#HPHOTELS
2016 Guest Speakers
Jim Holthouser is Hilton Worldwide's Executive Vice President of Global Brands. In this role, he serves as the company's global leader for brand management and customer marketing across nine consumer brands for more than 4,000 hotels, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton. Mr. Holthouser also oversees the product disciplines that support these hotels. The Product Management group is responsible for the development and management of products for Food & Beverage, Meetings & Events, Spa, Fitness, Guest Technology and Sustainability. The Global Brands Strategy group is responsible for developing strategies for all brand and product groups across the enterprise. With more than 20 years of experience in the lodging, restaurant and gaming industries, Mr. Holthouser has held a series of senior management positions within Hilton Worldwide in the branding, franchising and marketing arenas. Most recently, he was Global Head of Full Service Brands and Global Head of Embassy Suites Hotels, overseeing all aspects of brand management including marketing and PR, sales, revenue management, research and development, and franchise owner relations. Previously, Mr. Holthouser served as Senior Vice President of Brand Management for Homewood Suites by Hilton. His career with the company began in 1979 as the Director of Market Research for Promus. Mr. Holthouser received his MA in economics/political science from the University of Louisville and his international MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management. He is fluent in German and has a strong working knowledge of French.
Executive VP Global Brands for Hilton Worldwide
Jim Holthouser
Hilton Worldwide
Executive Sales Trainer
Stacey Geyer
Master Connections
With more than 27 years of experiencce in the hospitality industry Stacy's extensive background plays an integral part in her energetic and hands-on approach in a classroom setting. Her sales, convention and visitor bureaus allow her to effectively facilitate on-site consulting projects by applying her diverse experience to the field.
Janine Kniola
Amadeus
Janine Kniola has been with Amadeus Hospitality (formerly Newmarket) for 16 years in a variety of roles including Training, Educational Development, Product Management, and now Sales Engineering. She is knowledgeable of Delphi and Delphi.fdc Sales & Event Solutions and is a Certified Salesforce.com Administrator. Prior to joining Amadeus, Janine worked at the University of New Hampshire and Carnegie Mellon University where she advised student organizations and planned campus-wide events and programs. She has held many volunteer roles in professional associations and organizations which include event planning and founded the Blacksburg Children's Museum. She received her undergraduate degree from Binghamton University (NY) and master's degree from Bowling Green State University (OH). She is a guest presenter in the hospitality programs at Virginia Tech and the University of South Carolina. Janine currently works from her home in Blacksburg, Virginia with her husband, David, a professor at Virginia Tech. They have two girls ages 13 and 11.
Sales Engineer
Matt Neff
Travelclick
Regional VP of Sales
Matt Neff has been with TravelClick over 16 years helping hotels grow revenue through more profitable channels. He is the Regional Vice President of Sales for the Southeastern US residing in Fort Lauderdale, FL overseeing a great team from Delaware down to the Keys over to and including New Orleans. Matt has enjoyed covering markets such as Cincinnati, San Francisco and New York City during his tenure at TravelClick. Prior to joining TravelClick he was a General Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing both in the Midwest and in San Francisco. Having walked in your shoes he is passionate about understanding your growth strategy and applying TravelClick’s portfolio of products to help you achieve it more easily and successfully.
Brent Bergandine
Sertifi
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With over a decade of sales experience, Brent Bergandine brought his passion for relationship building to Sertifi in 2014 as the company’s first hospitality-focused Sales Development Representative. Within a year, Brent took on an Account Executive role, working closely with the hospitality industry to provide solutions that help close business faster and collect customer payments more securely. A lifelong Chicagoan, Brent enjoys taking a run along Chicago’s beautiful lakeshore and cheering on the Bulls, Cubs and Bears.
Account Executive
Kendra Booth
Travelclick
Kendra Booth is a Director of Sales for TravelClick. While residing in Tampa, Florida, she partners with hotels along the entire West Coast of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Kendra came to TravelClick a little over 4 years ago as a prior client for branded and independent hotels as a Director of Sales and Marketing from property level. Understanding the trends in your specific markets, Kendra is able to assist hotel partners with their sales, marketing and revenue strategies to help these properties increase fair share and goals through various TravelClick solutions.
