Hands-on Leadership and the Competitive Edge

Michael Thomas George is the Founder, Chairman, & CEO of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Crescent Hotels & Resorts Canada, Latitudes Hotels & Resorts, & Crescent Holdings, an award-winning, nationally recognized operator specializing in full-service upper-upscale and luxury hotels, golf resorts, destination spas and distinguished restaurants. Crescent currently operates over 120 hotels and resorts and over 300 restaurants and bars in the U.S. and Canada. Crescent is one of the few elite management companies approved to operate full-service luxury hotels & resorts under the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt affiliation of brands. Crescent's clients include prestigious hotel REITs, private equity firms and major developers.

Prior to founding Crescent, Michael served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Destination Hotels & Resorts, operating signature assets including Hotel del Coronado, Eden Roc Resort and Royal Palms Resort. Prior to Destination, Michael served as Chief Operating Officer for Sunstone Hotels & Resorts and Senior Vice President of Operations for Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

Earlier in his career, Michael served as an award-winning General Manager for premier hotels with Hilton, Westin and Sheraton brand affiliations. Michael serves on numerous full-service Owners Advisory Boards for Marriott and Hilton, the Board of Directors of the American Hotel Lodging Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, numerous educational and philanthropic organizations and previously several publicly traded hotel companies.
 

Dawn Gallagher is a prominent leader in the hospitality industry and has been an integral part of Crescent for nearly a decade. As President of Hospitality, Dawn oversees all Crescent Commercial, Operations, and People & Culture functions.

Previously serving as Crescent's Chief Commercial Officer, Dawn's long-standing expertise in both branded and independent hotels has significantly influenced the company's positive trajectory. Prior to joining Crescent, Dawn served as the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Interstate Hotels, where she was responsible for all sales, marketing, and revenue for all independent hotels in NYC, Interstate-owned assets, new openings, as well as other priority projects. 

Dawn also sits on the Cvent Hospitality Customer Advisory Board and the HSMAI Foundation Board. As a keynote speaker, she emphasizes the importance of empowering women in hospitality leadership. 

Rob Smith has over 30 years of experience in the hotel business working for two of the largest independent management companies, Interstate Hotels & Resorts and Carnival Hotels & Resorts, before joining Crescent in 2015.

As President - Corporate Services, CFO, Rob has oversight of all corporate and property financial operations, IT, payroll, risk management, and project management.
Rob has extensive on-property experience, as he has held the position of Director of Finance at eight different properties over his career. Prior to joining Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Rob held several different financial positions with Interstate Hotels & Resorts, ultimately being promoted to Executive Vice President of Global Finance with oversight of more than 400 hotels worldwide, as well as numerous corporate and international entities.

Rob has a finance degree from Florida State University.

With 30+ years of operational leadership in the hospitality industry, Elie brings a wealth of experience across all facets, including asset management, rooms, F&B, engineering, brand partnerships, developments/pre-opening operations, and transitions support.

Elie has built an exceptional career leading operations at some of the most esteemed organizations in the hospitality industry. He began in food and beverage, where he played a pivotal role in developing successful restaurant concepts before transitioning to Interstate Hotels & Resorts where Elie worked with many current Crescent leaders. At Interstate, he excelled in multiple General Manager roles, consistently advancing to oversee increasingly complex hotels across different states and brands. His track record of success led to continuous promotions into high-level operational leadership roles. Most recently, as Executive Vice President of Operations at Aimbridge, Elie oversaw all of North America and international markets, specializing in brand relations, guest experience, and executive leadership development. Additionally, he brings valuable asset management expertise from his tenure at Preston Hollow Community Capital and Murphy Asset Management.  

Beyond his professional achievements, Elie is a dedicated industry leader. He currently serves as a board chairman for the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association (THLA), the largest state hotel association in the U.S., and sits on the hospitality board at California State University, East Bay.

As Senior Vice President of Revenue Integration & New Builds, Shameka Urquhart brings 24 years of hospitality industry experience and success to Crescent Hotels & Resorts. Shameka currently oversees Crescent's west coast revenue management team and is responsible for coaching and leading on property revenue management directors, as well as assisting with strategies to increase revenue and market share in each hotel.

