Ben Campbell has transitioned from chief operating officer to president and chief executive officer of third-party hotel development and management company Hospitality America.
Hospitality America Founder and former CEO Chris Cargen has retired and will assume the newly created position of Chairman of the Board.
The 36-year-old CEO’s vision for the company includes growing from 17 hotels to 40 hotels in fewer than 10 years, expanding its portfolio to include more lifestyle and full-service brands, investing in tools and technologies to improve efficiencies and optimizing its capacity and profitability.
Campbell began his hospitality career 15 years ago, working as a department manager with Delaware North Companies (assisting at the Carolina Panthers Stadium and then managing the company’s concessions/ catering departments). Moving on to hotels, he was reservations and revenue manager for three Palisociety Hotels before working as revenue manager for OLS Hotels and Resorts (now Springboard Hospitality). In 2015, he joined Hospitality America, starting as director of sales, then held multiple GM positions until he was promoted to regional director of operations and then chief operating officer. It was in the COO role that Campbell began developing his vision for the company’s future.
After attending the 35th Annual Hunter Hotel Investment Conference in Atlanta last week, Campbell said he left the event knowing that the hotel industry is extremely positive, and that Hospitality America is in an enviable position for growth.
“People feel optimistic,” he said. “The hotel brands are reporting that their pipeline of units sold is greater than ever before. That said, there are not as many shovels in the ground as there could be. We are seeing a diversity of commercial real estate firms entering the hospitality space, such as multi-family, and that is where Hospitality America has a significant advantage. With Hospitality America, owners and developers get the scale of a bigger company with the individual attention of a smaller management company. We bring financial capabilities, scalability and ease to just pick up the phone, call the CEO and get individual attention.
"On behalf of Hospitality America, I want to express our gratitude for Mr. Cargen's years of outstanding leadership and mentorship,” he added. “I’m committed to his legacy, achieving our strategic objectives and maintaining our position as a top place to work."