IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG) has made several changes to its Americas development leadership team. The introduction of new key team members follows the June retirement of Joel Eisemann, Americas chief development officer, and the ensuing appointment of Julienne Smith, previously SVP of development, to the role.
With more than 4,200 hotels across the U.S., Canada and MLAC (Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean), IHG’s Americas presence accounts for more than 70% of its total global hotel portfolio. The enhancements to the Americas development leadership team aim to fuel continued growth and entry to the IHG portfolio among current and future owners.
Effective immediately, the restructured IHG Americas Development leadership team includes:
Matt Frankiewicz has assumed Smith’s former SVP of development role after previously serving as VP, transactions and asset management for the Americas. In this role, Matt will oversee the advancement and growth of IHG’s luxury, lifestyle and premium brands in the U.S. and Canada, and will continue to lead the development and owner support team across all brands in the Americas region. he joined IHG in 2017 after holding various leadership roles during his more than two decades at White Lodging Services and Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
Tiffany Cooper has joined the Americas Development leadership team in an elevated role as the SVP and head of development for North America and the Caribbean with IHG’s Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group brand. A hospitality veteran who began her career at a Kimpton Hotel more than 25 years ago, she has driven regional growth for the brand during the last four years and will continue to leverage the Americas Development team’s collaborative resources to expand Kimpton’s pipeline and footprint.
Kevin Schramm will remain the SVP, development for IHG’s Essentials and Suites Brands within the U.S. and Canada. During his more than 20 years of development leadership experience, including a decade at IHG, Schramm has overseen the teams responsible for a large portion of the annual signings for his departments.
Paul Adan joins IHG as MLAC senior regional VP, building on his experience as the managing director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Radisson Hotel Group Americas and regional VP at Marriott International. Backed by more than 25 years of development and operations experience, Adan will lead the MLAC regional development team and leverage his strong record of brand growth and franchise deal management success to identify and pursue new opportunities.
Additionally, IHG has made the following key changes to the broader regional development team:
Mike Wernet will assume Frankiewicz’s former VP, development and owner support position. Before joining IHG, Wernet asset managed a substantial portion of JLL’s diverse hotel portfolio and spearheaded the development of the organization’s North American business intelligence platform. His more than 25 years of hospitality experience also includes stints at RLJ and White Lodging, where he managed more than $10 billion in hotel investments and led enterprise-level business planning.
Scott Duff has joined IHG as its new VP, development for Canada. With more than three decades of development, branding and brokerage experience across the Canadian hospitality landscape, Duff will oversee the strategic development and growth of IHG’s luxury, lifestyle and premium brands while maintaining overall responsibility for its essentials and suites brands.
“I’m excited about the strong potential of our Americas development leadership team in capitalizing on future growth opportunities and building upon our recent momentum as we work to grow with existing and new owners,” said Smith. “The members of my team have significant breadth and depth of experience and proven abilities to connect with owners and developers throughout their respective careers. Under our new leadership, I’m confident that our best-in-class teams will continue to strengthen IHG and drive meaningful change within our industry.”
The changes to the Americas development leadership team follow a strong start to the year which saw IHG sign 108 hotels across the Americas region accounting for nearly 11,500 rooms in the first half. During the same time period, IHG opened 42 hotels and added more than 4,300 rooms to its total regional count.