Hands-on Leadership and the Competitive Edge


Michael is the Founder, President & CEO of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, 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 90 hotels and resorts and over 250 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 also operates a collection of iconic and lifestyle-independent hotels and resorts within the Latitudes, Lifestyles by Crescent Collection. 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, who operated signature assets including Hotel del Coronado, Eden Roc Resort and Royal Palms Resort & Spa. 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 an accomplished sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in multiple markets and experience working with both branded and independent hotels. As Chief Commercial Officer, Dawn oversees all Crescent sales, marketing, public relations, revenue and digital strategies. Prior to joining Crescent Hotels & Resorts, 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, as well as other priority projects. Dawn is a key asset to Crescent Hotels & Resorts as she provides knowledge of successful hotel openings, brand transitions and the ability to drive market share.
Mr. 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 Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Smith has oversight of all corporate and property financial operations.
Mr. Smith 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, Mr. Smith 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.
Smith has a finance degree from Florida State University.
Mike Metcalf possesses over 30 years of hotel investment, underwriting, asset management and operations experience ranging from resort, luxury, upper upscale, convention, golf and condominium hotels. As Chief Operating Officer of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, he is engaged with Crescent's capital partner relations, hotel investment strategy, asset management oversight and securing management contracts. Mike has been instrumental in Crescent's success for many years, having served previously as Executive Vice President, Executive Vice President of Operations, Senior Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Business Development for Crescent Hotels & Resorts.
Mike began his career with ITT Sheraton in various operational positions, including General Manager at numerous ITT Sheraton-managed hotels. Mike served as General Manager at the prestigious PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Sheraton LAX, and was General Manager in Orlando at both Hotel Royal Plaza and Delta Orlando Resort. Mike also served as Vice President for NR Advisors, an independent consulting firm providing asset management and interim General Manager services. Prior to Crescent, Mike served as Vice President of Operations for Providence Hospitality Partners.
As Partner & Executive Vice President, Tony is the driving force behind Crescent Hotels & Resort's growth in Canada. In addition to venturing jointly with Crescent in Canada, Tony is President and CEO of Global Edge Investments (GEI), a hospitality and lifestyle-based investment company he founded in 1998. Global Edge has a range of investments in the hospitality industry, ranging from restaurants and hotels to online hospitality sites. His continued success in the hospitality business stems from a long-held passion for customer satisfaction and a drive to provide the best service.
Tony has launched 45 restaurants throughout Canada and, in 2003, opened the successful Hotel Le Germain Toronto, in which he partnered with Groupe Germain. Quebec City-based Boutique Hoteliers recently voted as one of the 50 best-managed Canadian companies for the seventh year in a row. GEI, in partnership with Freed Developments, opened the phenomenally successful Thompson Toronto Hotel. Global Edge has also taken an active role in the launch of Wahanda.com, a spa and wellness resource guide, booking engine and online community-based in London, England. Tony attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and is the 2012 recipient of the Ontario Hostelry Institute Gold Award for Hotelier of the Year.
As Chief Legal Officer for Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Caroline is responsible for supporting Crescent's corporate strategy related to all legal concerns, contracts, risk management, business development due diligence, investments and dispositions. Caroline also supports the Crescent hotel portfolio and clients in matters relating to general legal issues, licenses, permits, franchise agreements, human resources laws and property-specific vendor contracts.
Before joining Crescent, Caroline worked with various law firms in Virginia and Wisconsin and most recently held a judicial clerkship position at the District I, Milwaukee Court of Appeals. Caroline received her Bachelors of Business Administration in International Business from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA., and received her Juris Doctorate from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, WI. Caroline is also involved in pro bono work, and while in Milwaukee, she was involved in the Pro Bono Family Law Clinic.