Shameka has been achieving success in the hotel industry for two decades, having started out at Marriott International. Throughout her career, Shameka has dedicated herself to gaining increased experience and responsibility in revenue management positions. At Starwood Hotels & Resorts, she oversaw operations at popular properties like the Century Plaza Hotel under both the Westin and St. Regis brands. She was Associate Director of Revenue Management at Starwood for fifteen years where she further honed her impressive skills across a portfolio of 48 diverse properties spread among five unique brands. Recently, as Corporate Director of Revenue, she oversaw more than $50 million in annual revenues at the Westin Anaheim Resort, Avenue of the Arts, A Tribute Collection Hotel and The Anaheim Hotel.  As Vice President of Revenue Management, Shameka is responsible for leading and mentoring property directors of revenue management and assisting with overall revenue strategies. Shameka is a firm believer in achieving multi-team collaboration and has exceptional experience in implementing revenue management tools to meet this goal. Plus, she always looks forward sharing her knowledge and expertise with colleagues.

Sherry is a seasoned sales and marketing leader with extensive experience across independent hotels, resorts, new builds, and branded properties. Most recently, she led the commercial team for 29 hotels at CSM Corporation, driving the redevelopment of marketing, revenue, and sales strategies.

Before that, she spent seven years at Aimbridge/Interstate, rising from Vice President of Sales to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, overseeing new builds, transitions, and notable properties such as South Seas Island Resort and The Diplomat Hollywood.

Sherry lives in Florida with her husband and two sons, all proud firefighters.

Adam Nemirow is a hospitality professional with nearly 10 years of revenue strategy experience and over 20 years in the hospitality industry. With over 15 years also being spent in operations and personnel management, Adam has keen insight into how total hotel revenue strategies impact the bottom line. His career has been highlighted by leading full-service branded properties in both urban and suburban markets across the US, but his unique understanding of commercial strategy compliments any asset.

As Senior Vice President of Revenue Strategy, Adam shares his wide breadth of experience and knowledge with a high-achieving team of revenue strategists who consistently meet and exceed targeted KPIs. Adam's incorporation of digital optimization and marketing tactics ensures that his team is maximizing both visibility and guest capture throughout the booking funnel, thereby leading to a healthy mix of segmentation and retail efficiency.

Over the course of Adam's career, he has both opened and transitioned multiple properties, led underperforming assets to become market leaders. He has overseen properties in many of the Top 25 US Markets, in scale from 100 to over 1600 keys. Adam is Crescent's Marriott systems expert and has foundational relationships with several of Marriott's revenue leaders.

Adam joined Crescent Hotels & Resorts in 2017 as an Area Director of Revenue Strategy and has since been promoted to both Corporate Director, Vice President and Senior Vice President. Previously, Adam held various Director roles with brands such as Marriott and Hyatt, as well as franchise management companies. Adam holds a degree in Recreation Administration/Systems Management from San Diego State University.

Adam is a highly experienced professional in the field of hospitality procurement operations and systems, with 23 years of industry experience. Throughout his career, Adam has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering excellence and has played a vital role in enhancing e-procurement systems. 

Additionally, he has used his expertise to assist in the development and implementation of procurement systems and protocols across the US, LaTam, and EMEA showcasing his extensive knowledge and global impact in the industry.

Holleh is a highly accomplished finance and accounting executive with deep expertise in corporate controllership, financial reporting, audit leadership, treasury, and large-scale process and systems transformation.

Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller for North America at Swissport, where she led finance and accounting teams across the U.S. and Canada, strengthened internal controls, accelerated the month-end close process, and advanced audit effectiveness and reporting accuracy.

Holleh is known for building strong, engaged teams and for bringing a thoughtful, disciplined approach to financial operations and strategic decision support. Her leadership and experience will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our corporate finance organization and support Crescent's long-term growth.

As  Senior Vice President, Portfolio Technology. Shauna joins Crescent with over 25 plus years of Technology background across Hospitality, F&B, Finance, and Health Care. She has extensive hotel experience with management groups and ownership entities in Canada and the US most recently extensively in the West Coast properties. Shauna has been instrumental as a consultant in Crescent transitions and adding support to emergent property issues for the past three years across the entire Crescent portfolio of properties.

