Magnuson Hotels and Terrapin Hospitality have both promoted from within to fill COO roles, while Island Hospitality Management and Sandpiper Lodging Trust have moved people into leadership positions.
Magnuson names Dardard COO
Magnuson Hotels has appointed Jérémie Dardard (pictured above) as COO.
“Jérémie will oversee the daily operations of Magnuson Hotels as well as promoting the company culture and vision,” said Thomas Magnuson, CEO. “As we grow, he’ll bring a fresh pair of eyes and his many years of experience in the hotel industry to bear. Jérémie has excellent management skills and the right temperament for the job, and we’re thrilled to promote him as we help more owners achieve the best possible performance for their hotels.”
Dardard is based in the U.K. and has been with Magnuson for four years, most recently as global head of corporate revenue strategy. “What I like the most about Magnuson is the culture,” he said. “There is no politics and that is very rare. We have been signing hotels throughout the pandemic and been beating record after record with performance, but there is still more to achieve. I believe that owners are increasingly drawn to our model, which offers standards without standardization and no costly PIPs to join our growing portfolio.”
Magnuson Hotels is expanding across its brands, including an increased focus on franchising in the U.S. The group signed 80 hotel agreements in 2021 in the U.S. and U.K. and reported a 40.5% increase in RevPAR in 2021 for its Independent Collection over the same period in 2019.
Terrapin Hospitality promotes Kvernen to COO; adds regional VP
Terrapin Hospitality has expanded its management team with the promotion of Shawn Kvernen to COO and the addition of Robert Adler as regional VP.
In his new role, Kvernen is responsible for all aspects of the company’s overall growth and oversight of the entire managed portfolio. Adler will report directly to Kvernen.
“Shawn is a seasoned management executive and has been integral to the growth since joining the company when we acquired K Partners,” said Tony Sherman, founder/principal, Terrapin Hospitality. “He knows hotels, our industry and has broad experience in operations and management contracts. Shawn’s new position along with the addition of Robert Adler will allow us to continue our aggressive growth strategy.”
Kvernen joined Terrapin in September 2021 as SVP of business development upon the closing of the company’s acquisition of K Partners, where he served as owner/COO. During his 15-year tenure at K Partners, he held various operational roles and helped the company grow from four to 35 properties.
Adler joins Terrapin from Hotel Equities, where he served as VP, operations West and was responsible for overseeing the company’s extensive portfolio in the Western U.S. He brings with him extensive leadership experience with multiple brand and hotel management organizations.
Island Hospitality promotes two to EVP roles
Island Hospitality Management has promoted Drew Allison and John Marques to EVPs of operations.
In their new roles, each is responsible for the sales and operations for his respective division of hotels while facilitating and growing existing relationships with Island Hospitality’s expanding portfolio of ownership groups.
Allison began his career with Island Hospitality as manager of the Residence Inn, Silicon Valley II in 2005. During his tenure with the company, he has worked in 11 different roles across the U.S., including area manager, regional VP and SVP of operations.
A 30-plus-year hospitality veteran, Marques joined Island Hospitality as regional director of operations in 2006. Previous roles include regional VP for Musselman Hotels and SVP for Magna Hotels.
Sandpiper promotes Garson
Sandpiper Lodging Trust (SLT) has promoted Will Garson to VP, acquisitions.
He began with SLT in 2019 as an associate in the acquisitions group. He has been responsible for providing analytical support for the acquisition, development and financing activities of SLT’s growing portfolio of extended-stay hotel assets. In his new role, he will be assuming increasing responsibility in SLT’s acquisition efforts.
Prior to joining Sandpiper, he spent 3.5 years as a financial analyst at Hackney Real Estate Partners, a private real estate investment firm. There, he played an integral role in both acquisition and disposition processes as the sole analyst responsible for underwriting properties. During his time there, he assisted in underwriting more than $180 million in acquisitions and dispositions.