As Chairman of Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Roskind serves on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee for Crescent Hotels & Resorts and is engaged in Crescent's Acquisition/ Investment Strategy, Fund Management and Investor Relations. He is also Chairman of the Lexington Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust (REIT), and acts as Managing Director of The LCP Group, L.P., a private real estate advisory firm that is a partner and investor in Crescent Hotels & Resorts operating company and assets. The LCP Group, with partners, has owned hotel properties such as the Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA, the King Edward in Toronto, and Hyatt Regency Hotels in Phoenix, Savannah and Washington, DC. The LCP Group continues as the co-general partner of the partnership, which owns the Lowes Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson.
Mr. Roskind received his B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Harlan Fiske Stone Graduate of the Columbia Law School. He is also the founder of the Babies Heart Fund, which supports the pediatric cardiology unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Tom Gilliland has oversight of Crescent Operations and Culinary teams, driving operational excellence and accountability within the Crescent portfolio. Having an illustrious career with Marriott International for the past 23 years, Tom has spent the last 10 years in Franchise Operations, most recently as Vice President of Franchise Operations. Partnering with the Marriott Development Team, he was responsible for analyzing business and operations proficiency for new hotels and proposed franchises. Prior to that, he held the role of Vice President, Hotel Openings and Transitions. In this role, Tom was responsible for over 650 hotel openings and 250 hotel transitions for Marriott in the US, Canada, Caribbean, and Latin America.
Tom held the position of Board Chair of Marriott's Guest Experience and Food and Beverage Advisory Councils, partnering with valuable franchise executives to collaborate on new initiatives and drive operational performance.Julie joins Crescent Hotels & Resorts with over 25 years of progressive experience in both human resources and the hospitality industry. Through her career, she has been able to hone her skills as an influential and impactful human resources leader. In her most recent role with Accor Hotels, Julie was responsible for over 22,000 associates over the span of 100 locations and six countries. While there, she was a driving force behind their organizational readiness, talent & culture initiatives, and the launch of their new HRIS system. Prior to her role at Accor, Julie spent multiple years at Marriott International as their Market Director of Human Resources.
In addition to her impressive experience, Julie also holds a master's degree in human resources as well as her certification from the Human Resources Professional Association.
Erica Lipscomb is an experienced hospitality executive with over 25 years of sales, revenue, and operations experience in multiple markets. Erica ensures sales, marketing, public relations, revenue and digital strategies are implemented at the property level to maximize revenue. She focuses on providing solutions to critical issues and opportunities.
Erica began her career with Marriott International in various operational, revenue, and sales positions, including Area Sales Leader for DC. She also has boutique hotel experience as the Area Director of Sales & Marketing for several DC and VA Kimpton hotels. With her diverse discipline background, Erica has the leadership and functional expertise to ensure business goals are met.
Michael brings a wealth of industry experience with over 30 years in food and beverage. He brings a strong background in culinary operations in both the hospitality and restaurant industries. Prior to joining Crescent, Michael held the role of Vice President of Culinary Operations with Sage Restaurant Group, where he was an intricate part in the creation of opening 13 award-winning restaurants and hotels. Michael has direct involvement in property operations, as well as the development and implementation of detailed policies and procedures.
In his role as Senior Vice President of the Crescent Restaurant Group, Michael leads Crescent's food and beverage team within the operations department.
Sherry most recently oversaw the commercial team efforts of 29 hotels with CSM corporation, where she led the redevelopment of the
Marketing, revenue, and sales efforts to better serve the hotels within the portfolio. Before CSM, she worked for Aimbridge/Interstate for seven years, starting as a Vice President of Sales and working her way up to SR Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at the time, overseeing new builds and transitions as well as a full region of hotels. She oversaw the Aimbridge trophy assets such as South Seas Island Resorts and The Diplomat Hollywood, She is an accomplished sales and marketing professional with deep experience in independents, resorts, new builds, and branded hotels. Sherry lives in Florida with her husband and two sons, all of which are firefighters!
