PROVIDENCE, R. I. (July 2013) StepStone Hospitality, a hospitality management company specializing in full and select-service hotel operations, today announced five new leadership positions. The positions include: vice president of operations, vice president of human resources, regional director of revenue management, regional director of operations and analyst.
Based in Providence, R.I., StepStone has more than doubled its portfolio during the past several months from four to 10 hotels and increased the room count of its managed hotels from 750 to more than 1,700 rooms. With even more management contracts planned for the remainder of 2013, the new leadership team is ready to support and build on the growth strategy.
According to Thomas Russo, chairman and CEO for StepStone Hospitality, the move is a direct result of the company’s remarkable growth and its plans for continued expansion.
“Our success is directly linked to the quality of our people and we’re fortunate to have the best team in the hospitality business,” said Russo. “These new executive appointments will position us for aggressive growth today and in the future.”
As the new vice president of operations, David Butler is responsible for ongoing operations for all of the hotel properties in StepStone Hospitality’s growing management portfolio. He previously served as regional director of operations for the company.
Butler has more than 20 years of hospitality industry experience with such well-known brands as Hilton, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and Doubletree. He is experienced in renovation, repositioning and development projects. Butler’s recent projects include overseeing the $11 million renovation of a Holiday Inn. Butler has devised and implemented corporate training and management development initiatives as well as brand quality and service standards, and company-wide food and beverage programs. He is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University.
In her new position as vice president of human resources for StepStone Hospitality, Julie Straus oversees all human resource functions for the company, including policies, procedures and training. She has more than 20 years experience in the hospitality industry and previously served as the company’s regional director of human resources. Straus has developed core human resource policies and procedures; created employee handbooks, recognition programs and benefits programs; and conducted numerous training programs in communications, discipline, positive reinforcement, performance evaluations and guest services.
Amy Baumcratz joins StepStone Hospitality as regional director of revenue management. Baumcratz brings more than 12 years of experience to this position. She has a background in hotel sales & marketing, social media, hotel management, and has served as a regional revenue management for a variety of hotel properties. An adept problem-solver, she has a proven ability to find creative solutions that drive results. In her new role, Baumcratz is responsible for working with StepStone Hospitality’s hotel properties to ensure that they meet their revenue objectives.
StepStone Hospitality’s new regional director of operations, Donald Schoen, is responsible for the overall financial and operational success of hotels in the company’s portfolio. Schoen comes with more than 20 years of hotel management experience. Most recently, he served as regional director of operations for Pillar Hotels where he was responsible for a portfolio of hotels including Holiday Inn, Marriott, Starwood and Hyatt-branded properties.
Tyler Kook, StepStone’s new analyst, comes to the company with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality business and experience in a variety of hospitality positions in the U.S., Canada and South Korea. As the company’s new analyst, Kook reports directly to the president and is responsible for collecting and analyzing financial and market information to help maximize the overall performance of the company’s hotels.
About StepStone Hospitality
Founded in 2007, Rhode Island-based StepStone Hospitality specializes in management for hotel and restaurant operations. The company provides a unique combination of strong, hands-on operations, world-class strategic asset management, and food and beverage expertise, maintaining a balanced focus between revenue enhancement, margin expansion and guest satisfaction.