2019 GUEST SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Indy Adenaw

Marriott International

VP & Global Brand Leader/ Sheraton Hotels and Resorts

Indy Adenaw is the Brand Leader for Sheraton Hotels and Resorts. With over 8 years of experience at Marriott International, Indy has a history of leading growth platforms for the company, including launching and leading Moxy for its first 3 years, leading the Protea and Delta brands for their first several years and driving the company’s investment in PlacePass and the launch of Marriott Moments. Indy’s team manages all brand activities for Sheraton and orchestrates transformation efforts globally from Bethesda, Maryland.

Santiago Arcila

Growing up in numerous countries has greatly influenced Santiago’s personality and design style. Although his academic start was in Chemical Engineering his creative passion led him to complete his studies in Interior Design. Santiago views design as the link between logic, creativity and functionality and is particularly interested in the physical and emotional influence that shaping a space can have on its end users.

After 6 years of honing his design and technical skills in Corporate Interior Design, Santiago took the opportunity to increase his involvement as an Instructor in the Interior Design program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and to achieve his dream of opening his own design studio; O|NINE Design + Photography.

These new ventures have allowed Santiago to reinforce his diverse set of skills and to face exciting design and business challenges.

Santiago’s passion for education goes beyond the classroom doors. He has been an active member of NEWH since being the recipient of their Icon of Industry Scholarship back in 2011 and currently sits as the Scholarship and Education Chair for the Vancouver Chapter. He believes in the power of knowledge and the value of education and is extremely excited to be involved with both NEWH + BCIT. It is these types of organizations which inspire students; the future of our industry.

Sherif Ayad

ID & Design International

President

David Benz

Vaughan Benz

President and Co-Founder

David Benz is President and co-founder of Vaughan Benz, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of custom made hospitality furniture. Established in 1986 in Los Angeles, Vaughan Benz furniture is in leading hotels worldwide including the Bellagio and Wynn in Las Vegas, numerous Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton properties worldwide, independent boutique hotels as well as brands including Hilton, Marriott, Westin and many others.

Vaughan Benz was a pioneer in offshore manufacturing (in China since 2001). We have our own staff overseeing our partner factories manufacturing guestroom furniture in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Mexico according to our high quality standards that were developed in Los Angeles augmented with the expertise of our offshore partners and staff. We still manufacture one of a kind furniture at our headquarters location in downtown Los Angeles. We specialize in guestroom and one of a kind casegoods, upholstery and metal furniture.

A California native, David is a graduate of UCLA film school. He has been instrumental in helping to protect the P22 mountain lion that lives in Griffith Park in LA, and currently serves as President of his Homeowners’ Association as well as on the board of directors an LA-based HIV non-profit service organization.

Malcolm Berg

EoA, Inc.

Principal

Malcolm Berg is the founder, President and Design Director of EoA, Inc. Malcolm received his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with Concentration in Architecture, from the Massachusetts College of Art.

His strong visual arts background, paired with a Master’s thesis which eroded thresholds between architecture and landscape, developed into a strong career in experiential design. To that end, Resort Hospitality design emerged as a distilled medium to bring Architecture, Landscape and Interior Design into one experiential discipline.
His focus on design is unequivocally about the narrative, about the human element – about the intimate relationship people have with their environment.

“There’s a story in every project, or at least there should be. The story is not about the Architecture, nor about the furniture or the artwork. It is about the dialogue, about the synergy created by disparate components in any landscape. It is about cinematic envelopment, about sensorial stimulation – about creating a mental image of a liquid moment. To that end I founded Edge of Architecture, to bridge the gap between disciplines, to bring the focus back to narrative, to the human element – and to the intimate relationship people ultimately have with their environment.”

Elizabeth "Libby" Bull

G.A Design

Project Manager & Senior Designer

Libby studied Interior Architecture & Design at Middlesex University in London and began her career designing retail outlets and spas for up-market cosmetics company Molton Brown. Since then she has gained considerable experience across a broad range of commercial interiors; from cosmetic and car showrooms to libraries, education centres and restaurants.

For the last 9 years, Libby has specialized in Hospitality, designing a series of luxury hotels and resorts for both individual owners and some of the world’s leading Operators. Now a Senior Designer Project Manager at G.A Design, based in the London Office, but working internationally across all 4 offices she is responsible for overseeing 1-2 projects at a time and each project from the initial design proposal through to final on-site completion. In her spare time she enjoys going to cinema, exploring markets and takes every opportunity to travel.

Maggie Cai

Student

Maggie Cai finished her both undergraduate and graduate program in Hospitality Management at the Conrad N. Hilton College, University of Houston. During the time she was in Hilton College, she published two research articles related to customer satisfaction and perception of hospitality interior design. She also accumulated numerous job experience while she was at school. She worked as Career Development Graduate Assistant for almost a year to collaborate closely with Director of Career Development & Placement through planning Career Fair workshops information sessions and employer outreach in order to achieve the target of 96% of career placement rate. Before that, She also worked at Hilton and Marriott properties for guest service related positions. Currently, she is Airline and VIP specialist with Doubletree by Hilton. Her fluent bilingual skill in Chinese and English helped the property established a professional relationship with Air China through detectably creating exclusive local travel plans with detailed tourist attractions, dining options and transformational information. Her interests in hospitality never stop in my life. Being a project manager for new hotels development is her dream job. She aspires to work for challenge and innovation. Hospitality industry is booming globally. She is really excited about devoting what I have learned with assisting more new luxury hotels opening. She’s really appreciate that NEWH, Inc generally provides scholarships to help the students pursuing a degree related to the Hospitality Industry. This is not only a financial but also an emotional support for every recipients, her personally. She truly would like to payback to the industry with what she learned and gained like everyone in NEWH help students as much as she can in the future.

Jeffrey Clement

Volara

Vice President/Strategic Accounts

Jeffrey is a Seasoned Technology Professional with focus on the Hospitality Technology sector with over 15 years of experience in Voice, IPTV, Enterprise Networks, and Wireless Security. Jeffrey's experience includes all aspects of the industry including senior roles in companies that focus on Manufacturing, Reselling, Distributing and as a Hotelier. Jeffrey has extensive knowledge of current technology and Go-To-Market plans. Jeffrey is actively involved in HTNG and HFTP. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, coaching sports for his four daughters, and pursuing his private pilot’s license.

Jennifer Connell

Marriott International

VP/Brand Mgt-Autograph Collection & Tribute Portfolio

Always a lover of travel, Jennifer started her career in hospitality on an airplane where she met a hotel sales executive looking for some help. She spent several years in property and corporate sales for small, high growth hotel companies before transitioning to Marriott International in 2000.

At Marriott, she served as a pre-opening sales and revenue management consultant for over 100 new select service hotels. In 2004, Jennifer moved into Development Planning & Feasibility, where she performed market and financial analysis for potential hotel deals. It was in this role that she played an instrumental role in Marriott’s entry into the boutique space, creating the original concept pro forma analysis for the Edition brand.

Jennifer then spent 10 years in Marriott’s Asset Management group, where she was charged with ensuring the successful execution of hotel projects through the development life cycle, from deal closing through hotel opening. She led the asset management effort for high-profile openings such as the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Marriott Marquis Chicago, Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, and Marriott Port-au-Prince, Haiti. During her time in Asset Management, she also negotiated complex hotel and portfolio transactions, from financial distress workouts to gaining capital investments for product transformations.