Director of Sales
Aaron Travis
Netchex
Aaron Travis has been on the Netchex team since 2010 and has worked in a number of capacities from sales to client implementation to training and operations. He has received multiple awards including Netchex MVP in 2011 and 2013 and has served on the ACA Task Force, Client Webinar Panel, and NetConnect Training Team. Aaron is a frequent contributor to the Netchex website with his articles on topics ranging from HR best practices to analytics. Prior to his time at Netchex, Aaron spent several years with a startup payroll company after completing his business degree at Lamar University. When Aaron isn't talking about HR technology, he enjoys playing music and spending time with his 5 children.
Sr. Sales Engineer
Luke VanHoose
Hilton Worldwide
Revenue Management
A Regional Revenue Manager for the Hilton Garden Inn brand, Luke has been in the hotel world for over seven years. Prior to supporting the HGI brand he has worked on the front lines as a night auditor, held a regional revenue role in the economy sector and most recently started the GRO Support team at Hilton. Luke resides in Memphis, TN.
Ana Maria Baker
Hilton Worldwide
Revenue Management
Ana-Maria Baker joined Hilton Hotel Corp in January 2008; she is currently a Regional Director of Revenue Management with the Hilton Garden Inn Brand team which she joined in July 2011. Prior to joining the Hilton Garden Inn team, Ana-Maria was with the Revenue Management team at the Hilton Revenue Management Consolidated Center (RMCC) in Dallas for 3 years. Prior to that, Ana-Maria worked with Starwood and Extended Stay American and held various property level positions in Reservations, Convention Services, Front Office, Assistant General Manger working her way up to the role of General Manager at an Extended Stay America.
Ana-Maria earned a B.A. in Sociology at Florida Atlantic University in 2003 and has completed job-specific training both with Starwood and Hilton Worldwide hotels. Her Hilton training includes the successful completion of Revenue Management University. Ana-Maria has considerable knowledge of all Hilton Revenue Management systems. Ana-Maria is fluent in Spanish and as result supports the Latin American Franchise Hilton Garden Inn hotels as part of her region.
Paul Kesman
PDK PR
PR Specialist
Paul Kesman co-founded Identity Marketing & Public Relations in 1998. He formulated the agency's strategic business plan and over the years that followed, the agency grew to become one of the largest marketing and public relations in the Midwest. Paul also managed multiple client account teams, directing the creation and implementation of targeted marketing, media relations, public relations, social media and advertising campaigns for Identity's clients locally, regionally and nationally.
Paul left Identity in 2012 to form his own personal practice. He continues to provide a comprehensive range of public relations, media relations, marketing, advertising and social media services to small and mid-sized companies located across the United States.
He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Majors in Communications and Economics.
Adam Lair
HVS
HVS CONSULTING AND VALUATION SERVICES
Adam Lair partners with Suzanne Mellen to oversee the firm's California practice, and is currently based in both San Francisco and New Orleans. Adam has been involved with appraisals and consulting for hotel and commercial real estate since 2002. The hundreds of assignments under his belt include existing and proposed properties throughout the United States. Adam oversees some of the firm's most complex consulting and valuation engagements. Adam’s formidable expertise is fortified with each new assignment he takes on, and you trust him to guide your hotel loan, transaction, or development successfully home.
Adam excels at complex financial analyses for commercial real estate assets. His standout accomplishments at HVS include a feasibility study for a proposed full-service resort hotel outside of Atlanta and the appraisal of the Westin New Orleans Canal Place in the city’s historic French Quarter. Adam has also written on the post-Katrina, post-recession growth of the New Orleans hotel market. He graduated cum laude from Louisiana State University and studied under scholarship at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans. He has also completed an advanced set of courses in the analysis and valuation of real estate through the Appraisal Institute. Adam holds the designation of MAI as a Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute and is a state-certified general appraiser.
Adam played for Louisiana State University’s Tigers as a quarterback during the 2001/02 college football season; the team won the SEC Championship and the Sugar Bowl, and Adam was named an Academic All-SEC. Adam loves to travel and has lived in cities around the world, including Paris, Charleston, and Honolulu.