Kirwin to head Carlson US
Carlson Hotels Worldwide has
announced the appointment of Paul Kirwin as President of Carlson Hotels
Worldwide - The Americas.Kirwin, a veteran Carlson Hotels executive, has
served the last five years as President and Managing Director of Carlson
Hotels Asia Pacific.
Announcing the appointment today was Jay Witzel, president and CEO of
Carlson Hotels Worldwide. “Paul brings a wealth of hotel industry
experience and a proven record of success to this position,” Witzel said.
“Paul was the inaugural president of Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific when we
created this company five years ago and has provided strong leadership in
establishing and growing our brands in this vitally important region of the
world.”
Kirwin assumes his new position from Yvonne LaPenotiere, who has been
named to the newly created position of Chief Branding Officer. This
position will play a vital role in the creation and implementation of brand
management strategy that is central to the future success of Carlson’s five
hotel brands: Regent Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Hotels & Resorts,
Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson and Park
Inn. The company currently includes 964 locations in 70 countries
worldwide.
Witzel added, “We are pleased that Paul will be leading the Americas
team, building further on the strong foundation of success that has been
established during the past several years of leadership by Yvonne.”
Kirwin has more than 20 years experience in the hospitality industry.
Prior to his presidency of Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, he spent 13 years
with Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in various senior operational
positions, including five as president, leading the overall business
operations and expansion of this industry leading, mid-tier hotel brand.
Kirwin also served as general manager at Radisson hotel properties in
Charlotte, N.C. and Lexington, KY. He began his career with Hyatt hotels in
various operations positions.
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He is a past board member of the International Franchise Association,
is active in various industry groups and has been frequently published on
topics such as hotel operations and quality management. Kirwin graduated
magna*censored*laude from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of
Science degree.Carlson Hotels also announced additional structural changes in its
business development teams. Franchise development for all brands is now
consolidated under the leadership of Nancy Johnson, who will also retain
responsibilities as executive vice president of franchised operations for
full service hotels.
Development for new properties that are owned and managed by Carlson
will be under the leadership of Wendy Nelson, who has been promoted to
executive vice president of Carlson Hotels Real Estate Company. Nelson will
also take on responsibilities for architectural design and project
management in addition to her current responsibilities for asset management
and project analysis. This new structure reflects the strategic importance
of the owned and managed portfolio and the company’s strategy to grow this
part of the business. Steve Mogck will continue in the role of executive
vice president of franchise operations for select service hotels.
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