Jennifer’s extensive hotel experience, development savvy, and owner relations expertise made her the perfect candidate to assume leadership of Autograph Collection, the fastest-growing full-service brand ever launched. Jennifer also has brand responsibility for Tribute Portfolio, which came into Marriott’s collection brands upon its acquisition of Starwood.

Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science/Mathematics from Georgetown College and Masters of Science, Real Estate Development from Johns Hopkins University.

Trudy Craven

TWC Consulting

President

After a 40-year career with Milliken and Company, a large privately-held manufacturing company headquartered in Spartanburg SC, and with the last many years of that as a Director and Senior Manager in Learning and Development, Trudy retired in 2017. But with such a wide range of experience and knowledge at hand, and with the passion she has for helping others, she found herself being asked to keep going. And so was created TWC Consulting LLC, allowing her to provide workshops on a variety of topics, including Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning, Setting Goals, Taking Your Team to the Next Level, Managers vs Leaders, and Building the Communication Continuum.
Trudy has worked with the NEWH Executive Committee since 2004, first through her role at Milliken and now through TWC Consulting. NEWH has also engaged her in 2018 to provide Strategic Thinking/Strategic Planning Workshops for Chapters, and the feedback has been very positive!
A graduate of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina, Trudy enjoys living in Spartanburg SC, with her husband Scott and revels in the company of her two sons, her daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, friends, and her very best friend of the furry four-legged kind, Henry!

Sarah Elena Cuéllar

JOSÉ ANDRÉS ThinkFoodGroup

Design Manager

Sarah Elena holds a BA in art and architectural history from Tulane University and a MFA from the New York School of Interior Design.

Sarah Elena’s experience ranges from working at architectural and interior design firms in both NY and the D.C. metro area. Her exposure to residential construction, commercial interiors, and specifically hotel design projects have given her a unique approach to the evolving F&B world of hospitality.

Today, as the Design Manager of José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, Sarah Elena acts as the liaison between TFG’s marketing and development departments and architect and design firms to help realize the chef’s vision.

A Washington, D.C. native of Hispanic descent, Sarah Elena’s beliefs align directly with the mission of the company- to ‘change the world through the power of food’.

A devout supporter of NEWH with continued involvement since her student years in both the NY and Mid-Atlantic chapters; Sarah Elena attributes the powerful connection of the organization in guiding her through much of her design journey.

Russ Dagon

Universal Studios Parks and Resorts

VP/Executive Project Director

Russ Dagon is the Senior Vice President of Resort Development for Universal Creative, the in-house design and development group of Universal Studios responsible for Resort, Attraction and Hotel Development. With over 20 years of development experience focused primarily in the hospitality market, Russ is able to blend his design, finance, and marketing backgrounds together to offer unique oversight to some truly unique projects.

Russ has managed the design and construction of over 6,000 hotel rooms on the Universal Orlando campus, including Hard Rock Hotel, Loews’ Royal Pacific Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews’ Sapphire Falls and Resort and Universal’s Aventura Hotel. In addition to the noted hospitality projects, Russ was responsible for the design and construction of Universal’s Despicable ME - Minion Mayhem attraction, and the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Prior to joining Universal, Russ worked for a forensic engineering firm specializing in post-earthquake and hurricane recovery.

Russ earned his Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Stephano Delorenza

InterContinental Hotels Group

Program Manager/Design Immersion

Stephano Delorenza joined IHG in 2010. He has worked in various departments including operations, brand and has been with Architecture + Design for the past 4 years. He manages the IHG Design Immersion program along with maintaining the governance over the new IHG Design Connect website.

Stephano holds an MBA and Le Grand Diplôme® from Le Cordon Blue Paris. He is passionate about all facets of design and the hospitality industry. Educating design professionals through the Design Immersion program brings him great joy and satisfaction.

Michael Eckert

Milliken & Company

Director of Strategic Marketing

After nearly 10 years in the commercial lighting industry, Michael stopped looking up at the ceiling for a living and now directs his attention to the floor as Director of Marketing and Strategy for Milliken Floor Covering. Throughout his tenure in the Commercial Interiors Industry, Michael has held roles in Marketing Communications, Product Management and Strategy. Michael’s current obsession is finding and sharing market insights to help solve problems you don’t even know you have and championing these ideas into solutions.

Joe Eikelberner

Benjamin West

Chief Operating Officer

Joe Eikelberner is Chief Operating Officer of Benjamin West, the FF&E and OS&E purchasing firm based in Boulder, Colorado, with additional offices in Chicago, Dallas, London, and New Delhi. Benjamin West provides its services to owners, brands, and operators in 40 countries and six territories. In his role, Joe is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and general management of the company. Joe originally joined Benjamin West as Chief Financial Officer in 2012 and was promoted to the COO role in 2015.

Prior to joining Benjamin West, Joe was CFO of General Electric’s Warranty Services Division. In this role, Joe was instrumental in the sale of the $100 million division to Wachovia Bank. He also helped in the transition post sale and during Wells Fargo’s acquisition of Wachovia. In addition, Joe has held financial roles at multiple start-up ventures in the telecommunications space both domestically and abroad.

Joe earned both his MBA and Master of Accountancy degrees from the University of Denver. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Indiana University.

Taylor Fidel

Marriott International

Interior Design Manager

In her 10 years with Marriott International, Taylor has been involved with the design of nearly 400 hotels across 12 of the company’s brands. In her current role with luxury brands, she manages interior design for JW Marriott, The Luxury Collection, The Ritz-Carlton, and St. Regis projects in North, South, and Central America.

Taylor studied interior design at The George Washington University and furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

William Finfrock

FINFROCK

President

William A. Finfrock is the president of FINFROCK, a vertically-integrated, single source Design-Build firm based in Apopka, Florida. Bill is part of the third generation of the Finfrock family to lead the 72-year old company founded by his grandfather and has more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry. As the president, William ensures project goals and initiatives are met – from conceptual architectural and engineering design, through manufacturing and construction to a final certificate of occupancy. He is the key point of contact for the customer and works with all FINFROCK departments to ensure projects are running smoothly and the customer is satisfied.

Bill is a 1992 civil engineering graduate of Vanderbilt University and received his MBA from The Crummer Graduate School of Business in 1997.

He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Florida and a certified general contractor in Florida and Virginia. Bill is also an active member of the community, currently serving as Chairman the Board of Habitat for Humanity/Seminole County & Greater Apopka, Inc and is Chairman of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute Board. In 2009, he was an Orlando Business Journal Honoree for the Forty Under 40. He is also a graduate of Leadership Orlando.

Bill is a native of Winter Park, Florida and resides there with his wife and two children.

Michelle Finn

VP/Boutique Design Group, Emerald Expositions

Senior Vice President

Michelle Finn is vice president, Boutique Design Group, Emerald Expositions. In this role, she oversees the management and development of its hospitality and related brands, which encompasses Boutique Design, Boutique Design Trade Fairs: BDNY and BD west held on an annual basis in New York City and Los Angeles respectively, HX (Hospitality Experience) held in conjunction with BDNY, Boutique Design Forum Series, Hospitality Match, and Senior Lifestyle Design Match. Finn has received numerous awards for innovation in trade fair development, publishing, leadership and service. She is a member of the Hospitality Industry Network (NEWH), American Hotel Lodging Association (AHLA), Boutique Lifestyle and Lodging Association (BLLA) and the International Society of Hospitality Purchasers (ISHP)

Callin Fortis

Bigtime Design Studios

Principal

Callin Fortis was born into the family business of selling a good time and a good product. The son of McCann -Erickson Worldwide President, Callin spent many days doodling in the offices of some of the legends that inspired the hit TV drama Mad Men while honing his creative love of sketching and design under the watchful eyes of art directors guiding and critiquing him, Callin was introduced to the creative world of Ad Agencies and his love of art, design and everything in between. Today as Co-Founder and creative director behind Bigtime Design Studios an award winning Miami-based boutique hospitality firm with focuses in hotel, restaurant/bar and cruise ship design and is most known for high concept, high style public space environments which all share a bold belief. “It is the big things that create the impression and the little things that create the memories.” Fortis is in the memory business.

