ATLANTA (November 22, 2019) – Davidson Hotels & Resorts, one of the nation’s leading hospitality management companies, announces the appointment of Pete Sams as its Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Sams will be responsible for driving operational excellence and profitability for the company’s core portfolio of more than 50 hotels and resorts across the U.S. Functional oversight includes human resources, sales, revenue management, integrated marketing, transitions and operations strategy across all branded assets, Pivot Hotels & Resorts and Davidson Restaurant Group verticals.
A hospitality industry veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, Sams joins the company from Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where he served as executive vice president of full-service operations. During his tenure, he was responsible for the company’s overall operational strategy, forging strong owner relations and driving superior hotel performance for a portfolio of more than 100 hotels, resorts and conference centers throughout North America. Prior to joining Interstate, Sams served as a regional vice president at White Lodging, managing a portfolio of full-service hotels under Hyatt Hotels, Le Méridien, Marriott and Renaissance. Additionally, he oversaw the opening of several new construction properties and was the project lead in the development of an internal labor leadership tool and process. Sams began his hospitality career with Omni Hotels, which spanned 20 productive and decorated years, serving multiple stints as an impactful general manager, including running the iconic Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.
“As we continue our commitment to deliver exceptional value to our owners, we recognize the importance of having a culture of best-in-class operational execution,” said Davidson Hotels & Resorts President Thom Geshay. “An embodiment of our core values, Pete is natural fit within our senior leadership team. He is a community steward, a champion of his team members and has dared to be great in his career by pushing boundaries. We are looking forward to leveraging Pete’s extensive hospitality acumen in order to optimize profitability, drive innovation and enhance the guest experience.”
Sams’ industry leadership includes participation on the Marriott Rooms Advisory Board, the Renaissance Advisory Board, and a member of the Hyatt Full Service Franchise COO Roundtable. He proudly served his country as a member of the US Army and is a graduate of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Finance.