Allison is an accomplished hotel professional with extensive experience in repositioning assets in branded, independent and lifestyle hotels. Allison has more than 16 years of instrumental leadership experience, with her most recent roles as General Manager of the historic William Penn hotel in Pittsburgh and as Vice President of Operations at TPG Hotels & Resorts in Fort Lauderdale. While there, Allison led the Southeast region to become the top performer for employee satisfaction, ranking 10 points above the company average, along with achieving the highest profitability margins within the company. 

Prior to joining TPG Hotels & Resorts, Allison held the position of Regional Director of Operations and General Manager with HEI Hotels & Resorts. Allison refocused company resources on operational improvements to increase the Guest Service Index rating by 40% across six locations.

Allison earned a hospitality management degree from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and certification from Le Cordon Bleu.

As Vice President of Investment & Revenue Analysis, Andrew is a key leader to Crescent's Business Development team, involved in both underwriting analysis and top line revenue strategies to further Crescent's growth. Andrew has been with Crescent since 2017 and was previously Vice President of Revenue Integration. In his prior role, he collaborated with the Business Development team on securing new deals as well as standardizing the hotel transition process.

Andrew has been involved with the opening of Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Independent products, as well as conversion projects. He is a multi-brand systems expert, currently holding certifications for property and revenue management systems for Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt, as well as multiple independent platforms. His market experience includes Providence, Boston area, Philadelphia, New York, Scottsdale, and Bellevue.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from The College at Brockport State University Of New York and a Masters in Hospitality Management from Cornell University.

As Vice President, Business Strategy, Raina is focused on expanding Crescent's portfolio and building strong partnerships across the industry. 

Prior to joining Crescent, Raina held the role of Vice President, Business Development for PM Hotel Group. Raina has also held the roles of Director of Feasibility & Business Development at Sage Hospitality; Development Manager at The Buccini Pollin Group; Senior Manager, Luxury & Corporate Development with Hilton; and Acquisitions & Asset Management Analyst at LaSalle Hotel Properties. 

Raina received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration and a Minor in Real Estate Finance from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. She currently serves as President of Cornell Hotel Society's Colorado-Rocky Mountain Chapter. 

Kym has more than 25 years of hospitality leadership experience and, even prior to joining Crescent, built a successful leadership career with Pacific Hospitality Group, Westmont Hospitality Group, and John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, serving in multiple General Manager and dual-property leadership roles where he consistently delivered operational turnarounds, revenue growth, and strong associate engagement results.

Since joining Crescent, Kym has held several key operational roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including Regional Director of Operations, Area General Manager for The Westin Chicago Lombard and Hotel Lincoln (JDV by Hyatt), and General Manager of The Westin Chicago Lombard. He has also supported our organization as a Task Force General Manager across multiple properties and was a member of GMAC and Crescent Diversity Committee. Earlier in his Crescent tenure, Kym served as General Manager of the Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport. 

Across these roles, Kym has consistently delivered strong financial and operational results leading branded and independent hotels, led complex renovations and repositioning efforts, supported multiple transitions into Crescent, and built high-performing teams in both union and non-union environments. He is widely respected for his owner-focused approach, disciplined operational leadership, and dedication to team development.

As Vice President, Investment Analysis, Patrick (PJ) is a key leader to Crescent's Business Development team, involved in underwriting analysis and investment strategy to further Crescent and our clients' growth.

Prior to joining the Crescent team, PJ was the Director of Investment and Strategic Development for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, where he and his team were responsible for all property and portfolio underwriting globally. Prior to joining Wyndham, PJ worked as the director of acquisitions and development for Magna Hospitality, Senior Financial Analyst at CBRE Hotels, and Analyst at HVS. 

PJ received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management with a concentration in Development from NYU's Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality.

Farrah has 25 years of progressive experience in hospitality, beginning her career in Operations with Crescent Hotels in 2007 and subsequently discovered her passion for People & Culture. She continued her progressive path as a Complex Director of People & Culture, Task force Director of People & Culture and Corporate Director of People & Culture before being promoted to Vice President of People & Culture/Talent Management. 

She has worked with multiple brands to include Hyatt, Hilton, and Starwood hotels.  She has demonstrated driving organizational success effectively aligning People & Culture strategies with business objectives to achieve optimal results. Farrah promotes fostering a culture that embraces unique perspectives & backgrounds of every individual for an inclusive workplace.  

