John Q. Hammons’ New Embassy Suites® Norman – Hotel & Conference Center’s Executive Team on Site for October ’08 Opening (United States)
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John Q. Hammons’ New Embassy Suites® Norman – Hotel & Conference Center’s Executive Team on Site for October ’08 Opening (United States)
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States - Industry economy -
Hotel opening
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2008-07-18
As construction on Mr. John Q. Hammons’ 10-story, 283-suite Embassy Suites® Norman – Hotel & Conference Center (www.embassysuitesnorman.com) nears completion with an anticipated late-October 2008 opening, the new executive team is on site at 2501 Conference Drive in Norman, Okla., to facilitate pre-opening sales and tours. The luxury hotel and adjacent conference center are owned by Mr. Hammons and managed by Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, the nation’s leading independent builder, developer, owner and manager of upscale, full-service hotels, resorts and suites (www.jqhhotels.com).
Under construction at I-35 at the new University North Park retail, entertainment and commercial development, two miles from the University of Oklahoma, the property will be the first Embassy Suites in the city of Norman. The addition of the Norman development to John Q. Hammons’ growing national hotel and meeting space portfolio will make five properties in Oklahoma, including three in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa. According to General Manager Jim Rickards, preopening sales are on track, reflecting the significant demand for high quality hotel and meeting space in the Norman area.
Anthony Francisco, director of finance, city of Norman, and a member of the University North Park Tax Increment Finance Executive District Working Group, also commented on the pivotal role John Q. Hammons’ development will play in Norman’s future success. "While touring the hotel and conference center recently, I was completely impressed by the modern, quality facility," Francisco said. “The John Q. Hammons venue has the potential to be the crowning jewel in the University North Park development so far and the strategic means for the Norman area to accommodate convention business for which we would not have been previously considered."
The upscale facilities represent 75,000 gross square feet of combined, flexible meeting space, can easily accommodate groups with as many as 2,900 guests, and are available for touring with the executive team. Previously announced Rickards, also recently named Outstanding General Manager of the Year – Full Service by the Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association, is now joined by a full executive line-up including:
* Assistant General Manager/Food & Beverage Paul Contomanolis: Contomanolis brings a wealth of food & beverage knowledge to the Norman hotel and conference center from his 25 years’ experience as a hospitality and franchising development consultant, 15 years with Marriott, and career start with his family-owned restaurants on Long Island, N.Y.
* Assistant General Manager/Rooms Division Robert Henley: Henley joins the Norman property from John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts’ Embassy Suites on the River Downtown – East Village in Des Moines, Iowa, where he served as assistant general manager/rooms and food & beverage; he has 18 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, including various positions with Omni Hotels and Doubletree Hotels.
* Director of Sales & Marketing Marci Jacobs: Jacobs brings 16 years’ experience in the hospitality industry to the Norman development; she joined John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts in 1999, when she opened the company’s Renaissance Oklahoma City Hotel & Convention Center; she serves on the board of directors of the Oklahoma chapter of Meeting Professionals International.
* Direct of Catering Cheryl McKay: Prior to joining the Norman hotel and conference center, McKay served as director of catering at the Millennium Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.; she has 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including serving on the board of directors of the Tennessee chapter of Meeting Professionals International and as an active member of the National Association of Catering Executives.
The hotel executive team is focusing on sales within the Norman area, as well as significant groups from within the region. The executive team is enthusiastic about the opening, and General Manager Rickards shared, “We look forward to providing our guests with the exceptional service for which John Q. Hammons’ properties are known.”
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