Jonathan Fu

CF Kent

Director/Marketing and Design

Jonathan Fu is the Director of Marketing and Design for CF Kent. He is responsible for the company’s marketing and branding, as well as product development and design.

He has over 15 years of furniture design and manufacturing experience across multiple industries, including hospitality, residential, and workspace. Jonathan’s passion for furniture design has led him to starting his own residential furniture company, as well as working for Tangram Studio creating custom workstations for companies such as Murad, Just Fab, Sony, and Boston Consulting Group.

Being part of the family business is a great source of pride and Jonathan hopes to carry on the legacy started by his father, John C. Fu, the founder of CF Kent. Jonathan has a degree in Industrial Design from California State University Long Beach. Outside of work, he enjoys staying active and driving his kids to their various weekend activities.

Denise Ganson

Universal Parks & Resorts

Project Manager

Denise is a Project Manager for Universal Creative, having joined their Resort Development team in 2012. When she first joined Universal Creative, she managed the FF&E procurement process for Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Since then, Denise has delivered FF&E for Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and Universal’s Aventura Hotel. Currently, Denise is working on Universal’s Endless Summer Resort, the new 2,800 room resort opening in Summer 2019 and Spring 2020. In her role as Project Manager, Denise directs the lifecycle of the FF&E procurement process from design concept through installation. Facilitating the coordination between the design team, general contractor and procurement agent, she insures balance between design, operational and budgetary requirements.

Prior to joining Universal Creative, Denise worked for BBA Aviation USA, where she supervised payment cash management and expense reconciliations. Before BBA Aviation USA, Denise was an FF&E Manager for Marriott Vacation Club International for four years, responsible for overseeing 37 vacation ownership property renovation projects from Florida to Hawaii. Working on multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining the budget and the specific operational demands of each location was challenging, but very rewarding to Denise. This is where her journey into the hospitality world began.

Denise began her career in procurement at Universal Orlando, contributing to the successful opening of Universal Studios FloridaTM, Universal CityWalkTM and Universal’s Islands of AdventureTM. Denise was charged with sourcing and contract development for everything from office supplies and wardrobe to sophisticated ride and show systems. Some of Denise’s fondest memories are the five years she spent leading the purchasing for Halloween Horror Nights.

Denise is a proud graduate of the University of Florida, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Fabien Gnemmi

The Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale

Director of F&B

Karin Harrington

Studio Partnership

Founder/Principal

Karin Harrington is founder and principal of Studio Partnership, an award winning, full-service design firm focused on the commercial sector in all forms including hotels, F&B, retail, multi-family and country clubs. After 25 years of designing interiors, Karin has the expertise and knowledge to analyze the importance of design as it relates to location, brand and ROI. A winner of multiple awards in the Intercontinental Hotel Group for design & modernization of their hotels, she has also won the Marriott Courtyard Design of the Year. Karin received her BS in Interior Design from Drexel University in 1993. Studio Partnership is a member of ASIS, AIA and NEWH.

Glenn Haussman

Rouse Media

Owner

Glenn Haussman hosts the No Vacancy podcast, Here to Stay TV, contributes to Youmustbetrippin.com, and is publisher of novacancynews.com. He also co-hosts Checking in with Anthony & Glenn, a podcast he does with Travel Channel personality Anthony Melchiorri, as well as the Hotel Tech podcast and the Hotel Design Podcast. Glenn is also an in-demand public speaker, educator and custom content creator and consultant for major hotel brands, leading industry influencers and suppliers.

Glenn is the consummate traveler, enjoying the worlds of hospitality and travel as observer, educator and guest. As a frequent moderator and speaker, his unique motivational style and viewpoint encourages people to rethink conventional thinking. The No Vacancy podcast attracts the biggest names in hospitality, including major public company CEOs and industry influencers. The show was chosen by USA Today as a “best podcast to listen to while traveling.”

Glenn has been quoted in leading publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, MSNBC.com, CNN.com and Chicago Tribune. He’s also been in the classroom, previously serving as adjunct professor at New York University, teaching classes in Public Relations & Advertising, and Consumer Behavior.

Find Glenn on Twitter @TravelingGlenn, or via email [email protected]

John Hogan

Marriott International

VP/Design and Project Management

An architect more than 30 years of overall experience, almost 24 years of with Marriott International, Mr. Hogan is a proven professional with a track record of success, leadership, superior business acumen, technical excellence with a passion for self-improvement, and mentoring in the world's largest hospitality company. Never settling for good, always striving for greatness, has a proven record of bringing teams from the lowest of engagement to the highest heights in the organization.

Has a stringent focus on relationship building, customer focus, efficient and timeless design, delivering on commitments through diligent, innovative, strategic action-oriented decision making. Never afraid to do what is right, although may not be popular, comfortable making difficult decisions. Excellent ability to build strong relationships across multiple groups and multiple levels of individuals both within the organization and with external customers.

Has led teams managing prototypical and a-typical Marriott Senior Living Services Assisted Living facilities, to The Ritz-Carlton and Bvlgari Hotels around world. Worked in more than 25 countries with differing cultures and work ethics, with successful results in every case. Have never managed a project over budget or failed to meet the project schedule requirements.

Honesty, ethics, integrity are not just words, they are a way of life, one must live those words not just type them onto a resume. In a world where it is too easy to stray from your true self, I stay clearly focused on my True North, "finished correctly with honesty and integrity is better than being done", and "Leadership is earned not appointed" are words I live both my personal and professional life by every day.

Kavitha Iyer

Marriott International

Sr Design Mgr Lifestyle globaldesign strategies

Kavitha Iyer is a Senior Design Manager at Marriott Global Design Strategies.

A licensed architect with over 19 years of experience in designing for hospitality and travel, she believes in using her comprehensive understanding of spaces, volume and sensory empathy to paint a compelling and memorable guest experience.

An award winning designer, she has worked on several high-profile projects and design strategies for multiple Brands over the years. Coming from a background of art, she has been able to impact project executions by being able to weave in the significance of interacting with the immediate and extended consumer environment.

“It’s how well you connect with the various stakeholders, and communicate your understanding back to them by presenting new designs solutions which are key to transforming guest experiences and the business itself.”

When she is not busy thinking about a new idea to implement, Kavitha is an avid traveler and a painter.

Helen Jorgensen

Host Hotels & Resorts

VP/Design and Procurement

Ms. Jorgensen, VP Design & Procurement, is responsible for strategic procurement, sourcing, and design management for Host Hotels & Resorts, an S&P 500 company and the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The company currently owns approximately 87 properties in USA and five internationally totally approximately 51,300 rooms. As part of Host’s disciplined approach, Helen is accountable for maximizing the value in design management and execution including the strategic management of the FF&E for the portfolio. By utilizing her strong strategic planning and management aptitude, she developed Host’s Strategic Partnership Program with key suppliers and design consultants to drive reimagined hotel designs and value. She holds a BS degree, Business Management and Mass Communications, Towson University Maryland, and received a Certificate of Graduate Studies Administration and Management from Harvard. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and has held several board positions with the Washington DC chapters of the ISM and NEWH. She is currently an advisory board member for Hospitality Design magazine and is a 2018 Hospitality Design Magazine’s Platinum Circle Inductee.

