by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:37 AM ET, Wed March 23, 2022
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced leadership changes that will help carry the hospitality giant into the future.
IHG Chief Development Officer for the Americas, Joel Eisemann, revealed he would be retiring in June. As a result, the company named Senior Vice President of Development, Julienne Smith, as his successor, with Smith also joining the Americas regional leadership team.
Eisemann is credited with the growth of the IHG brand in the Americas over the last 10 years, which includes growing the brands from nearly 3,500 hotels in 2011 to 4,300 hotels and more than 900 hotels in the pipeline across the Americas region at the end of 2021.
"Joel's contributions to the growth of IHG's brand portfolio over the last 10 years have been very significant," IHG CEO for Americas Elie Maalouf said. "We have greatly benefited from his deep experience and expertise, strong owner relationships and leadership of his team, and I am deeply grateful to him for his service and commitment."
"More broadly, Joel has been a strong and tireless leader for IHG, an advocate for our industry for decades, and has made a durable, positive impact through his positions with key industry bodies," Maalouf continued. "I wish him and his family all the happiness and good health in the years ahead."
Smith joined IHG in August 2019 from Hyatt Hotels where she held several leadership roles after starting her career in the hotel industry at Marriott. At IHG, she increased the company's presence in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean for new-builds and conversions.
Within the hospitality industry, Smith is also an active member in several organizations, including AHLA, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, ULI and several industry conference advisory and planning committees.
"At the same time, I am fully confident in the future of IHG's Development team under Julienne's leadership, and I am very excited to have her join the Americas leadership team as Chief Development Officer to aggressively drive forward our ambitious growth plans in the Americas," Maalouf stated.
In February, Expedia Group announced it is a preferred redistributor of IHG Hotels & Resorts properties' wholesale rates through the company's Optimized Distribution Preferred program.
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