Chicago, IL – June 26, 2019 – Sheraton Grand Chicago has appointed Marcus Cornelious as the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. Cornelious comes to the riverfront property at an exciting time as a renovation of its Club Rooms has just been unveiled and its seasonal favorite, Chicago Burger Company, celebrated its grand reopening this month. In his new role Cornelious will be responsible for the strategy and implementation of all sales and marketing activations, while overseeing a team of more than two dozen directors, managers and associates. Boasting the largest ballroom in the Midwest, Sheraton Grand Chicago is known to host many high-profile groups and conventions, which Cornelious will be instrumental in promoting and selling.
Cornelious is well acquainted with the Chicago market; he was most recently the director of sales and marketing at The Gwen, Michigan Avenue, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Here he was responsible for driving a trifecta of revenue growth across group room nights, transient business, as well as food and beverage. Under his watchful eyes the hotel achieved a spot in the top 10 Chicago hotels on TripAdvisor after a massive two-year renovation and repositioning. Cornelious’ other Windy City-specific experience includes past roles at The Langham, Chicago; W Hotels of Chicago; and Hiltons of Chicago, where he began his career. It was clear early on that the hospitality industry was a great fit for Cornelious when he received the Rookie of the Year award during his first four months at Hilton Chicago. Cornelious did venture beyond Chicago and took on the role of senior sales manager at The Miami Beach EDITION before heading north to The W New York – Union Square, where he was the director of sales and marketing.
“Marcus’ market-specific industry intelligence combined with his impressive revenue-driven results and emphasis on superior service make him a wonderful fit for our hotel,” said Mark Lauer, general manager of Sheraton Grand Chicago. “Having Marcus lead the team will set the bar high for growth, the guest experience and add tremendous value to the Sheraton Grand Chicago.”
Cornelious was the valedictorian for his graduating class at Kendall College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management, with a Hotel Management concentration. He also holds a Swiss Hotel Association Diploma from Les Roches Swiss Hotel Association School of Hotel Management in Marbella, Spain.