Kim Kedem

Student

My name is Kim Kedem, a student in my third year in the Interior Design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Growing up in Israel brought me closer to the world of traveling. I started my education in Interior Design after backpacking and living in Tel Aviv and Paris and seeing the possibilities in design for Hospitality. My interest in hospitality developed as it enables me to provoke the imagination through design. I aspire to design hostels for young backpackers who want to discover the world on a budget.
I'm a member of NEWH, IIDA, and ASID. I recently started the Interior Design Student Resource community through Instagram (@IDSR) for design students in New-York to make all those organizations more accessible to the students, and hopefully, we will soon be able to take it to the next level.

Petu Kummala

Carnival Cruise Line

Director/Interior Design & Architecture

Ever since he was a young child, Petu Kummala has loved the sea and ships, and been fascinated by designing and customizing objects, from artwork, to helmets, to cell phone covers to vehicles and anything in-between.

“As long as I can remember, I’ve been attracted to creating things and to taking what already exists and improving it,” Kummala says.

As an adult, that led him to Kone-Plan OY/Deltamarin Group, a firm that specializes in ship design and engineering, where one of his clients was Carnival Cruise Line. That is where he met Joe Farcus, the legendary designer who was involved in creating the interiors of all Carnival’s ships from 1975 until his retirement in 2013. When Farcus offered Kummala the opportunity to join his firm, Kummala says that it took less than 10 seconds for him to make his decision.

After working on 17 Carnival and nine Costa ships, as well as a few other brands, Kummala launched 358 Design, which he still operates. But in 2015, Carnival asked him to join its staff, where he is now director of interior design & architecture.

As he continues to combine creative inspiration with technical innovations, Kummala is guided by a very personal philosophy. “If I can give passengers something new to discover every day, I’ve created a successful design.”

Gary Lake

Gencom Group

EVP/Asset Management/Real Estate

Gary Lake is the EVP of Asset Management of The Gencom Group and oversees the operations and capital investments of existing hotel and condominium properties/developments, primarily related to Ritz-Carlton branded products. As it relates to development projects, Mr. Lake has been involved in all aspects of mixed use developments including feasibility study for the project, loan negotiations, deal negotiation and documentations, condominium association structuring, construction monitoring and deal execution. Lake currently serves on four condominium association boards.

Lake has held a variety of positions in financial, accounting, development, information systems, auditing and operational functions throughout the years. Prior to joining Gencom, he consulted with Grand Bay Hotels & Resorts in their development and acquisition group and prior to that he was senior vice president/operations of Miami-based Carnival Hotels & Resorts.

Prior to joining Carnival Hotels & Resorts, Lake served Carnival’s Crystal Palace Resort & Casino in the Bahamas as vice president/finance; Resorts International where he was director of corporate accounting and director of internal audit for its Bahamian operations on Paradise Island; and PriceWaterhouseCoopers for seven years where, as an audit manager.

Keely Lange

Student

Keely graduated from Weber State University in April 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. She has since worked for an interior design firm located outside of Salt Lake City, UT. Her goals include working in the hospitality industry designing boutique hotels and restaurants. Keely is passionate about design because it allows her to form creative solutions and unique concepts into beautiful, functional, and sustainable spaces. With a passion for travel and experiencing other cultures, she hopes to have the opportunity to design both nationally and internationally.

Per Lindqvist

Tillberg Design of Sweden Inc.

Business Director

Tillberg Design of Sweden has been my working base for 17 years, with a brief interlude working for IKEA as design and establishment manager. The latter part of my time with Tillberg Design has been at our office in Miami as the Business Director.

Currently my home base is Florida in particular and the whole of USA in general, establishing the brand of Tillberg Design in the marine sector.
Tillberg Design of Sweden is the world’s leading design company for luxury cruise ship, hotel and restaurant interiors since 1964. 115 architects and designers are located in studios in Höganäs, Sweden, Wroclaw, Poland and Miami, USA.

We design award winning creative environments that are cutting edge contemporary as well as timeless and classic. Our global client list includes major international cruise ship enterprises and exclusive boutique ships.

Jason Maringola

Streetsense

Design Director/Interior Architecture

Jason is a leading force within the Interior Architecture studio. Before moving to the DC area, Jason worked with numerous firms, including SOSH Architects, Rosenberg Kolb Architects, and Riscala Agnese Design. His project portfolio includes W Hotel Atlanta, W Hotel Hoboken, Resorts Casino Atlantic City, Hard Rock Café Philadelphia, Hard Rock Casino Cleveland Ohio, Haven Night Club Atlantic City, and Borgata Baking Co. in Atlantic City. Born and raised just off the Jersey Shore, Jason studied at New York Institute of Technology in Manhattan, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture.

David McCarthy

AD Associates

Director/Marine Projects & Communication

David has 25 years’ experience in the hospitality and maritime industry at Executive level, both operationally and in vessel newbuild/refurbishment design and delivery. Graduating from Leeds Metropolitan University in BSc (Hons) Hospitality Management, a 14-year sea-going career with P&O Cruises, (a Carnival Corporation brand) was followed by various land-based roles at Carnival UK, Southampton. Responsible for several refurbishments and newbuild projects, notably the P&O Cruises flagship, Britannia, where he is proud to have been presented to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

Now at AD Associates, an award-winning, multidisciplinary design agency based in the heart of London, David overseas all marine projects as well as Sales & Marketing activity. Throughout its lifespan, his extensive managerial experience across complex projects and service delivery, looks to add value, nurture relationships and build trust and credibility with clients and partners world-wide.

Angela McGarvey

Streetsense

Senior Director Creative Strategy

Now Senior Director of Creative Strategy, Angela has been integral to the Streetsense team almost since day one. Since spearheading the company’s creative studio in 2009, she has been involved in creating stories and strategies for dozens of high-profile brands and places around the globe. Her work balances innovation with uncompromising attention to detail, running the gamut from brand visioning and naming to storytelling and conceptual design. Born and raised in the DC area, Angela has a degree in political science and economics.

Sophie Midavaine

Float4

Multimedia & Artistic Director

With a Master’s degree in Arts and Multimedia, Sophie Midavaine polished her expertise while working as an interactive designer for Moment Factory. Sophie worked on large scale installations such as the Data Cloud, a giant real-time generative artwork viewed by millions of passengers every year at LAX airport (Los Angeles). Now Multimedia & Artistic Director at Float4, Sophie recently delivered a sophisticated interactive video wall in a 5-stars hotel in Paris (Sofitel Baltimore Eiffel Tower). Passionate about arts in general, Sophie’s knowledge of technology and interactive media allows her to create unique and perfectly integrated experiences and designs.

Patricia Miller

Leo A Daly

VP/Global Hospitality Practice Leader

As Global Hospitality Practice Leader, Pat Miller is responsible for coordinating all hospitality work for LEO A DALY. Under her leadership, the company has been consistently recognized by top-tier hospitality publications as one of the leading design and architectural firms. An industry leader with more than 40 years of experience, Pat has a rare ability to develop innovative solutions to the teaming and problem-solving needs of owners, developers, REITs and hotel companies. She is a valued resource and confidant in the creation of solutions for hospitality design opportunities.

