White Lodging Names New General Managers for Nine Properties

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., July 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- White Lodging is pleased to announce the following individuals have been named general managers within the last month across the company.

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Chris Hammons has been promoted to general manager of the Residence Inn Austin South. Hammons joined White Lodging in 2011 as operations manager at the Courtyard University in Austin. While there, Hammons helped push overall scores to their highest levels since 2008 and all service scores into the top 20% of the brand. Prior to White Lodging, Hammons worked at several different hotel management companies, including serving as general manager at the Residence Inn at Sandestin, Fla.

"I am excited to take on this new challenge and I look forward to a great year with strong results," said Hammons.

David DiFalco has been promoted to general manager of the Renaissance Boulder in Boulder, Colo. DiFalco joined White Lodging in 2011 as the director of operations at the Marriott Denver South. Prior to his position in White Lodging, DiFalco spent 11 years with Marriott International on the East Coast. He has excelled in key positions, including director of event management at the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge in New York, assistant general manager of the Manhattan Upper Eastside Courtyard and general manager of the Mawah Courtyard. DiFalco is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management.

"I am very excited to start as the general manager at the Renaissance Boulder Flatiron hotel," said DiFalco. "Renaissance is one of the premier hotel brands in the world, and I am honored to begin my post there and carry on the tradition of success established since the hotel's opening."

Jeffrey Lawn has been promoted to general manager of the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids in Michigan.  Previously, Lawn was the general manager of the Courtyard Fort Wayne in Indiana. As general manager for the Courtyard Fort Wayne, Lawn turned around hotel processes and procedures to ensure that guests received a high level of service, associates were engaged and target house profit numbers were hit. Lawn has also served as general manager of the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Hammond, Ind. and as assistant general manager at the Holiday Inn Grand Rapids. Prior to joining White Lodging, Lawn served as a housekeeping supervisor intern at The Inn at Bay Harbor in Michigan and as a student manager for the catering department at Lake Superior State University. 

"My family and I look forward to our return to Grand Rapids and are also thankful for the opportunities White Lodging has provided us," said Lawn.

Bradley Davenport has been promoted to general manager at the Courtyard Hammond in Indiana. Previously, Brad was the rooms operations manager at the Chicago Marriott Midway at the Midway Hotel Center. Davenport has held multiple positions at the Chicago Marriott Downtown and Chicago Marriott Midway, including event services manager, manager on duty, assistant front desk manager and housekeeping manager. Previously, Davenport worked as the new business and corporate partner of development at Pinpoint Communications in Deerfield Beach, Fla., where he created new business leads and managed outside sales and corporate promotions.

"I plan to uphold the current outstanding customer service at the property and help bring them to a higher level with my contributions from my past experiences at Marriott," said Davenport.

Josh Howard has been named general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn San Francisco. He previously served as regional bench general manager for White Lodging. As a regional bench general manager, Howard was responsible for the training and development of company and brand standards, development of managers and recruitment of talent for internal and external positions. Prior to joining White Lodging, Josh held a number of management positions with Commonwealth Hotels, LLC including general manager of Hyatt Place Lexington in Lexington, Ky., general manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Tampa Fairgrounds/Casino in Tampa, Fla., and assistant general manager of Springhill Suites by Marriott Louisville Airport in Kentucky.

"I am very excited to represent White Lodging's only California property and to continue building the relationship with Blackstone," said Howard.

Sarai Braziel has been promoted to general manager of the Fairfield Inn and Suites Austin University. Previously, Braziel was the operations manager at the Courtyard Austin Airport.  In her previous role as operations manager at the Courtyard Austin Airport, Braziel was responsible for planning and managing daily operations for multiple departments.  She also implemented mandatory procedures to deliver operation excellence daily and delivered outstanding customer service, as well as ensuring associates do the same by motivating and providing strong leadership skills. Prior to her role as operations manager, Braziel held a variety of managerial roles in Austin, Texas, including operations manager and front desk supervisor at Residence Inn Parmer Lane, and sales and revenue manager at St. Michael Plaza Hotel.

"I am very thankful for what White Lodging has given me to date, in terms of personal and professional development as both a hotelier and leader," said Braziel. "Within this role I will look to continue this development into my own hotel team to ensure they receive the same continued personal and professional development into their next roles."

Brittany Stubbs has been promoted to general manager of the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Merrillville, Ind. Previously, Stubbs was the assistant general manager for the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Tinley Park in Chicago. In her previous role as assistant general manager for the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Tinley Park, Stubbs was responsible for managing all departments, including the front office, housekeeping, maintenance and sales. Prior to her role as assistant general manager, Stubbs served as a front office agent for the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, a guest service agent at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Muncie, Ind. and as a front desk hostess for Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Stubbs is a graduate of Ball State University, where she studied hospitality management and travel and tourism.

"I am excited for this opportunity and to be working for White Lodging, which is a leader in the hospitality industry," said Stubbs.

Gary Gergely has been promoted to general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Saratoga Springs in New York. Previously, Gergely was the general manager of the Hampton Inn in Merrillville, Ind. In his previous role as general manager of the Hampton Inn Merrillville, Gergely was responsible for overseeing fifteen employees.  Prior to his position with White Lodging, Gergely held roles in Michigan, including operations manager of the Courtyard Centerpoint and guest service representative at Marriott Centerpoint. Gergely is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where he studied hospitality and tourism management and business administration.

"A hotel more than double the revenue of my previous property sounds like a great opportunity," said Gergely.  "I am more than happy to take over as general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Saratoga Springs New York."

Kirby Brown has been promoted to general manager of the Residence Inn Indianapolis Canal. Previously, Brown was the general manager of the Springhill Suites Indianapolis in Fishers, Ind.  In his previous role, Brown was responsible for all day-to-day operations, guest satisfaction, employee satisfaction, labor and cost controls and quality assurance compliance. Brown begins his role as general manager of Residence Inn Indianapolis Canal with experience in both sales and operations across multiple brands.

"I am extremely grateful to White Lodging for the opportunity to grow with such a recognized company," said Brown. "I look forward to this new challenge and the additional tools I will learn for my management career."

White Lodging Services Corporation - was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid-to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 168 hotels in 21 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotel Group, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group and Carlson Hotels Worldwide. For more information about White Lodging, please visit www.whitelodging.com.

SOURCE White Lodging Services Corporation