Global hospitality management company Aimbridge Hospitality will create a dedicated owner relations team as well as two focused operating divisions in a bid to streamline its U.S. operations, the company announced Monday.
Aimbridge is restructuring its operations to provide its partners with “superior solutions that meet their biggest challenges,” the company said. The changes come as “brands continue to move to a predominantly franchised model and owners lean on third-party managers to provide the operating experience,” according to Aimbridge Global President Mark Tamis.
Aimbridge’s newly created owner relations team will mine proprietary data and insights, source and synthesize stakeholder feedback and work to generate higher portfolio profitability and improved satisfaction scores, the company said. Divisional President of Owner Relations Aly El-Bassuni, who joined Aimbridge last year, will lead the team.
The team will also be tasked with launching a new advisory council, Aimbridge Owners Council, made up of representatives across ownership groups.
“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,” Tamis said in a statement.
Aimbridge also plans to bring its U.S. operations under two divisions: Aimbridge Select, focusing on select enhanced, select, economy and extended stay properties; and Aimbridge Full Service, focusing on full service, luxury and resort business, including Aimbridge’s lifestyle platform Evolution.
Aimbridge Select will manage a hotel portfolio spanning “key travel markets,” including Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; and Houston. Brands in the portfolio will include Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, Comfort Inn and Extended Stay America.
The Aimbridge Full Service portfolio, on the other hand, will include upscale assets in “some of the most iconic and sought-after destinations in the U.S., the Caribbean and Canada,” the company said.
Aimbridge executives Simon Mendy and Rob Smith will lead Aimbridge Select and Aimbridge Full Service, respectively.
The operational changes come on the heels of a strong year of portfolio growth for Aimbridge, with the company closing multiple deals, entering new markets and reopening properties across its global portfolio in 2023.
