The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, December 19, 2017 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Tom Cupo area general manager for The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Blacksburg, Virginia. Greg Champion, Benchmark’s president & COO, made the announcement.
"It is with pleasure that I welcome Tom to his new role with our company,” said Mr. Champion. “Not only is he an extremely experienced leader, he knows The Inn at Virginia Tech and the Virginia market intimately, having overseen the property for many years. We look forward to his active participation as leader of The Inn’s executive team.”
In addition to leading The Inn at Virginia Tech, Tom Cupo’s new area responsibilities include overseeing the University’s highly-regarded Pete Dye River Course, as well as providing guidance and direction for the historic Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia.
Previously, Mr. Cupo was regional managing director for Benchmark, overseeing The Chattanoogan in Chattanooga, Tennessee, The Inn at Virginia Tech, as well as Stonewall Resort of Roanoke, West Virginia, and THE TENNESSEAN Hotel and Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park, both in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has also served as managing director for Virginia Crossings Resort in Richmond, Virginia.
For more than two decades, Tom Cupo has held leadership positions in Benchmark’s operations and senior management departments for properties in a multitude of states and Canada. He is a certified Real Property Administrator and Facilities Management Administrator, a designation he earned from the Building Owners and Managers Institute of Arnold, Maryland.
Mr. Cupo also leads Benchmark’s global Hometown Hospitality Caring For Our Communities initiative, most recently facilitating the company’s partnership with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America. He is relocating to Blacksburg with his family.
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center afford Virginia Tech students the opportunity for high-level hospitality experience, offered in conjunction with their tourism and hospitality studies in the Pamplin College of Business. Students work as servers and front-desk staff, with part-time jobs typically involving banquets and work at Preston’s Restaurant.
The hotel has 147 guest rooms and suites, and the conference facilities offer 23,000 square feet of meeting space. The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center falls within Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech. Benchmark Resorts & Hotels has managed the property since 2011. BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, brings four decades of experience operating properties within the Virginias and elsewhere.
