HB Exclusive: Chesapeake Hospitality Plots Growth

GREENBELT, MD—After more than 60 years in the hotel management business, Chesapeake Hospitality is having one of its best years ever, and even though it is introducing a new marketing look for the company, a change to the way it does things is not on the table.

“We have been working hard as an organization to really cement our place in the industry, going back to when we really started driving our management business,” said Chris Green, principal/chief commercial officer, Chesapeake Hospitality. “It is a really crowded marketplace in the management game. But, we have always been different. We have always been connected to our culture. We wanted to make sure that we were offering what owners wanted and needed out of their assets, not necessarily a square box that we try to jam every hotel into.”

The company recently signed management contracts to operate properties in New York, Florida, Nebraska, Missouri and Tennessee, and will continue its expansion in the coming year.

But despite its successful year so far, Kim E. Sims, principal/president, who runs the family-owned company with his brother Chris, who is principal/EVP. “I never wanted to be the biggest; all I wanted to do was be the best,” he said. “The people differentiate us from other management companies; they give us a leg up when we compete for these contracts. We have been in business for more than 60 years, and being true to our core values is what makes us successful. It makes us successful with our guests, it makes us successful with our team members and also our ownership groups.”

For more on the company’s new deals, its focus on company culture and its new marketing look, check out the 9/21 issue of Hotel Business.