Omni Dallas Hotel Announces New, Expanding Executive Team

DALLAS, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Omni Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce the appointments of top leadership positions for the Omni Dallas Hotel, a 23-story, 1000-room luxury property, connected to the Dallas Convention Center, which will open in early 2012.

Omni Dallas Hotel Executive Team

Nils Stolzlechner will lead the Omni Dallas Hotel as general manager, reporting to Ed Netzhammer, the managing director of the hotel and a regional vice president of operations for the brand.  For the last four years he served as general manager of the Omni Corpus Christi.  Prior management positions include director of operations at the Omni San Francisco Hotel and Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza.  Stolzlechner has extensive experience with food and beverage services as well, including his time spent as the director of food and beverage at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, Park Hyatt in Carmel and San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara.

Rick LaValley, a 30 year hospitality industry veteran, will serve as the director of finance.  He was the vice president of finance for Omni Hotels & Resorts the last three years, but his desire to get "back into the field" has led him to the Omni Dallas Hotel.  Prior to joining the corporate team, he was the director of finance at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta.  Before his current six year run with Omni, Rick was with Interstate Hotels Corporation (IHC), now owned by Wyndham, as both controller and area controller.  He received numerous 'Excellence in Controllership' awards while with IHC.

Dallas-native James Cannon joins the team as director of engineering.  He also brings more than 30 years experience in the hospitality field.  Cannon joined Omni in 1996 as director of engineering for the Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West before moving to the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas in 2003.  Prior to joining Omni, he served as chief engineer at the Richardson Hilton.  In 2006, Omni named Cannon as the Ideal Executive in Engineering.

Charles Riley will oversee all the culinary and restaurant operations as the hotel's director of food and beverage.  Currently, he holds the same position at the Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West, where he's worked since 2004.  Riley has held various positions in the food and beverage departments within the hospitality industry such as Interstate Hotels, La Mansion Hotel and Culinaire International in Austin, Texas, as well as the Fairmont Hotel and West Canal Place in New Orleans.  During his tenure at the Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West, the property was top ranked in food and beverage based on guest satisfaction within the Omni brand for 2010.

Barbara Doucet will serve as director of human resources.  She joined Omni in 2008 as part of the pre-opening Omni Fort Worth Hotel and led the associate services function for one of Omni's largest operations, including the initial hiring and training.  While there, she forged critical relationships with local government, non-governmental agencies and schools which resulted in $71,000 in grants awarded in conjunction with internship programs and training for existing associates.  In light of her accomplishments, Barbara was named to the Board of the Tarrant County Workforce Improvement Committee and was pivotal in the Omni Fort Worth Hotel's Tarrant County Employer of Excellence Award in 2010.

"We have assembled one of the finest executive teams in the hospitality industry," said Ed Netzhammer, the managing director of the Omni Dallas Hotel.  "This tremendous team will enable us to focus on immediately offering an exceptional experience for our guests traveling for meetings, business or pleasure."

The expanding leadership team joins Harold "Q" Queisser, the director of marketing, Chad Enloe, the director of sales, and other sales associates who have been part of the organization since 2010 in preparing for the opening.  For meetings and event information, planners can call 214-744-6664 or visit omnidallashotel.com.  

About the Omni Dallas Hotel

Scheduled to open in early 2012, the Omni Dallas Hotel offers a luxurious, warm and sophisticated design which reflects the essence of Dallas with a contemporary, reflective glass exterior and native textures, art and other materials enriching the interior.  Upon opening, guests and locals alike will have access to five culinary selections, including the celebrated Bob's Steak & Chop House, The Owner's Box and a farm-to-table restaurant, Texas Spice, for a casual dining experience, as well as retail space, lounges, a signature Mokara Spa, urban pool deck and more.  In-room technology will include flat screen TVs as well as TV monitors embedded within the bathroom mirrors.  The LEED Silver New Construction project includes utilization of recycled materials, irrigation supplied by recycled water, water-saving fixtures, guest room energy management systems and more.

Connected via a skybridge to the Dallas Convention Center, the Omni Dallas Hotel will incorporate over 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.  Included among its 21 meeting rooms are the grand and junior ballrooms, encompassing 32,000 and 15,000 sq. ft. respectively.  The hotel will comfortably accommodate groups of more than 3,300 attendees at any given time.

About Omni Hotels & Resorts

Omni Hotels & Resorts creates genuine, authentic guest experiences that take guests on "A Total Departure" to 50 distinct luxury hotels and resorts in leading business gateways and leisure destinations across North America.  From exceptional golf and spa retreats to dynamic business settings, each Omni showcases the local flavor of the destination while featuring four-diamond services, signature restaurants, Wi-Fi connectivity and unique wellness options.  Known for its award-winning, personalized service, Omni leaves a lasting impression with every customer interaction, with a heightened level of recognition and rewards delivered through its Select Guest loyalty program and the company's "Power of One" associate empowerment program.  The brand is frequently recognized by top consumer research organizations such as J.D. Power and Associates, which ranked Omni as "Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains" in its 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study(SM). To get additional information or book accommodations, visit omnihotels.com or call 1-800-The-Omni.

SOURCE Omni Hotels & Resorts