Jeanette brings over 25 years of experience in hotel revenue strategy, sales and catering to Crescent Hotel & Resorts and is responsible for guiding hotel revenue management strategies to maximize RevPAR and train property level sales and revenue managers in her portfolio of Crescent hotels.
Jeanette's hospitality career began with Swisshotel working in all operating departments and learning the hospitality business from the ground up as a co-op student. Jeanette followed up this learning experience with formal training from Constellation College of Hospitality in Toronto, Ontario. This led to a full-time position with Sheraton in catering sales. This successful role led her to the Corporate Director of Revenue Strategy role with Crescent Hotels & Resorts, covering our Canadian Portfolio. Now Jeanette leads our Canadian portfolio sales and revenue leaders as Vice President of Sales & Revenue Strategy.
As Senior Vice President of Project Management & Engineering for Crescent, Chris oversees a project management team that handles cyclical renovations and change of ownership PIP's. Chris also oversees a capital engineering team, who are deployed to Crescent hotels to assist with major capital projects and preventative maintenance programs. Lastly, Chris also works directly with Crescent's procurement and purchasing teams, responsible not only for procurement at all Crescent hotels but also procurement for all renovations handled in-house.
Prior to Crescent, Chris was Vice President of Project Management at Solid Rock Asset Management, where he oversaw all change of ownership PIP's. Prior to Solid Rock, Chris started his tenure with Pillar Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs, as a Project Manager running renovation projects. Chris worked his way up to Senior Project Manager and finally VP of Project Management, where he oversaw a PM team that ran all cyclical renovations for Pillar's three portfolios of hotels. He also oversaw a team handling all refinance requirements for portfolios going through restructure, ranging from 130-150 assets each. Prior to Pillar, Chris was Construction Manager for Woodbine Development Corporation, where he ran all major capital and renovation projects for Woodbine's TX-based assets, including Hyatt Hill Country Resort & Spa, Hyatt DFW Airport, and Lost Pines Resort & Spa. Chris has a B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University.
As Senior Vice President of Business Strategy, Lily is responsible for identifying management opportunities and leading Crescent's RFP efforts for major clients and institutional developers. Lily is also responsible for managing Crescent's relationships with existing and prospective clients, all major brands, advisors, and brokers. Lily's experience and expertise support Crescent's efforts through developing new strategic relationships and maintaining existing relationships with key individuals within the industry. Lily is also involved in the corporate branding and marketing strategy in collaboration with the Commercial team.
Lily has been with Crescent since 2011 and holds a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of Mary Washington, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Kelli has held the Vice President of Sales and Marketing position with Crescent since 2014. She has more than 25 years of executive management experience in resorts, urban and suburban properties with world-class brands such as Starwood, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Wyndham, supporting several large Crescent convention properties. Kelli specializes in coaching and leading high-performing teams to achieve top-line results through direct sales and marketing initiatives.
Earlier roles within Crescent included oversight of multiple properties in Florida and other southeastern locations as an Area Director of Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Crescent, over the span of about 12 years, Kelli held various sales leadership positions with Starwood Hotels. Additionally, she headed up sales system integration for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts early on in her career. Kelli holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Organizational Communications from the University of Akron.
Pamela Mathiowetz has worked within the hospitality industry over the last 27 years, where she began in hotel operations, spanning front office, finance, revenue management and executive hotel leadership. Her experience also includes the analytic eye required for Feasibility and Investment Analysis, including tenures with both HVS International and Hilton Corporate.
Pamela also spent more than 10 years in hotel asset management, where she worked to drive value-add initiatives, renovation and branding projects, asset positioning, and return overall profitability.
Pamela draws upon her experience to maintain a wide-lens focus to best represent both hotel management and owner perspectives and goals. She brings a comprehensive perspective that well-supports the needs of hotel operations, returning value for hotel assets and the team members she supports.