Amalia Morejon

Miami Dade College

Student

Amalia Morejon is currently studying Interior Design at Miami Dade College and will be graduating with an Arts Associate in May of 2019. Interior Design, has fueled her passion for helping others, as it is a profession where creativity can influence the lives of those who experience it. As part of her college experience, Amalia became a member of IIDA and NEWH. As a member of IIDA, she has participated in Art by Design 2016 and Design Mix 2017, winning the People Choice's award of this last one. Amalia became the winner of the 2018 Wilsonart's essay competition as well. NEWH has provided her opportunities to network and gain knowledge from the industry. Amalia took leadership tasks by providing students with scholarships and volunteering information. Last year, she also became one of NEWH’s scholarship recipients. This award it’s not only a financial aid but it also awards her involvement with the Interior Design community.

Dave Morton

Marriott International

Sr. Director/Design & Project Management

Thirty plus years’ experience in the hospitality industry... responsibilities have included developing Restaurants, Travel Plaza’s, Latin American hotel portfolio, coordinating international/domestic renovation projects and implementing Courtyard (CYRB – Courtyard Refreshing Business) public/lobby renovations. Current responsibilities include developing full-service on-strategy branded hotels though the feasibility, design, construction and turnover phases for acquisition/conversion/new build hotels as well as quality assurance support for renovation projects for Marriott full-service hotels with a focus on the Sheraton brand.

Thong Nguyen

Roomera, Inc.

Founder & CEO

Thong Nguyen is an entrepreneur who is taking virtual reality beyond visualization in order to help organizations experience, test and learn from the future.

As Founder and CEO of Roomera, he and his team work with innovative leaders across hospitality, retail and education to accelerate design prototyping and research, improve collaborative learning, and enhance sales development. Through the Roomera platform, distributed or cross-functional teams can gather real behavioral, spatial and operational insights, in order to measure options and inform the most important decisions well before the build.

Before Roomera, Thong spent much of his career in the retail sector leading customer-facing technology teams of increasing size and scope for brands such as Target, Best Buy and Digital River. With a long-standing interest in cognitive and behavioral psychology, Thong recently gave a TEDx talk called "Can Virtual Reality Change Your Mind", centered on how the medium is quietly evolving beyond gaming and entertainment and is now creating impact in fields ranging from health care to hospitality to education. His talk quickly went viral on YouTube and is now among the most-viewed TEDx talks in the world on augmented and virtual reality.

Thong is fascinated with exploring and understanding the nuances of human behavior, and is interested in ways to create empathy, perspective and connection with customers, with each other and for ourselves.

Amanda Nichols

Marriott International

Director/Brand Management-Tribute Portfolio

As the global brand director for Tribute Portfolio, Amanda Nichols is responsible for driving the brand vision and strategic direction for Tribute Portfolio across all aspects of the business – development, guest experience and operations, design and construction, marketing and PR. Originally joining Marriott International in 2002, Amanda has more than 15 years of hospitality experience spanning brand management, marketing, strategic partnerships and sales, most recently holding leadership positions on the Autograph Collection and Moxy brand teams.

Throughout her career, Amanda has honed her craft through the development of brand programs and strategies to win the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers to who consider design, food, art and even drinking games an important part of their travel experience. Whether touring construction sites or hosting media events, Amanda combines her creative energy and understanding of the lifestyle space to build differentiated brands that resonate with travelers around the world, spanning from Chicago to Costa Rica, and from Nashville to the Netherlands.

Tom Onken

Marriott International

Chief Franchise Officer

Tom Onken is the Chief Franchise Officer for the United States. He is responsible for all aspects of Marriott’s Franchise business in the U.S.

Marriott International is the world’s leading lodging company with more than 6,700 properties in 130 countries and territories. The company’s Select Service and Extended Stay lodging brands include Residence Inn, Courtyard, AC by Marriott, Moxy, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, SpringHill Suites, Aloft, Element, and Four Points by Sheraton.

Mr. Onken began his Marriott International career in 1982 as a Hotel Operations Management Trainee. Between 1982 and 2004, he held numerous positions in Operations Management to include Regional Director of Operations of Select Service and Extended Stay Hotels and Regional Director of Rooms Operations for Marriott and Renaissance Hotels. In early 2004 he switched to the hotel development side of the business when he became Area Vice President of Select Service and Extended Stay Hotels for the Southeast Region and has spent the last 14 years as Senior Vice President of Lodging Development for the Central and Eastern regions.

Mr. Onken earned his bachelor’s degree Majoring in Hotel Administration with a Minor in Hotel Sales Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Douglas Parker

The Parker Company

President/CEO

Doug Parker is President & CEO of The Parker Company. Now in its 50th year, The Parker Company (www.parkerinternational.com) has been one of the leading independent, privately owned procurement companies in the hospitality industry. With their global offices, projects have been completed throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. Doug, along with his two brothers, is a partner in the company and has more than 35 years of experience working at The Parker Company. Focusing on business development and project administration, Doug fosters the core values of integrity, professionalism and dependability into the everyday culture of the company. Doug is a Board Member of the Coral Gables Museum, on the Executive Board of the Lung Transplant Foundation and was a member of the UNLV Harrah Hotel School Advisory Board.

Chet Patel

Baywood Hotels

Senior Vice President

Chet Patel is a Senior Vice President with Baywood Hotels, located in Greenbelt, MD. Chet’s dynamic executive role in development has been instrumental in Baywood’s accession to the top tier of hotel developers in the United States.

Chet is a lifelong hotelier- he was intimately involved in the operations of his parent’s first hotel in Southern New Jersey. After graduating from Rutgers University, Chet chose to follow his parents’ footsteps and become a full-time hotelier. In 1999, Chet joined Al Patel to start Baywood Hotels. The Baywood model has proven to be successful, as Baywood has experienced consistent growth despite major economic downturns in the early part of the 21st century. Chet’s primarily responsible for the company vision in its development of new hotel projects.

Chet is part of an advanced team of hotel real estate professionals responsible for identifying, planning and executing hotel development opportunities across the eastern seaboard. Chet primarily oversees architectural/construction planning, hotel design and procurement for new development projects and existing hotels undergoing renovations. Chet’s knack for hotel design concepts is widely recognized by the major hospitality brands in the United States The following is a list of brand committees that Chet belongs to:
● Design Directive Committee Involvement
o Fairfield Inn by Marriott for Gen 4
o Towneplace Suites by Marriott for Gen 4
o TRIA Board
● Owner Advisory Committee Involvement
o Holiday Inn Express by IHG OAC – Committee Chair*
o IHG Marketplace – Committee Chair*
o IHG Americas Board
o Avid by IHG OAC
o Tru by Hilton OAC
o Element by Westin
● Product Advisory Council Involvement
o Hilton
o Home2 by Hilton
o Hampton Inn by Hilton
● Capital Assessment Planning Execution Committee Involvement
o Marriott

Chet lives with his wife, Priti and two children, Kunal and Karina in Clarksville, Maryland. He is an avid skier, loves football and active member of the Charotar Leuva Patidar Seva Samaj of the USA.