Mr. Xin Wang has over 34 years of experience in hotel finance and accounting, as well as in operation, sales and marketing, revenue management, and asset management in both China and US. Before he joined Crescent in 2015, he served as VP of Hotel Finance in Interstate China to expand and build up the third-party management operation in China. Prior to that, he worked for Thayer Lodging Group as regional Director of Finance. He graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with B.S degree in EE in 1986 and later graduated from the Hotel School in Cornell University with Master's degree in hospitality management in 2011.

His extensive operation and asset management background enables him to catch the needs of both the ownership and the property management sides to identify opportunities and develop actionable plans to achieve the desired goals for the owners. 

He lives in Denver Colorado with his family and enjoys the mile-high city's sunshine and outdoor activities. He loves soccer as a past college team player. Hiking in the Rockies is his favorite activity in the summer.

Jenniffer brings in 15 years of hospitality experience, with her latest role being Area Director of Revenue at HEI Hotels and Resorts, where she oversaw the Revenue strategies at three properties and improved RevPAR by 8.1% to previous year (2019 compared to 2018) and 3.9% to budget.
 
Now based in Texas, Jenniffer actually started her hospitality career in California, as a Front Desk Agent- Concierge, and managed to work her way up to Reservations Coordinator and, next, Revenue Manager. Her first Director of Revenue role was at the Sheraton Austin at The Capitol, an HEI hotel, where she improved RevPAR by 7.1% to budget and holding a 85.4% occupancy YTD. This performance lead to the nomination of the property for Outstanding Achievement in Revenue Management for HEI.
 
Jenniffer successfully helped with transitions and conversions, and holds multiple certifications in revenue management, e-commerce, and distribution from industry-leading organizations

Josh is a seasoned culinary and beverage professional with 20 years of industry experience, including an extensive background in managing high-end, multi-outlet properties. Prior to joining Team Crescent, Josh held the role of Corporate Executive Chef for Pacifica Hotels, leading restaurant operations and retail programming for 40 boutique and full-service hotel properties. 

Brandi is a senior hospitality professional with a proven record of tactical planning and execution of sales, revenue, and marketing initiatives to ensure top-line revenue generation. She has extensive experience with all major brands, as well as luxury and high-end independent hotels. Before her role with Crescent, Brandi held Vice President of Sales & Marketing roles with Schulte Hospitality and Graduate Hotels. In these roles, she successfully grew Schulte's Luxury, Lifestyle & Resort portfolio and created the platform for the mass expansion of Graduate hotels throughout the country. Brandi also held a Regional Director of Sales & Marketing role with HEI Hotels, overseeing a portfolio of twenty luxury, lifestyle, and destination properties throughout all major markets.

Brandi has an impressive background overseeing sales & marketing efforts in major markets such as San Diego, Washington DC, New York, Philadelphia, and beyond. She has a proven track record of successful acquisitions, re-branding, conversions, and re-positioning throughout all phases of asset life-cycles as well as strong market performance, culture creation, and result-driven leadership. Brandi holds an MBA from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

With over 20 years of hospitality leadership experience, Randy Player is an accomplished executive specializing in hotel operations, strategic planning, and team development. Since April 2021, he has served as the Executive Vice President of Operations at Cornerstone Hospitality, LLC, driving operational excellence across a diverse portfolio of properties.

 
Randy's career includes senior leadership roles such as Chief Operating Officer at Inland Pacific Companies and Senior Vice President of Operations at Interstate Hotels & Resorts (now Aimbridge Hospitality), where he led operational initiatives and enhanced profitability for numerous hotel brands. His hands-on expertise spans multiple hotel categories, including luxury, full-service, and select-service properties, with prior roles as General Manager for prominent brands such as Sheraton, Hilton and Marriott.

 Randy holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies from the University of Utah. Known for his results-oriented approach, he excels in operational optimization, guest satisfaction, and building high-performing teams.  Randy enjoys spending his free time outdoors with his wife and four children (all named after US Presidents) and is a Proud Lacrosse Dad.

As the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Canada, Abdi Mohamud brings over 15 years of diverse experience in hotel sales, marketing, and operations. He spearheads the development and implementation of sales and marketing strategies to achieve exceptional results for his portfolio of Canadian properties.