Craig has over 18 years of experience in hotel operations, reservations, sales and revenue management. Craig is responsible for leading an energized revenue management organization dedicated to achieving top and bottom-line revenue and gaining market share by implementing strategic initiatives focused on delivering results and developing best-in-class revenue management talent for his portfolio of properties. Craig's hospitality career began with Intercontinental Hotels Group in Kingston, Jamaica working in all operating departments and learning the hospitality business from the ground up with progressive promotions enabling him to master the revenue management discipline.
Craig joined Crescent Hotels and Resorts in 2009. Prior to being promoted to Vice President of Revenue Strategy, Craig held roles such as Corporate Director, Regional Director and Area Director of Revenue management. In his role as Vice President of Revenue Strategy, Craig has direct oversight for 15+ hotels within the portfolio and leads a team of above property corporate and area directors of revenue and on property directors of revenue.
Prior to joining Crescent, Craig held roles as Director of Revenue Management for the Willard Intercontinental in Washington DC, Intercontinental Harbor Court Baltimore, Intercontinental Cleveland Hotels and the Liaison Capitol Hill Washington DC, an Affinia property. Craig attended Wolmers Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica and studied Business management.
Craig enjoys spending family time and watching soccer and basketball on his off days.
Suzie Balling is a hospitality professional with nearly 10 years of revenue strategy experience in property-level and area roles. Her skills are highlighted in revenue optimization, distribution strategy, forecasting/budgeting, digital marketing, and multi-brand expertise. With a strong emphasis on revenue generation and market intelligence, Suzanne assists with the overall strategy for a portfolio of hotels with annual room revenues exceeding $90 million.
Suzie is a Hilton systems expert, currently holding certifications for all property and revenue management systems, with Administrator level on most. Previous experience at two full-service hotels located less than one mile from the Ohio State University provides her with additional insight into the balance of business mix needed for such locations. She has also been involved with the opening of a full-service Hilton product and multiple property transitions, which further serve as an asset for strategies during shifting demand periods.
Suzie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from the Ohio State University.
Alfio has worked in the food and beverage industry for over 17 years. Through his career he has worked with celebrity chefs, won food network shows, led successful celebrity chef galas for universities and has been key in product development and operations for over 45 successful openings, transitions and re-concepting efforts. Through tenure at Hornblower Cruises and Events and PM Hotel Group, he has worked to elevate product offerings, operations and efficiencies for multiple companies and ownership groups.
His last position with TPG Hotels, Resorts & Marinas he served as Vice-President of Food & Beverage Prior to that he worked as Corporate Director, Bars & Restaurants at PM Hotel Group where he was accountable for overall revenue generation for all bar and restaurant outlets across the portfolio and oversaw 90+ million in outlet sales.
Lorraine brings Crescent Hotels & Resorts more than 20 years of experience in spa and resort operations, having overseen a $42 million portfolio of eight hotels and six spas with flow-through averaging 55-60%. She has created and implemented operating procedures including conceptual build and design, strategic marketing plans, financial performance, training, procurement and new business development, resulting in a collective 34.9% profit.
In addition to establishing key alliances with vendors, her guidance includes in-depth overviews of interior design, build requirements, equipment specifications, marketing development, training and financial models, and tools to forecast accurate revenues and costs for profitability.
Lorraine served as Area Director of Golden Door Resort Spas, for which she opened the Boulders Resort Spa that Travel + Leisure ranked #7 in North America during its first year. Annual revenues exceeded $6 million with a profit margin of 32.5%. She began her hospitality management career at The Arizona Biltmore as Spa Director, where she increased annual revenues to $5.2 million and increased profit margin to 37.2% while achieving the ranking of Arizona's #1 spa.
A University of Massachusetts/Amherst graduate with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration, Lorraine has served as a member of the ASU Spa Advisory Board since 2002, assisted the ISPA Educations Task Force, and volunteers for PBS Arizona.
With over 20 years of experience in hotels sales, operations and marketing, Jeanne oversees incoming and outgoing hotels as well as new builds. Jeanne is responsible for onboarding, culture building, and implementing strategies identified through our business development department.