Staci Patton

DLR Group

Hospitality Interior Design Leader

Staci Patton is DLR Group’s Hospitality Interiors Studio Leader, working with clients across the country and overseeing the Chicago and Minneapolis Interiors Studios. She understands that design must support strategy to meet business goals, elevate brand recognition, and foster local connections with every hotel guest. Staci is an award-winning interior designer; her taste, sense of aesthetics, and engaging personality produce environments that engage clients and deliver memorable experiences. Her expertise includes boutique and branded hotels, restaurants, and gaming environments. A frequent traveler herself, Staci understands the value of exceptional design and how intimate details can enhance the overall guest experience.

“Chemistry is important in the design process. I believe it's essential for clients to have fun on their project and want them to feel we are one team: dream big! The best part of a project is when it’s done, with our clients; we remember our fun ride developing the design together."

Lissa Pierce

Intercontinental Hotels Group

Reg Dir/Architecture & Design

Lissa Pierce joined IHG in 2011 and currently serves as Regional Director, Architecture & Design for the Hotel Indigo and EVEN Hotels brands. Her responsibilities include managing the PIP, Plan Review, and Design team for these brands as well as supporting the development of the PIP and Plan Review processes for the Architecture & Design team.

Lissa is a certified Interior Designer with over 14 years of upscale and boutique hospitality design experience. Prior to coming to IHG she worked on various upscale hospitality design projects for Marriott, Starwood, and other independent hoteliers while at Design Continuum Inc. in Atlanta. Since coming to IHG she has worked on projects throughout the Americas Region as a Regional Manager of Plan Review with the company’s core brands Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn Resorts as well as Regional Manager of Property Improvements for Hotel Indigo.

Rob Polacek

Puccini Group

Chief Creative Officer and Partner

As Chief Creative Officer and Partner, Rob oversees the diverse interior architecture and design practice of Puccini Group, contributing a unique vision to the firm’s interdisciplinary consulting mission and creating countless noteworthy spaces grounded in design sophistication. With a degree in architecture from Catholic University of America, Rob is recognized for his ability to understand the interactions between the user and the built environment, building chef-tailored restaurants and culturally authentic hotels that are as functional as they are aesthetically memorable. Rob’s 17 year tenure emphasizing innovative solutions permeates the Puccini Group studio and allows expert navigation of the challenges faced in the complex design environment, ensuring success for a multitude of hospitality brands across the globe.

Trisha Poole

Design Poole

President

Trisha Poole has over two decades of experience in branding and hospitality design. As the founder and President of Design Poole, Inc., she inspires the team to approach every project with an entrepreneurial spirit as it relates to creative success and leads the firm to international award status. Trisha's strength on any creative team is interpreting the client's vision and inspiring uncommon thought processes that lead to extraordinary guest experiences. With a strong business ethic and passion for design, Trisha makes Design Poole, Inc. a viable and integral component of every project team. From ultimate vacation destinations to sophisticated urban environments and extraordinary corporate meeting destinations, Trisha believes it is the dedication to the little things that make the final product a big success.

Stacy Shoemaker Rauen

Hospitality Design Group

Editor in Chief HD Magazine, VP/Hospitality Design Group

Stacy Shoemaker Rauen is a well-respected and talented editor and writer, and is the editor in chief of Hospitality Design (HD) magazine, the leading publication for the industry, as well as vice president of the Hospitality Design (HD) Group, driving the strategic direction and programming for the overall brand. Owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, the HD Group includes Hospitality Design magazine, HD Expo, HD Summit, HD NextGen Forum, HD Awards, HD Platinum Circle Awards Gala, HD CitySCENE, HD SiteSeeing, and the soon-to-launch HD Elevate. Shoemaker Rauen also oversees Contract and the magazine’s multiple events.

Rauen—who has been with the magazine for 16 years—is a noted speaker at industry events, and as an avid tracker of trends, places, projects, and people, she puts together panels at HD's conferences, and has been quoted in various respected media outlets including CNBC and the Washington Post. She holds two degrees from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, including a master's in magazine journalism.

Julie Rivera

PDSI

Project Director

Ms. Rivera is Project Director for the PDSI Atlanta operations group. In this role, she is responsible for leading, developing, and ensuring her department evaluates, defines and controls all aspects of all projects assigned to the Atlanta office. This role includes responsibility for project management leadership of all of PDSI's initiatives required to achieve innovative solutions and to provide the highest level of service to support our hospitality owners, investors, and operators. Her firm grasp of hands-on project management in conjunction with an acute understanding of our client's project goals and objectives underscores Ms. Rivera's talent and experience to prove her success and leadership needed to face the toughest project challenges. With over 50 projects representing over $300 million in improvements, Ms. Rivera is one of the most sought after Project Directors in the business.

Prior to joining PDSI, Ms. Rivera was an accomplished Retail Planning Manager with more than ten years' experience in planning and delivering projects for The Coca-Cola Company and The Walt Disney Company. She project managed the Coca-Cola Store in Las Vegas, NV and the World of Coca-Cola retail store in Atlanta, GA. Prior to this, Ms. Rivera project managed the multi-phase World of Disney rehab in Orlando, FL and worked closely with Hasbro, Inc. to create the retail location for "Once Upon a Toy" project.

Ms. Rivera graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree and a minor in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Julie and her husband Tony are avid golfers and when not spending time on the golf course, they are also parents to 3 rescue dogs.

Daniel Rothfeld

Measure, the Drone as a Service® Company

COO I Senior Advisor I Board Member I Value Creator

As Chair, CEO, COO, Outside Director, and Operating Partner, Dan has been successful in building enterprise value, accelerating revenue growth, and enhancing operating platforms. Dan has taken two company’s public and two to private equity exits, in four different business verticals. Dan is currently, COO and principal with Measure UAS, Inc. a global aerial intelligence and software company, leveraging drone and UAV technology across a number of industries. Rothfeld, began his career at Dickman, Green and Murphy, where he developed the reputation as an aggressive corporate litigator. He was recruited to Spherion, Inc., a $2B franchiser of staffing and human capital services, where as SVP of Professional Services was responsible for developing several independently branded high margin boutique staffing businesses, generating $320M in annual revenue in just five years. Rothfeld was next recruited to Choice Hotels International, a fifteen-brand global hotel franchiser with $3B in sales, where as SVP of Revenue & Emerging Business, created, implemented and managed the company’s global distribution strategy, increasing the system to 4,000 properties in 41 countries, and doubling annual development activity. Dan was next recruited to Strategy, LLC a global legal consulting firm, as President & CEO, successfully leading the organization through an aggressive growth and scaling plan, leading to a private equity exit. Dan was next recruited to U.S. Legal Support, Inc., a privately held $200M global litigation support firm, where as President, was responsible for positioning the company for a private equity liquidity transaction. Prior to joining Measure, Dan served as Managing Principal for PeerPoint Advisors, a strategic business advisory, chairing several private CEO advisory boards, and working with twelve small and mid-cap companies.

Roberto Sablayrolles

Streetsense

Hospitality Creative Director/Principal

As Hospitality Creative Director and Principal, Roberto is driven by his passion for experience-driven brands. With over 20 years of expertise, Roberto has a broad understanding of the strategy behind creating compelling brands and places, from ideation to implementation. This expertise has led him to elevate the vision of his clients, including Hilton, Loews, Melia Hotels International, Hyatt, and Marriott International. The award-winning work produced by the Streetsense team under his creative direction as well as his ever-evolving research and thought leadership has resulted in Roberto being widely regarded as an expert in the field of hospitality design —he has spoken on the subject at numerous international conferences and universities.

