Associated Luxury Hotels Names Three New Executives

WHY IT RATES: The three new appointees will play a key role in growing the global footprint of Associated Luxury Hotels and building a portfolio of best in class sales, marketing and support service. —Mia Taylor, TravelPulse Senior Writer.

Associated Luxury Hotels, the parent company of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) and WorldHotels Collection, is pleased to announce the appointment of three industry veterans to the company’s executive leadership team.

Following the company’s acquisition of the distinguished WorldHotels brand, the new positions will play a key role in growing the company’s global footprint and building a portfolio of best in class sales, marketing, and support services for an expanding portfolio of luxury properties.

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“I am excited to welcome this group of creative thought leaders to the Associated Luxury Hotels family,” said Josh Lesnick, president & CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels. “Each has an extensive background in their respective areas and will play an integral role in supporting our mission of building the industry’s leading revenue generation company for independent luxury hotels and small luxury brands.”

All three executives will report to Josh Lesnick, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels, and will be based out of the company’s new headquarters in Boston, MA.

Hugh Merryweather, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administration Officer

Merryweather joins the Associated Luxury Hotels team as executive vice president, chief financial and administration officer. He will oversee all accounting, finance, analytics, legal and business administration functions for the company and its subsidiaries.

Merryweather brings a proven track record of helping emerging companies through periods of significant growth and expansion and brings valuable experience in finance and international management to the Associated Luxury Hotels team.

He spent more than a decade as the global CFO of Circles, a leading concierge services provider specializing in customer and employee engagement and the delivery of high touch services to clients of top valued customers that included American Express Centurion and Platinum card members. In this position, Merryweather was responsible for finance, risk, facilities, IT infrastructure and HR departments globally.

Prior to joining Associated Luxury Hotels, Merryweather served as the CFO of Spartan Race, Inc., a leading obstacle race and endurance company that produces more than 120 worldwide sports events on an annual basis. He was also chief financial officer for multiple software and technology companies, including Advance Practice Strategies (APS), Zmags and inStream. Prior to that,

Merryweather earned a joint MBA/Master's degree in Accounting from Northeastern University and a Bachelor's Degree in History from Amherst College.

Jerry Rash, General Manager of Loyalty and Customer Strategy

With more than 25 years of experience in marketing, Rash will be responsible for the design, implementation, and management of the company’s new loyalty program and CRM initiatives that will launch later this year.

One of the most respected names in hotel loyalty, Rash specializes in consumer research and the development of guest loyalty programs for the hospitality industry. He has helped to design over twenty major loyalty programs across travel, retail and financial services and played an integral role in the research and design of the new Wyndham Rewards program and the original Starwood Preferred Guest program.

He also developed “Prima,” a pilot program that helped drive the development of MGM’s mLife program and led the strategic repositioning of Jumeirah Hotels’ Sirius program. Additionally, Rash has held senior marketing positions at Charles Schwab, Carlson Marketing and FedEx in Memphis and Singapore.

He has served as board member of the Edina Hockey Association, the largest youth hockey association in the U.S., and graduated from the University of Minnesota where he earned an MBA in marketing.

Liz Adams, Director of Corporate Marketing & Brand Communications

Adams brings more than a decade of hospitality sales and marketing experience to her new role as director of corporate marketing and brand communications. She will be responsible for overseeing the marketing strategies and programs that support the rollout of the company’s new loyalty initiative, the expansion of the Associated Luxury Hotels brand and integrated efforts for both the ALHI and WorldHotels brands.

Most recently, Adams served as the director of sales & marketing for the award-winning Fifteen Beacon Hotel in Boston, MA. During her tenure, she helped reposition the hotel as one of Boston’s top luxury properties and led all public relations, digital and social media initiatives, including building a brand-new website. She also oversaw sales and revenue management with her team consistently achieving a REVPAR index over 100-percent. Earlier in her career, Adams also held sales positions at the Doubletree Bedford Glen – a Dolce property and Hilton Boston Woburn where she was responsible for developing and expanding key national transient accounts.

Adams is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing and business administration.

SOURCE: Associated Luxury Hotels press release