Deno Yiankes, White Lodging’s president/CEO of investments and development, will step down in January 2020. Terry Dammeyer—most recently, president and chief construction/development officer of Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group—will take over for Yiankes.
Yiankes will serve as an advisor to White Lodging and Dammeyer through the end of 2020 and will join the company’s board of directors.
"Deno has been a trusted advisor to me and the company for decades, and together with our operating team, has built one of the highest performing hotel portfolios in the country," Bruce White, founder/chairman of White Lodging, said in a statement. "He's talented, committed and hard-working, and following his retirement will play a critical role on the board."
Yiankes joined White Lodging in 1990 when the company had only four properties. He has played a key role in its growth, including negotiating and transacting on more than $5 billion of hotel real estate and developing and opening more than 175 branded hotels. He has held the role of president/CEO since 2006. Before joining White Lodging, Yiankes served as a senior associate with HVS International.
"White Lodging has been a significant part of my life for the last three decades and I'm incredibly fortunate to have partnered with an organization and team that shares my own values and appetite for continuous improvement," Yiankes said in a statement. "With Terry's experience, I'm confident that our team will build upon our solid foundation and continue delivering on our fundamental goal of creating unique and lasting guest experiences well into the next 30 years."
Dammeyer began his career at Winegardner in 1984 and has served in a variety of development, construction and purchasing roles over the course of his 35-year career there. During his time at the company, he led the development of more than 30 hotels. In his upcoming role at White Lodging, he will oversee the company’s pipeline of development projects, which includes more than $1 billion of urban hotel investments and openings over the next four years.
White Lodging, established in 1985, owns, develops and manages hotels. It operates more than 90 hotels and 30 restaurants in 20 states.