For each project, his team develops a strong narrative, drawing inspiration from art, history, local context, and more to infuse emotional connections into the guest experience for hotels and restaurants.

With over 20 years of expertise, Roberto has a broad understanding of the challenges behind the development of a brand from conception to completion. He possesses an innate ability to comprehend and communicate the vision of his clients, notably Hilton, Loews, Melia Hotels International, Hyatt, and Marriott International—including The Ritz-Carlton, Moxy, JW Marriott, Renaissance, and the Autograph Collection.

The award-winning work produced by Streetsense’s Hospitality team under his creative supervision, as well as his continued research of industry trends, has led to Roberto’s reputation as an expert in the field of hospitality design; he has spoken on the subject at expos and universities internationally.

Roberto has been an invited speaker at Hospitality Design Expo (2012, 2014), American University Hospitality Program (2014, 2013), and universities in Mexico and Buenos Aires (2010, 2011, 2012).

Mary Scoviak

Emerald Expositions

Executive Editor/Conference Director

Mary Scoviak is the Editor-in-Chief of Boutique Design magazine, an award-winning business-to-business publication for decision-makers involved in the hospitality design community worldwide. Scoviak is also the conference director for Boutique Design New York (BDNY) and Boutique Design West (BDwest) with responsibility for program planning for these events, which are two of the nation’s fastest-growing trade fairs and forums, and for overseeing the Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design competition each year. Scoviak’s outstanding vision in all these areas earned her a place as one of the Folio: Top Women in Media for 2017. Prior to joining ST Media Group, Scoviak was Editor at Large for HOTELS magazine and Executive Editor of HOTELS’ Investment Outlook, business publications that reach more than 66,000 readers in more than 164 countries. In addition to her post as Senior Editor for the personal finance magazine, MoneyMaker, Scoviak is the co-author with Anne Schmid of the book “International Hotel & Resort Design,” as well as “The Professional Housekeeper,” co-authored with Madelin Schneider and Georgina Tucker and a series of personal investment guides.

Alison Bowman Sobeck

Marriott International

Interior Design Mgr/Autograph & Tribute Portfolio

Alison brings a unique perspective to Marriott International’s Lifestyle design team, having a background in both marketing and design, which serves her well in her role as Senior Interior Design Manager focusing primarily on Marriott’s soft-brands, Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio.

After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, she spent 10 roller coaster years in marketing and public relations during the 90’s tech boom. At NRW, a pioneering dot-com marketing and public relations agency, she consulted for high profile clients including Apple, Yahoo!, Match.com, Pixar, @Home Network and Texas Instruments. After the agency world, she moved in-house and served as the Director of Public Relations and lead corporate spokesperson for cable internet service provider and AT&T subsidiary, Excite@Home.

After the tech bubble burst in 2001, Alison decided to pursue her passion and moved to New York to study interior design at Parsons, the New School for Design where she also interned for Thom Filicia. Upon graduation, she joined McCartan, a boutique hospitality design firm where she worked on various hotel and high-end luxury condominium projects including the Westin Times Square, Le Parker Meridien New York, Avia Napa & Avia Long Beach (now Andaz), Eventi Hotel, Hotel Sax, The Greenwich Club, and others.

Alison left McCartan in 2009 to spend more time with her young son and started a small interior design business. Over time, she expanded and provided full-service interior design services where she focused on residential renovations and commercial real estate development projects, ultimately working on three 15,000 square foot Upper East Side townhouses for developer The Chetrit Group, one of which became 2018’s Kip’s Bay Showhouse.

A lover of travel, having been to all continents except Antarctica, Alison was excited to get back in to hospitality and joined Marriott’s Global Design Lifestyle Full-Service team in 2017. Today, she oversees interior design for approximately 40 Lifestyle Full-Service hotel projects and serves as the Tribute Portfolio Brand Champion – the liaison between brand and design tasked with ensuring that owners and designers have the knowledge to execute the brand strategy in the physical environment.

Mark Sparrow

JLL Hotels Canada & Hospitality Group

Executive Vice President

Mark Sparrow is an Executive Vice President of JLL Canada’s Hotels and Hospitality Group. Mr. Sparrow along with Luke Scheer, lead the Hotels & Hospitality Group in Canada. Based out of JLL’s Toronto office, Mr. Sparrow works with a national scope to lead JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Groups growth in the Canadian market. His role involves leading the highly efficient JLL HHG team in strategic sale of hotel properties across Canada, working with clients to build tailored disposition strategies, source buyers, and managing the sale process from start to finish.
EXPERIENCE

Mr. Sparrow has been involved in 130 hotel transactions across the country, valued in excess of $4.3 billion. He is driven to create unique strategies for his clients, tailoring all aspects of a deal to their specific needs and maximizing their returns. Prior to joining JLL in 2015, Mr. Sparrow spent 12 years split between Colliers International Hotels and CBRE Hotels, where he most recently was an integral part of their national investment sales platform, opening the Vancouver hotel practice and expanding the national presence of the group.

EDUCATION AND AFFILIATIONS
Mr. Sparrow has spoken at multiple industry events and conferences across Canada and the United States and is a guest lecturer at Ryerson University. He is a member of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) and, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Mr. Sparrow holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University.

James Stapleton

FRCH Design Worldwide

Principal

While living in Los Angeles got his first taste of hospitality experience designing a restaurant for Steve Wynn at the Mirage in 1996. Designed a Westin Hotel interior in 1997. Left town soon after (his wife made him). Started work at FRCH in 1998. Became a founding member of the Hospitality Studio in 2000. Now almost 18 years later he’s led projects in almost every hotel type from select service to oceanfront resorts and mega resort casinos in Las Vegas. Occasionally he still designs a piece of furniture.

What He Does, Tangibly:
Develops and directs the design and documentation of the studios architectural projects. Manages the studios operations. Sometimes he designs a project, sometimes he manages a project, sometimes he does both at the same time. Licensed to practice architecture in 25 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces.

What He Does, Intangibly:
Manages while on the go. Likes to be hands on with the projects. Gets to solutions fast and is usually out ahead of the pack about what needs to be done next. Always remembers what the bottom line is both in terms of design and cost.

What Energizes Him:
New challenges where the book isn’t written yet. Seeing the work built and our clients happy. Seeing others succeed.

Something Out-Of-The-Ordinary About Jim:
Was born in New Jersey and is very proud of that. When he’s not working he’s either playing guitar or working on his vertical gardens greenhouse art gallery, “Jardin D’amis” or Garden of Friends.

Jeanne Starling

The Kessler Collection

Vice President/Interior Design

Jeanne Starling has been creating engaging hospitality environments for over 3 decades. With drive and passion, she is completely in her element establishing and leading high-performance design studios and equally comfortable fashioning a team of consultants to facilitate collaborative design efforts. Her colleagues and clients have come to rely on the combination of her charismatic leadership and her calm demeanor in the midst of complex project processes. She is unwavering in her attention to detail and is driven to see projects grow into their full potential.

In her role with The Kessler Collection, Jeanne leads the interior design studio in delivering both new design development and capex projects for properties in the Kessler Collection. Previously, she was the Director of Design Development for MGM Resorts for over 12 years. Throughout that time, she was responsible for generating excellence in the results of each Capital Expenditure project and ensuring that the brand identity of each resort property was reflected in the completed projects. She has used her hospitality design experience to provide design talent in-house and to manage consultants for projects in luxury hotel resort environments and entertainment venues.