Jeanne's hospitality career began with Four Seasons Hotels in food and beverage management, followed by 12 years with Guest Quarters, Doubletree Hotels and Hilton Corporation as Director of Sales & Marketing. She developed and served as president of Hospitality SOS, Inc., and for six years served as Director of Sales for TravelCLICK, growing her regional territory portfolio from 20 to over 200 hotels with over $1.1M in revenue. Her educational background includes a B.S. degree from the Hilton College at the University of Houston and an MMA in Tourism Planning from the California University of Pennsylvania. She has also completed the S.H. Darrow Leadership program, the Professional Convention Management (PCMA) certification course and is a certified instructor in the Professional Selling Skills Program (PSS). Jeanne is a member of the ABA, NTA and SYTA, and has served on the Board of Directors of Radnor's A Better Chance (ABC), the Board of Directors of the Radnor Educational Foundation (REF), as the Radnor PTO President and as a member of the Pennsylvania Tourism and Lodging Association.
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 Sales and Marketing, Mike Rayburn brings over 20 years of diverse experience in hotel sales, operations and marketing. Mike is responsible for leading strategic sales and marketing initiatives focused on delivering results to his portfolio of Crescent properties primarily based on the West Coast.
Mike's hospitality career began with Marriott International, working in all departments and getting to learn every aspect of the business. Over the past 20 years, Mike has specialized in sales and marketing, leading award-winning teams in CO, CA and WA. Most recently, he was Area Director of Sales & Marketing with Two Roads Hospitality, overseeing a collection of prestigious independent properties in the Pacific NW, including Suncadia Resort. Prior to that, Mike was Director of Sales and Marketing with Sage Hospitality, overseeing key assets in the portfolio. In addition to Independent Hotels, Mike has extensive experience in a variety of brands, including Marriott, Renaissance, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Sheraton and Westin.
Mike attended Purdue University and studied Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism Management.
As Vice President of Revenue Strategy, 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.
Carrie has held the Vice President of Revenue Strategy position for the past five years, guiding and training her properties in revenue management and forecasting strategies. She specializes in Starwood revenue systems and oversees a multi-branded portfolio of hotels.
Carrie has been part of Crescent's revenue management team for the past nine years. Her experience has mastered the efficiencies of independent platforms and major brands such as IHG, Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and Hyatt Hotels, as well as Lifestyle Hotels/Resorts. Additionally, she has experience with hotel transitions, pro formas and due diligence. Carrie originated from Crescent's Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk as the hotel's Director of Revenue Management, where she was quickly recognized as an Area Director of Revenue Management and was given a portfolio of multi-branded hotels.
Other positions she has held within the company have been Corporate Director of Revenue Management. Carrie also has experience in other disciplines, including sales and marketing, ecommerce, and front office. Carrie holds an Associate Degree in Accounting from the International Business College, Indianapolis.
Laurens Zieren has over 30 years of hospitality experience including 20 years of his career spend internationally across Europe. From being part of the opening management team of Disneyland Paris, to General Manager of New York Hilton Midtown, to successfully leading one of the largest convention resorts in South Florida the Diplomat Beach Resort, Zieren has established a strong recognition and culture based reputation while maximizing portfolio value and providing meaningful careers for its teams.
As Vice President of Operations, Laurens Zieren provides leadership to hotel executive teams and manages brand and owner relations.
Zieren has consistently been on the board of directors for hotel associations around the U.S. and Europe, including New York, Illinois, South Florida and Ireland. Originally from The Hague on the western coast of the Netherlands, Zieren graduated from Haagland in Hotel/Motel Administration and Management.
As Vice President of Risk Management, Rodney has oversight and responsibility of the Risk Management Function including procurement and management of property, casualty, terrorism, management liability, pollution and cyber insurance policies, risk financing, expense allocation, risk control, safety management, as well as claim and litigation management including property losses, workers' compensation, general liability and auto liability.
