RICHARD C. KESSLER
At the age of 23, the current chairman
and CEO of the Kessler Enterprise
Inc. of Orlando became the right-hand man to developer Cecil Day and
helped him found Days Inn of America
in August 1970. In 1972 he established
Day Realty of Orlando and began
developing and successfully operating
more than 3,000 rooms in Orlando.
Four years later he became president and CEO of Days Inns
and in 1976 became its chairman. Eight years later, Days Inn
was sold.
In 1984, he founded the Kessler Enterprise in Atlanta. The
firm and its affiliates have completed several large commercial
projects, including the 500-acre Silverwood Plantation residential community and the 900-acre Georgia North International
Industrial Park. His hotel company—the Kessler Collection—
has a portfolio of 10 boutique properties located in Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina, Colorado and New Mexico.
RICHARD MARRIOTT
The chairman of the board of Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. of
Bethesda, MD has more than 46 years of experience with Host
Hotels and Marriott International. Host Hotels & Resorts is the
largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels. The company
currently owns 104 properties throughout the United States
and 15 properties internationally, accounting for more than
64,000 rooms. At Host Hotels, Marriott has served in a number
of executive capacities. He was elected to the board of directors in 1979, and has served as chairman of the firm for the
past 20 years.
JOSEPH A. MCINERNEY
The president and chief executive officer
of the American Hotel & Lodging
Association in Washington, DC has more
than 50 years in the hospitality industry,
beginning with his first job in 1961 as a
staff planner at the Sheraton Chicago.
Today McInerney is the chief executive of
the largest lodging industry trade association, a position he has held since 2001.
CHRISTOPHER J.
NASSETTA
Like his contemporaries, Nassetta, the
president and CEO of Hilton Worldwide,
has an impressive resume that includes
executive posts with Host Hotels, his
own Bailey Capital Corp. and Oliver
Carr Co. He has led Hilton Worldwide
since 2007. Nassetta came to Hilton
after serving as president and chief
executive officer of Host Hotels &
Resorts. He joined Host in 1995 as executive vice president and was elected chief operating officer of
the company in 1997. Before his time at Host Hotels, he co-founded Bailey Capital in 1991, where he had ultimate responsibility for the operations of the real estate investment and
advisory firm.
MARILYN CARLSON
NELSON
The selection of Carlson Nelson as a
member of Forum’s top hotel executives was an easy choice considering
she has been listed by Forbes as one of
“The World’s 100 Most Powerful
Women,” was named one of
“America’s Best Leaders” by US News
and World Report, and was listed as
one of the “100 Most Influential
People in Business Ethics” by
Ethisphere magazine. The chairman
and former chief executive officer of Minneapolis-based Carlson,
she oversees the operations of a firm that has a presence in
more than 150 countries and territories.
ROBERT D. OLSON
The founder, president and CEO of
Irvine, CA-based R.D. Olson has helped
build and renovate a host of hotel and
spa properties across the country since
founding the company in 1979. Olson
has been active in all phases of construction and development and has, in addition to hotels, played an instrumental
part in the construction and renovation
of country clubs, retail, multifamily, midrise office and recreational facilities across the nation.
LELAND C. PILLSBURY
The co-chairman, co-founder and CEO of Thayer Lodging Group
of Annapolis, MD began his career in hospitality in 1969, when he
joined Marriott Corp. Since then, he’s amassed a track record
that spans multiple investment cycles and has overseen the
launch, acquisition and operation of more than 800 hotels
throughout the US. During his 20-year tenure at Marriott,
Pillsbury served in a variety of roles including hotel general manager, director of sales and marketing and strategic planning and
development. He launched venture teams that led Marriott’s
entry into the time-sharing business, the Fairfield Inns economy
lodging business and the acquisition of the Residence Inn Co.
Prior to forming Thayer, Pillsbury founded Grand Heritage
Hotels, a manager of historic and unique independent hotels.
THOMAS PRITZKER
This hotel icon has received many honors over his years in the
industry. Last November, the Cornell University School of Hotel
Administration awarded Pritzker its “2013 Cornell Icon of the
Industry Award” in recognition of his outstanding success in the
hospitality industry and his extraordinary philanthropy. Pritzker
will receive the award at the fifth annual Cornell Hospitality Icon
& Innovator Awards gala and dinner in New York City on June 4,
2013. In announcing the selection of Pritzker for the honor,
Michael D. Johnson, dean and E. M. Statler Professor of Hotel
Administration, said, “We created the Cornell Icon of the Industry
Award to honor individuals who are both outstanding hospitality
leaders and great humanitarians. With these criteria in mind,
Thomas Pritzker was a clear choice for our award winner this year.
His business acumen reaches well beyond the hospitality industry,
and his philanthropic contributions have helped spur economic
development, advance the arts and promote scientific research.”