Jeanne is a Registered Interior Designer in Florida and Nevada and holds a degree in Art - Interior Design from the University of Wisconsin- Stout. She enjoys being in a profession that focuses on creating environments that generate positive and entertaining experiences in people’s lives.

Katherine Steinberg

The Parker Company

Project Director

Katherine Steinberg is a Project Director for the Parker Company and has been with the company for over 10 years within the FF&E division. She spent 2 years in the Parker Dubai office working on the Westin Abu Dhabi and St. Regis Saadiyat Island. Projects completed under her direction include Shinola Hotel, Ritz Carlton Reynolds, Ritz Carlton Philadelphia, Ritz Carlton Cleveland, Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, Ritz Carlton Dorado Beach, Trump Doral, Trump Old Post Office, amongst many others.

Katherine is a graduate of Florida International University with a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design.

Barry Sullivan

Hilton Worldwide

Director/Luxury & Lifestyle

Barry joined Hilton in 2014 to oversee interior design for the launch of Canopy by Hilton in North America. Canopy has steadily grown with five hotels open in the US and over 30 projects in the construction and development. The current pipeline includes new construction, adaptive reuse and conversion properties with 15 hotels expected to open in the next two years. Barry is also part of the team on Motto, Hilton’s newest launched lifestyle brand.

Prior to joining Hilton, Barry worked in the hospitality furniture industry and had his own interior design company in North Carolina. He began his career in Los Angeles working on luxury projects for notable firms in hospitality design including James Northcutt, Wilson Associates and Darrell Schmitt Design.

With over 30 years of working in hospitality design, Barry’s career has included projects in Europe, the Caribbean, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia. He is proud to be working at Hilton with its focus on quality design, employee engagement and diversity that translates to a positive guest experience resulting in high customer satisfaction.

David Tracz

//3877

Partner

David Tracz is Partner at //3877 in Washington, DC specializing in Hotels, Restaurants, Healthcare, Single and Multifamily residential. //3877 is a boutique design firm cohesively working on Architecture and Interior Design projects. We are small group of 25 people working across the country and internationally. David has a unique combination of technical understanding, exciting design sense and budget management that helps his clients to get the best possible design. Currently David is managing teams working on several hotel and restaurant renovations including; limited service properties; full service hotels and several boutique properties. In the past he’s designed and managed the prototype designs for Moxy (European prototype) and Townplace Suites. Most recently we’ve been working on the design and construction of a new build Hyatt Place hotel in National Harbor, MD. //3877 is providing Architectural and Interior design services for this Hyatt Place. Lastly, //3877 has also been worked with several restaurant groups; Slipstream, Farmbird, TheSmith, Succotash, Mi Vida and Boqueria. These restaurants have ranged in size from 1,500sqft to 12,000sqft.

John Walters

Hilton Worldwide

VP/Arch. & Const., Latin America & Caribbean

John Walters is Vice President of Architecture & Construction for Latin America and the Caribbean for Hilton. Mr. Walters currently leads an international team of 13 professional Architects, Engineers and Designers that are responsible for opening every Hilton brand currently under development in the region with a robust pipeline.

John Walters has over 30 years of experience in the Hospitality Industry including the last 11 years doing international work. Mr. Walters lead his team to open over 100 iconic Hilton brands including Montevideo Uruguay a Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton dual property, Conrad Cartagena, Panama Waldorf Astoria, DoubleTree by Hilton Santiago Chile, Santo Domingo Embassy Suites in the Dominican Republic and the Bogota Hilton.

John Walters joined the Hilton project management team in 1997 managing capital projects for owned & managed assets as well as new construction projects in the United States. His projects in the United States included the San Diego Convention Center Hilton Hotel, and Buffalo Thunder Hilton Hotel & Resort.

Mr. Walters is also a Certified Hotel Administrator CHA, prior to joining the architecture and construction team, he served as General Manager at Double Tree by Hilton in Ventura CA, Hilton Garden Inn in Austin TX and Double Tree by Hilton Club Hotel in Pleasanton CA.

Antoni Yelamos

Streetsense

Managing Director/Hospitality

Specializing in conceptualizing and developing exceptional dining and hospitality experiences, Antoni boasts over 25 years of experience in the Restaurant and Hospitality Food & Beverage industry. As the Managing Director of Hospitality, Antoni provides solutions for everything from overall concept development and repositioning to contriving the ultimate bar menu to establishing talent-packed teams, both in the front and back of the house. Antoni’s previous venture, FOODCULTURE, a firm he founded in 2010, had been working hand in hand with Streetsense on several projects when the relationship evolved and in October 2013, FOODCULTURE officially joined with Streetsense.

Getting his start in the early 90’s, Antoni was part of the team that developed the first international franchised tapas restaurant concept in Spain. From there, he relocated to Washington, DC to join then rising-star chef Jose Andres’ Think Food Group and opened Café Atlántico to instant success. During his time there, Antoni worked closely with the James Beard Award-winning chef, becoming a business partner and instrumental to the thriving development of this dynamic restaurant group that has popularized the tapas/small plates concept throughout the US. His work includes the conceptualization and development of such iconic restaurants as Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel, and later the conceptualization of all the Food & Beverage services of SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, which includes Bazaar by Jose Andres.

After his successes with Think Food Group and prior to founding FOODCULTURE, Antoni made a move to Miami to run W South Beach hotel where he developed and operated all of the Food & Beverage services for the hotel with KNR Restaurant Group.

Antoni was born in Barcelona, Spain and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management as well as a degree in Sales and Marketing. He currently resides in Miami, Florida with his family.

Awards

Keynote Speakers

Nirvan Mullick

Interconnected Media, Inc.

Filmmaker, Speaker, and Changemaker

Nirvan Mullick

Interconnected Media, Inc.

Filmmaker, Speaker, and Changemaker

David Stillman

Co-founder, Author, Speaker

David Stillman

Co-founder, Author, Speaker

Jonah Stillman

Co-founder, Author, Speaker

Jonah Stillman

Co-founder, Author, Speaker

Owners Roundtable Participants

Janis Cannon

Choice Hotels International

Senior Vice President

Janis Cannon

Choice Hotels International

Senior Vice President

Jennifer Connell

Marriott International

VP/Brand Mgt-Autograph Collection & Tribute Portfolio

Jennifer Connell

Marriott International

VP/Brand Mgt-Autograph Collection & Tribute Portfolio

Carolina Cundall

InterContinental Hotels Group

Director/Interior Design - Europe

Carolina Cundall

InterContinental Hotels Group

Director/Interior Design - Europe

Russ Dagon

Universal Studios Parks and Resorts

VP/Executive Project Director

Russ Dagon

Universal Studios Parks and Resorts

VP/Executive Project Director

Stephano Delorenza

InterContinental Hotels Group

Program Manager/Design Immersion

Stephano Delorenza

InterContinental Hotels Group

Program Manager/Design Immersion

Gus Escobar

Marriott International

VP/Global Design Americas

Gus Escobar

Marriott International

VP/Global Design Americas

Taylor Fidel

Marriott International

Interior Design Manager

Taylor Fidel

Marriott International

Interior Design Manager

William Finfrock

FINFROCK

President

William Finfrock

FINFROCK

President

Denise Ganson

Universal Creative

Project Manager

Denise Ganson

Universal Creative

Project Manager

John Hogan

Marriott International

VP/Design and Project Management

John Hogan

Marriott International

VP/Design and Project Management

Nikolay Hotze

RCPR Acquisition Holdings, LLC

Managing Director