Hospitality industry veteran Steven Ellingsen launches Somnium Hospitality Group, a full-service, multiple-brand approved hotel and asset management company in which he serves as president and founder. The Chicago-based venture is comprised of a collection of branded hotels, full-service resorts, golf experiences and boutique properties. Somnium officially launched on Jan. 1.
“Somnium, which means ‘to dream’ in Latin, aims to reimagine the traditional hospitality management model. We create impactful environments and meaningful experiences where dreams unify with vision and performance," Ellingsen said in a statement.
Somnium delivers a platform of services including asset strategic planning, sales and marketing, revenue management, IT technology, accounting and financial management, food and beverage, digital media, owner representation, economic modeling and more. These support services directly address owners' expectations to maximize the profit and value of their investments, according to the company. Somnium’s strategic deployment focuses a significant portion of time on understanding the owners’ investments, which provides an intrinsic sense of how the business is operating on the ground and as it happens. This, teamed with Somnium’s knowledge of the sector, allows the firm to guide owners and management teams on the best strategy and actions as operations unfold at the property level.
Somnium activates a distinctly different approach to the traditional hospitality management ethos to get there. The firm refers to team members as Dream Members and posits a company culture based on embracing individuality, living passionately and having the freedom to live your why, according to Ellingsen. “It’s a deeper understanding and delivery of hospitality management, concentrated on cultivating meaningful connections where we serve one another with unity to achieve and deliver combined objective(s),” Ellingsen said.
The present collection of Somnium-managed and asset-managed hotels and resorts includes Chicago Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center; Holiday Inn Fairborn, Ohio; Homewood Suites Fairborn, Ohio; Moxy Portland; Pali Hotel Seattle; Pali Hotel San Francisco; and Pali Hotel Santa Monica.
Dan White, COO/CFO of Somnium Hospitality Group, has direct oversight, including property-based operations and finance. White launched his hospitality career in finance, spending over 15 years as an area director, where he created and led over $50 million in annual revenues. In addition, White has spent the last 10 years leading area general management for a distinct collection of management companies.
Ellingsen oversees all property and asset management aspects. The Santa Barbara native quickly developed a passion for hospitality from his first position at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in California more than 31 years ago. Throughout Ellingsen’s career, he has operated, developed and repositioned many assets, including some of the most high-profile properties across the U.S.