HotelNewsNow.com. STR continues to serve the North American market which they have been supporting since its foundation in 1985, and STR Global brings the benefits of the well-known STAR reports to a truly global audience.
2010 Moderators
Chris Cares possesses a diverse background in public and private planning and market research. A founding partner of RRC Associates, he specializes in practical applications of quantitative and qualitative research including surveys, modeling, focus group facilitation, and public outreach for problem solving in a variety of industries and settings. His research and recommendations have helped to shape both the design and marketing strategies of major resorts and other developer clients, as well as advertising campaigns, hospitality performance evaluations, community development programs, etc. He has coordinated the planning and public processing of numerous large resort and mixed-use projects. In addition, for over 20 years he has managed customer feedback programs, and other efforts designed to improve the function and performance of organizations. Housing and real estate-related needs assessments are particular areas of specialization. Chris has an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and a Masters degree from Harvard University.
Stacey Higgins has more than five years' experience in hotel industry news. In her role as Managing News Editor for HotelNewsNow.com she is responsible for developing and coordinating all multimedia news content for the site and daily newsletter. Former positions include senior editor at Hotel & Motel Management magazine and community newspaper reporter. Stacey is a member of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Under 30 Gateway Council.
Jeff Higley is both the Editorial Director, Digital Media for Hotel News Now and is also the Director of Communications for Smith Travel Research. He is a 25-year journalism veteran who has specialized in the hotel industry for the past dozen years. Prior to joining HotelNewsNow.com and Smith Travel Research in March 2008, Higley served in various leadership positions for Questex Media Group’s Hotel & Motel Management. Higley was instrumental in the company’s launch of Hotel Design, Luxury Hotelier and The Hotel Times magazines.
Higley began his career in the newspaper industry and worked as a sportswriter for several medium-sized Midwest newspapers, covering everything from high school basketball to the World Series.
Higley and his wife, Cheryl, have three children: Sarah, Emily and Isabella. They reside in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Dennis Nessler is the Editor of Hotel Business magazine and has covered the lodging industry for better than eight years now as part of his more than 19 years of experience in trade journalism. In his position, Dennis covers all aspects of lodging, both writing and editing news stories for the magazine as well as items for HotelBusiness.com, the publication’s website. Dennis is also a Contributing Editor for Hotel Business Design, a sister publication of Hotel Business specializing in hotel design.
Diane Parmerlee is a Director in the Hotel Group at Crow Holdings. She is responsible for overseeing the acquisition and asset management of hotel investments made by the various Crow Holdings real estate investment funds. In this role, she is responsible for the evaluation of investment opportunities, including the selection of third party managers and franchises, acquisition and financing, renovation and capital planning and the eventual disposition of the assets. She has been at Crow Holdings for seven years.
Prior to her current position, Diane spent 12 years at Wyndham International where her most recent role was Senior Vice President-Development. During her tenure at Wyndham, she held various positions in the areas of development, finance, franchising and brand marketing.
Diane began her career in the hotel consulting practice of Laventhol & Horwath where she conducted and managed hotel market studies, appraisals, evaluation of mergers and acquisitions and operational reviews.
Diane has a BS in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. She is a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women and an Executive Board Member of the Hotel Association of North Texas.
Orly Ripmaster is a Senior Analyst at STR Analytics. She formerly held a position as Associate at Hospitality Real Estate Counselors Investment Advisors (HREC IA) involved with the review and development of lodging asset reports for the hotel brokerage division. She has four years in hotel operations experience with Destination Hotels & Resorts. Operations experience included management positions in front office, reservations, and revenue management at the Denver Inverness Conference Resort, Vail Cascade and Boulder St. Julien Hotel and Spa.
She holds an MBA in Hospitality from ESSEC Business School in Paris, France (Ecole Superieure des Science Economiques et Commerciales.) Specializing in Hotel Real Estate, she graduated as the recipient of the 2009 ESSEC Award for Excellence and Professionalism in Hospitality. ESSEC is a Top Five European Business School and France’s top “Grandes Ecoles de Commerce.” The hospitality program shares a long time affiliation with the Cornell Hotel School.
She has a Masters Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Colorado and Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University earning a cum laude degree in liberal arts;
She was also a former Professional Soccer Player, Three-time U.S. National Champion, two-sport Varsity College Athlete Letter winner, Ivy League and Big XII Champ. Elected Daily Camera Top-10 Female Athlete of the Decade and Denver Post Colorado Sports Woman of the Year.