Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has added five new executives to its franchise & development team under the leadership of Brian Quinn, chief development officer.
“This newly extended team brings an unmatched wealth of industry experience,” said Quinn. “I am appreciative and pleased to welcome these talented hospitality executives to Sonesta International Hotels Corporation. This business is about building and maintaining strong relationships; these well-seasoned professionals excel at both, and we are thrilled to have them now part of Sonesta’s franchise & development team.”
Sonesta’s five new franchise & development leaders:
Mike Castro joins as an SVP, select-service brands (SSB). He comes to Sonesta with extensive experience in both franchise sales and hotel operations. Having spent much of his career at RLH Corporation, Castro’s familiarity with the brand is a welcome and powerful advantage, according to Sonesta.
Keith Biumi joins as an SVP, upscale brands (USB). He began his career in hospitality operations and sales and marketing identifying promising B2B opportunities, an experience to which he believes established the foundation for his successful tenure in development in hospitality that has taken him from IHG, Choice Hotels, Marriott and now Sonesta.
Chris Leiser joins as a regional VP, USB. He is adept at working with full-service, upper-scale brands, and was previously at Wyndham Hotels Group and Choice Hotels International.
Ahmer Naushad joins as a VP, analytics and administration. He is a seasoned industry professional, holding diverse, global positions in operations, strategy, investment and asset management for a range of hospitality and real estate organizations such as Gencom, Miral Asset Management and Majjd Al Futtaim Properties.
Mike Higgins joins as a regional VP, USB. He has comprehensive experience working across a broad spectrum of property types and executing strategic development plans for franchise and management growth. Prior positions include stints at IHG, Choice and Domio.
For a closer look at Sonesta’s growing franchise operations, check out our cover story in the June 15th issue of Hotel Business.
