Kaplan brings two decades of successful luxury hotel management to San Diego’s premier urban lifestyle property
SAN DIEGO, CA (May 13, 2015) – Hard Rock Hotel San Diego has named hospitality veteran Dan Kaplan, former area managing director with HEI Hotels and Resorts and general manager of the San Diego Marriott La Jolla, as the hotel’s new general manager. Kaplan brings over two decades of successful management experience at several of the country’s leading hotel brands to the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. He will oversee day-to-day operations, lead group and transient business growth and ensure a flawless guest experience based upon Hard Rock Hotel San Diego’s signature rock star brand of service. His new charge includes overseeing the hotel’s 420 guestrooms and suites, 40,000 square-feet of event and meeting space, as well as the hotel’s signature Maryjane’s restaurant, Rock Spa, Float rooftop lounge and 207 nightclub.
Kaplan’s aptitude for producing award-winning guest satisfaction ratings, maximizing RevPar, and his acute attention to the smallest details contributing to an impeccable stay, have become the hallmarks of his 20-year career in hospitality leadership. At La Jolla Marriott, he was tapped to reposition the property following a $17 million renovation, and his successes included raising the hotel’s TripAdvisor rankings by five positions, as well as building a sales team which increased group room nights by 65% in its first year. Prior to La Jolla Marriott, Kaplan served as general manager at The Westin St. Louis, also operated by HEI Hotels and Resorts. During his tenure, the hotel experienced the highest RevPar index in its history, and achieved the top guest satisfaction scores of all HEI properties, landing in the top 5% of Westin hotels in the country.
“Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is one of few properties which successfully blends the glamour and excitement of a vibrant, lifestyle hotel and the crisp sophistication of an award-winning meetings hotel all under one roof,” said Matt Greene, vice president of operations at Evolution Hospitality, operators of Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. “Dan’s success in growing both transient and group business coupled with his uniquely detail-oriented and focused approach to guest service made him the ideal candidate to lead the property and maintain its market position as San Diego’s leading A-List hotel. Dan is also very active in the city’s tourism industry and local community which aligns well with our commitment to involvement. We are excited to welcome him to this downtown jewel.”
Previously, Kaplan worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, overseeing a number of their properties over the course of an 11-year tenure with the brand. Most recently, he served as general manager of Sheraton Suites Plantation, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. While there, he achieved top Associate Satisfaction scores for the brand’s southwest region, and guest satisfaction ratings ranked in the top 10% of all Sheraton properties nationwide. Additional positions with Starwood include general manager of Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort, and general manager Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek.
Kaplan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in restaurant management and a minor in business administration from University of Illinois. He has earned countless honors for his work, including HEI’s “Hotel of the Year Award” in 2011, and two “GM of the Year” awards. In addition to his work, Kaplan is a passionate supporter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. He has served on the organization’s Board of Trustees and Executive Board since 2010, and was recognized as its largest fundraiser in the southwest region in 2012, raising over $60,000 to support cancer research. In February 2015, Kaplan was honored with Top Individual Fundraiser for the Light The Night Walk for his hard work and dedication to the organization and its mission.
