Brad Korzen has announced the appointment of Nicholas Clayton as the new President of Kor Hotel Group, the company’s hospitality division.In his capacity as President, Clayton will ensure that Kor’s nineteen properties, including its existing boutique hotels and in-development residential hotel projects, remain dedicated to the highest standards of excellence. He will also facilitate company growth, through the acquisition of new properties and by maximizing value in current operations.

A twenty-year veteran of the luxury hospitality industry, Clayton joins Kor Hotel Group with significant operations experience through senior management positions with leading international hotel groups. Most recently he was Senior Vice President of Operations for Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, where he was responsible for the group’s Asian and European properties, as well as the entire portfolio’s Food & Beverage and Spa divisions. He was also instrumental in developing processes to further build and differentiate the Mandarin Oriental brand.

“Nicholas holds extensive senior management experience at key international properties,” said Korzen in announcing the appointment, “including five years at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and over ten years with Ritz-Carlton. This background, along with his demonstrated success in impacting revenue growth and developing strong customer service cultures, will be of tremendous benefit to Kor as he oversees expansion efforts for the company’s growing portfolio.”

Clayton commenced his professional hotelier career while still attending the University of Texas, Arlington, where in 1987 he earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration, Finance degree. While at the university, he occupied various management positions at the Four Seasons Resort and the Mandalay Four Seasons Hotel, both in Las Colinas, TX. Following graduation he joined The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company’s Phoenix property. Within a year, he was promoted to Executive Assistant Manager of Rooms for their Houston hotel, and the following year he joined the pre-opening team of the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco as Resident Manager.

In 1991, Clayton was awarded his first General Manager position at the 550-room Ritz-Carlton, Mauna Lani in Hawaii, launching a ten-year-plus run as General Manager for several significant Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in key international destinations. During his tenure at Mauna Lani, he developed and implemented sales and marketing strategies that substantially increased the property’s revenue. Quickly recognized for his exceptional leadership skills and professional potential, the company assigned him to their property in Marina del Rey, CA. Within the following year, Clayton had developed a focused management team effective enough to claim number-one improvement rankings for the hotel in both finance and quality measurements. Building on this remarkable success, he was appointed Director of Operations for Ritz-Carlton’s Australia properties and assigned to restore profitability of their two five-star hotels in Sydney.

In 1998 he became Managing Director for the Ritz-Carlton Millenia in Singapore, a 610-room hotel with several fine dining restaurants, extensive banquet facilities and a full-service spa. Leading a team of 750 associates, he implemented total quality management that improved market share for the property and elevated guest satisfaction ratings. As a result, the hotel was frequently recognized both regionally and internationally for outstanding customer service and overall quality. In 2001, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group appointed him to Senior Vice President, Operations.
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