Joel Eisemann, chief development officer, Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts, will be retiring in June. Julienne Smith, currently SVP of development – luxury & upscale, and development & owner support, has been appointed as Eisemann’s successor and will join the Americas regional leadership team.
“Joel’s contributions to the growth of IHG’s brand portfolio over the last 10 years have been very significant,” Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said in a statement. “We have greatly benefited from his deep experience and expertise, strong owner relationships and leadership of his team, and I am deeply grateful to him for his service and commitment. More broadly, Joel has been a strong and tireless leader for IHG, an advocate for our industry for decades, and has made a durable, positive impact through his positions with key industry bodies. I wish him and his family all the happiness and good health in the years ahead. At the same time, I am fully confident in the future of IHG’s development team under Julienne’s leadership, and I am very excited to have her join the Americas leadership team as chief development officer to aggressively drive forward our ambitious growth plans in the Americas.”
Joel Eisemann
Since joining IHG in 2011 as chief development officer, Eisemann “rebuilt and elevated” IHG’s development teams in luxury, upscale and mainstream for the Americas, as well as the Americas’ development & owner support team. He also advanced a broad set of new development leaders and mentored many across the company to support IHG’s growth ambitions. He helped grow the company from nearly 3,500 open hotels in 2011 to 4,300 open hotels and more than 900 hotels in the pipeline across the Americas region at the end of 2021.
During his tenure, Eisemann led the expansion of IHG’s franchised and managed brand portfolio in the Americas, including the launches of Avid hotels, Atwell Suites, Voco Hotels, Even Hotels and—most recently—the Vignette Collection. His 42-year career includes nearly 29 years at Marriott International, where he held various executive leadership positions, including chief owner and franchise relations officer; chief development officer, select-service and extended-stay brands; executive vice president, global asset management; and senior vice president, lodging development, Asia Pacific.
Eisemann served on the board of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, as well as co-chair of the AHLA’s HotelPAC; was a member of the Urban Land Institute Hotel Development Council for more than 15 years; and is a long-standing member of the planning committee for the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference.
Julienne Smith
Smith has 20 years of development experience, having joined IHG in August 2019 from Hyatt Hotels Corp. where she held several leadership roles after starting her career in the hotel industry at Marriott International. At IHG, she has been responsible for increasing the company’s presence in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean for new-builds and conversions for the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo and Even Hotels brands, in addition to bringing Voco Hotels and Vignette Collection to the Americas. Smith also leads the development & owner support team, which is focused on growing and strengthening IHG’s relationship with owners and hotels.
Smith is an active member in several organizations including the AHLA, AAHOA and ULI. She also serves on the AHLA Foundation board of trustees as well as on several industry conference advisory and planning committees.