Abdi joined Crescent in 2015 as the Area Director of Sales for Western Canada, where he successfully led teams across multiple regions. Most recently, he served as the Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, overseeing a collection of prestigious properties throughout Canada and significantly increasing market share. Prior to his tenure at Crescent, Abdi held key roles at Platinum Investments, Westmont Hospitality, and Sandman Hotel Group, where he honed his expertise in client relations and sales management.

In addition to his experience with independent hotels, Abdi has worked extensively with renowned brands such as Marriott and Hilton, showcasing his broad and adaptable skill set. He is passionate about sustainability and ensures that Crescent Hotels & Resorts operates in an environmentally responsible manner.

Abdi holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Calgary

Lori has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and extensive experience in all facets of hotel operations including GM and Area Director.  Over the past 12 + years she has specialized in leading the openings of new build hotels and transitions. 

Prior to joining Crescent Hotels & Resorts, she worked as Corporate Director of Transitions with Aimbridge for past several years and was responsible for leading over 200 + openings with Starwood Hotels & Resorts & Marriott Hotels prior to joining Aimbridge.

Don is a seasoned financial executive with more than 20 years of experience leading finance operations across hospitality and asset management portfolios. Don brings extensive expertise in financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, internal controls, cash flow management, capital planning, and multi-property financial operations. He is known as a collaborative leader and trusted strategic partner to both owners and executive leadership.

Most recently, he served as Vice President of Finance with Oliver Hospitality, where he oversaw multi-property hotel operations and extensive ownership and development portfolios while leading system migrations, external audits, and executive financial reporting.

With more than 15 years of progressive experience in hospitality, he brings a unique blend of technology-driven thinking, asset strategy expertise, and hands-on leadership to our team. 

Jansen has led geographically diverse portfolios across 15 markets—including major Top 25 destinations such as Hawaii, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, San Jose, New York City, and Chicago—spanning upper-upscale and upper-midscale brands like Westin, Hilton, Hilton Tapestry Collection, Hyatt Place/House, Embassy Suites, Aloft, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Fairfield Inn, Courtyard, and Residence Inn.
 
In his previous leadership roles, most recently with Uptown and Aimbridge, he has led asset management for a select portfolio of full-service hotels and served as a trusted advisor to owners, operators, and internal teams—helping shape performance strategies and influence decisions that enhance asset value. 

Joe brings over two decades of hotel finance leadership with a strong track record of profitability and operational excellence.

Most recently, Joe served as Regional Controller with First Hospitality, overseeing the financial operations of 15 hotels and leading teams of staff accountants and property finance leaders.  In this role, Joe provided budget and forecast guidance, managed audits and tax processes, and ensured strong balance sheet controls across the portfolio.
 
Joe's career includes senior finance leadership roles with respected hospitality brands, including Director of Finance at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago and Waldorf Astoria Chicago, where he helped each property achieve its most profitable years, significantly outperforming budget expectations while improving cash flow and cost controls. His background also includes complex and regional finance roles with Hilton, Wyndham Hotel Group, and Pyramid Hotel Group, as well as early career experience in public accounting. 
 
Throughout his career, Joe has been known for his ability to partner closely with operations and ownership, translate financial data into actionable insights, and build strong, high-performing finance teams.
 
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from West Liberty University.

Michael began his career in accounting and finance more than 25 years ago and has been a valued member of the Crescent team for over 11 years. He began his career with Crescent as Director of Finance at the Holiday Inn Manhattan - Financial District and has since progressed into Corporate Internal Audit, most recently serving as Director of Internal Audit.

Eleni brings over 20 years of HR experience across the hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants, casinos, and cruise lines. She's known for being a strong partner to leadership teams, helping connect people strategies to business goals while building positive, high-performing cultures.

Most recently, Eleni was with Canadian Niagara Hotels, where she supported a large, multi-property operation and led a centralized HR team. She's had a big impact in areas like talent acquisition, employee engagement, and leadership development—along with supporting new openings and integrating teams through periods of growth and change. 

Eleni also brings deep experience in labor relations, including leading collective bargaining and supporting unionized environments, as well as expertise in employee engagement, organizational design, new platform implementations that enhanced hire and retention rates as well as successful talent development. Earlier in her career, she held HR leadership roles with organizations including Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Princess Cruises, where she supported large, diverse teams and helped launch new operations.