Pictured: Joel Eisemann and Julienne Smith. Imagery courtesy of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has reshuffled its development team for the Americas following a recent change at the top.
Ex SVP of development, Julienne Smith, took over the chief development officer role from the retiring Joel Eisemann in June, and this has now sparked a chain reaction of changes within the department.
Domino effect
Matt Frankiewicz has assumed Smith’s former SVP of development role after previously serving as VP, transactions and asset management for the Americas. In this role, he will oversee the advancement and growth of IHG’s luxury, lifestyle and premium brands in the US and Canada, and will continue to lead the development and owner support team across all brands in the Americas region. Frankiewicz joined IHG in 2017 after holding various leadership roles during his more than two decades at White Lodging Services Corp. and Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Furthermore, Mike Wernet is taking over Frankiewicz’s former VP, development and owner support position. Before joining IHG, Wernet asset managed a substantial portion of JLL’s hotel portfolio and spearheaded the development of the organisation’s North American business intelligence platform. His more than 25 years of hospitality experience also includes stints at RLJ and White Lodging, where he managed more than $10 billion in hotel investments and led enterprise-level business planning.
New joiners
Elsewhere, IHG’s Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group brand has welcomed Tiffany Cooper as the SVP and head of development for North America and the Caribbean. A hospitality veteran who began her career at a Kimpton Hotel more than 25 years ago, Cooper has driven regional growth for the brand during the past four years and will continue to leverage the Americas development team’s resources to expand Kimpton’s pipeline and footprint.
Plus Paul Adan joined IHG as Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean (MLAC) senior regional VP, building on his experience as MD for Latin America and the Caribbean at Radisson Hotel Group Americas and regional VP at Marriott International. Backed by more than 25 years of development and operations experience, Adan will lead the MLAC regional development team and leverage his strong record of brand growth and franchise deal management success to identify and pursue new opportunities.
IHG has welcomed Scott Duff as its new VP, development for Canada. With more than three decades of development, branding and brokerage experience across the Canadian hospitality landscape, Duff will oversee the strategic development and growth of IHG’s luxury, lifestyle, and premium brands while maintaining overall responsibility for its essentials and suites brands.
Team potential
Americas chief development officer Smith said: “I’m excited about the strong potential of our Americas development leadership team in capitalising on future growth opportunities and building upon our recent momentum as we work to grow with existing and new owners.
“The members of my team have significant breadth and depth of experience and proven abilities to connect with owners and developers throughout their respective careers. Under our new leadership, I’m confident that our best-in-class teams will continue to strengthen IHG and drive meaningful change within our industry.”
With more than 4,200 hotels across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, IHG’s Americas presence accounts for more than 70% of its total global hotel portfolio.
Related Articles
IHG operates hotels in three different ways – as a franchisor, as a manager and on an owned and leased basis.
[showlayout id=510774]
