Aimbridge Hospitality Announces New Owner Relations Team, Streamlines U.S. Operations
To underscore its commitment to helping owners excel, the leading hotel management company announced strategic changes aimed at increasing property performance, enhancing focus, and fueling speed and effectiveness
Aimbridge Hospitality, a leading, global hospitality management company and the world’s largest third-party hotel operator, today outlined plans to enhance and streamline its U.S. operations, including adding a dedicated Owner Relations team to its structure and moving to two focused operating divisions named Aimbridge Select and Aimbridge Full Service. The changes announced directly reflect the Company’s pledge to deliver the most comprehensive, performance-driven management service in the industry and showcase its desire to be recognized as the clear third-party leader among owners, brands, and associates.
The addition of an Owner Relations team nods to the ever-evolving, fast-paced environment hotel owners, asset managers, and hospitality brands face daily and looks to provide partners with superior solutions that meet their biggest challenges.
The team will proactively mine proprietary data and insights, source and synthesize stakeholder feedback, and partner across the organization to accelerate actions that result in higher portfolio profitability and improved satisfaction scores. They will also be responsible for launching the Aimbridge Owners Council, a new advisory committee that will include representatives across ownership groups and serve as a valuable resource as the Company looks to make ongoing enhancements to its product offerings.
Leading the team is Aly El-Bassuni, Divisional President – Owner Relations. El-Bassuni joined Aimbridge in 2023 as Divisional President – Enhanced Select Service and has a strong track record of building outstanding partnerships and driving operational results. El-Bassuni will report to Allison Reid, Chief Global Growth Officer for Aimbridge.
“The addition of a dedicated Owner Relations team builds on the work that’s been done over the last two years and points to the ongoing investment Aimbridge is making in helping owners meet ambitious goals,” said Mark Tamis, Global President – Aimbridge. “This team will be focused on looking across the portfolio for opportunities that drive performance, mobilizing expert resources across the organization, and implementing improvements that benefit our partners.”
To enable faster results, the Company will simplify its U.S. Operations into two divisions with its above property operations teams shifting to drill down on actions that drive better property-level performance, associate engagement, and owner satisfaction. The two divisions will be:
- Aimbridge Select, a comprehensive select service division that includes select enhanced, select, economy, and extended stay properties, that will be led by Simon Mendy, Divisional President – Select Service.
- Aimbridge Full Service, a full service, luxury, and resort business, including Evolution, Aimbridge’s Lifestyle vertical, that will be led by Rob Smith, Divisional President – Full Service.
Both Mendy and Smith are longtime industry leaders and Aimbridge executives who bring deep operational know-how to the verticals they are tasked with overseeing. The new operating structure is set to go into effect in mid-February, following a brief transition period.
“The industry is at an inflection point as brands continue to move to a predominantly franchised model and owners lean on third-party managers to provide the operating experience and track record they need to succeed, which is where Aimbridge shines,” continued Tamis. “The strategic shifts we’re making to our U.S. operating model will inject even greater agility and effectiveness into how we run our business, and ultimately, drive higher property and portfolio performance.”
The expanded Aimbridge Select division will be responsible for managing a robust coast to coast portfolio, deeply embedded in key travel markets including Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles and more. Today, Aimbridge Select boasts a brand-rich mix of properties representing the most well-known hotel flags like Courtyard by Marriott, AC Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Home2 Suites, Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Extended Stay America, and beyond.
The new Aimbridge Full Service division portfolio, including lifestyle properties managed by Evolution, features properties in some of the most iconic and sought-after destinations in the U.S., the Caribbean and Canada. Highlights include award-winning management of the HALL Arts Hotel Dallas, Yours Truly in Washington, D.C., The Highlander Hotel Radford in Virginia, Hotel Milo in Santa Barbara, California, and Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort at Frenchman’s Reef, an Autograph Collection property in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
As part of its strategic enhancement plan, Aimbridge also plans to redeploy its above-property operations teams by geography to reinforce and strengthen the close-knit and collaborative network between hotel and above-property support teams and deepen its market expertise.
“The combination of proven brand and operating abilities, extensive market knowledge, and meaningful scale is unique to Aimbridge and sets us apart. When paired with our dedicated account management, we’re able to offer the industry’s most comprehensive management service and help owners of any size gain a competitive edge,” said Tamis. “Our commitment as the leader in the third-party hotel management space has always been, and will continue to be, finding ways to exceed the expectations of our owners, brand partners and associates. By building on the strong foundations already in place, we will accelerate future growth for our partners and for Aimbridge.”
Operations in the company’s international divisions servicing EMEA and LATAM remain unchanged.