Prior to joining Crescent in 2019, Rodney was Director of Risk Management for Delaware North Companies, Incorporated, where he was responsible for all aspects of the Risk Management and Insurance Programs for both domestic and international operations. Rodney earned a bachelor's degree in Occupational Health and Safety Management at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He also received a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation from the American Institute for Property and Casualty Underwriters.
A 25-year industry veteran with 14+ years of executive management experience, Lois has worked with world-class hotel brands (Hilton, Marriott, IHG and Starwood) as well as with independent hotels and resorts, including Hilton Times Square, Sun Valley Resort and the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa.
Lois has worked as Director of Sales & Marketing with multiple hotel oversight and has held regional and senior-level sales positions with several management companies. She specializes in the strategic development and tactical implementation of revenue-driving sales and marketing initiatives with the goal of achieving top-line results and building, coaching and leading high-performing sales teams.
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 of 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.
With over 20-years' experience in hospitality leadership, Bryan Woodward is an accomplished, award-winning revenue producer and leader of high performing teams in the Resort, Hotel and Club verticals. Throughout his career he has been awarded notable team and individual titles, such as Crescent Hotel of the Year in 2021, Crescent's GM of the Year in 2019, and the three-time HSMAI Adrian Award Winner in Destination Marketing and Public Relations. Before beginning his career in hospitality, Bryan Woodward was an award-winning broadcast journalist with stints in radio, print media and television in the Seattle and Phoenix markets.
Heather has over 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry with an extensive background in hotel accounting and transitions. Her expertise in transitions and training has sent her around the world to Ireland, Belgium, United Kingdom, India, Russia and Canada. With her knowledge of multiple brands systems and accounting systems, she has been an integral part in the transitioning of small boutique hotels to large-scale portfolio transitions.
Prior to joining Crescent, Heather held the role of Vice President of Hotel Finance & Transitions with Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where she had oversight of both select and full-service hotels.
Andrew Dorough has more than 25 years' experience in hotel industry in hard-brand, soft-brand, and independent hotels. Andrew excels at operational analysis, revenue generation, and motivating teams to perform ever higher, while focusing on guest, associate, and owner satisfaction. In his current role, Andrew partners with hotel leadership teams to drive continuous improvement and manages brand and owner relations for a portfolio spanning the southeast and southwest United States, including branded and independent properties.
Andrew has previously served as Regional Director of Operations and Complex General Manager with Crescent, as well as numerous General Manager and Executive Committee roles at brands including Marriott, Omni Hotels, and Millennium & Copthorne Hotels as well as independent properties such as The Doral Forrestal, The Roosevelt New York, and Duane Street Hotel. Andrew attended Baylor University and currently resides in Dallas, TX with his wife.
Michelle Donovan has more than twenty five years of experience leading high performing hotels with a proven track record in operations, new-openings, repositioning, turnarounds and complex renovations. Michelle's experience ranges from resorts, upper upscale, select service and convention hotels. Michelle also spent time in Asset Management, where she worked to drive value and add initiatives to increase overall profitability.
Michelle draws upon her vast experience to best represent both hotel management and owners goals and objectives. She brings a comprehensive perspective that well supports the needs of the hotel operations, and returning value for hotel assets and the team member she supports.
Serving as Vice President of Operations, Michelle oversees several branded properties throughout the United States. Michelle joined Crescent in 2016 as a General Manager at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport and moving later that year to the Radisson/Crowne Plaza Baltimore Complex, and eventually came to oversee the Delta Hunt Valley in 2019. Due to her success managing these hotels, Michelle was promoted to Regional Director of Operations for Crescent Hotels in 2021. Since then, she has been integral to the success of the properties she oversees and brings her positive and hard-working attitude to each property she visits. Michelle is a Wisconsin native and graduated from the University Wisconsin Stout with a bachelor's degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a minor in Business Administration.
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.
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.