Hospitality Ventures Management Group, an Atlanta-based, private hotel management company, appointed John Edwards to VP of design and construction. In his newly-created role, Edwards will work with HVMG's business development team, as well as brand and investor partners, to oversee new development and renovation projects. He also will be responsible for capital expense planning for the company’s owned and managed portfolio.
“Smart development, repositioning and renovation programs requires deep experience and expertise to create a hotel product that differentiates the property from its competitive set, control costs, and attract guests,” said Robert S. Cole, HVMG president and CEO. “We welcome John to the team during an unprecedented growth period at HVMG, with 2016 proving to be our most successful year since the company’s inception. His timely addition will serve us well as we transition into the second half of the year as we expect to add half a dozen properties to our portfolio and manage over $250M in new construction and capital projects.”
Edwards brings nearly 40 years of experience in hospitality and commercial real estate development, design and construction. For the last 15 years, his career consisted of senior management and project development roles with companies such as Omni Hotels & Resorts, Gaylord Hotels and Las Vegas Sands Corp.
John is an architect by training and he has also held senior positions with companies including RTKL Associates, Lodging & Hospitality Systems Group and Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates. He successfully led projects that included pre-development, pre-acquisition due diligence, programming, master planning and rezoning, as well as the procurement and management of design and engineering consultants and general contractors. He has worked on a broad range of hospitality projects that include resorts, convention hotels as well as spas and fitness centers. In addition to his hospitality experience, John has experience designing and developing luxury residential, retail, and commercial office buildings. Edwards holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture from Clemson University.
“Teaming up my expertise in hospitality development, design and construction with HVMG’s proven expertise in operations, revenue generation, and marketing systems will strongly position the properties under construction and renovation to realize their full potential,” Edwards said. “I look forward to working with the team to enhance operations, manage capital expenses and maximize profits, ultimately helping our properties to prosper and create value for our partners across all phases of the industry cycle.”