SPIRE Hospitality expands leadership team

SPIRE Hospitality

by Hotel Business

Spire Hospitality grows team to accommodate growth
Spire Hospitality, a nationally recognized third-party hotel management company specializing in creating value for its hotel investors while also delivering exceptional guest experiences and providing an outstanding place to work, has expanded its senior leadership team to accommodate portfolio growth in 2021.

“Our goal is to be the best at what we do,” said Chris Russell, CEO, Spire Hospitality. “Adding this talented group of hospitality professionals to our company will make us even better. In an industry where attracting high-quality leadership has always been a challenge, Spire continues to adapt and overcome by consistently delivering an outstanding work environment, culture of service and results.”

This year Spire has added five new management contracts to its portfolio of nearly 30 full-service and select-service hotels, and non-branded resorts across the U.S. Most recent additions include the Villa Florence Hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square and the Hilton Garden Inn in Fremont, CA. The pipeline for growth is healthy for Spire.

Spire has appointed the following executives to its management team:

• Stephanie Box to VP, operations

• Roger Barrantes to regional director, sales and marketing

• Dustin Soper to social media manager

• Teri Serrano to regional director, human resources

Stephanie Box, VP, operations
With more than 20 years of industry experience, Box has worked with several brands, including Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Starwood. She worked at Pillar Hotels and Resorts as regional director, operations and VP, operations, and then joined Aimbridge Hospitality as VP, operations, where she oversaw more than 110 hotels. Most recently, she served as SVP, operations for Highgate Hotels overseeing 123 hotels. During her tenure, she worked on several transitions and repositioning of hotels to drive performance.

Roger Barrantes, regional director, sales
Nearly 25 years ago, Barrantes began his career in hospitality at the Juan Santamaria International Airport with major international airlines. Following his relocation to San Diego, he joined The Travel Company as a sales coach in 1996. Shortly thereafter, Barrantes joined American Express Global Business Travel (AEGBT). In 2004, he joined Hilton and developed high-performance teams, providing results for multiple Hilton full-service brands in urban and resort destinations in the U.S. and internationally. In 2012, because of his commitment to deliver optimal performance, he was recognized with the prestigious Hilton Worldwide Circle of Excellence—Director of Sales of the Year Award for United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dustin Soper, social media manager
Soper began his career in social media and marketing working for a number of country music artists, including Reba McEntire and Shania Twain, and one of the top social networking apps in the country. He joined the DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown in June 2016, where he launched his hospitality career as social media manager and was recognized by Hilton as Hilton’s Top Interactive Team Member for 2017 winning a Hilton Travel with Purpose Grant to help with the property’s humanitarian efforts around Nashville. He joined StepStone Hospitality in April 2019 where he led a highly successful social media and marketing campaign to showcase the newly renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Nashville. Soper drives results through social media engagement, auditing e-commerce channels and implementing strategic initiatives and re-designing and updating websites to ensure they are relevant.

Teri Serrano, regional director, human resources
Serrano is an experienced human resources professional with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. She has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, including roles as VP, people services; regional director, human resources; and director, risk management. She most recently served as the area director, human resources at Access Hotels and Resorts.