CHICAGO (August 10, 2020) – The Kimpton Gray Hotel announced today that Joel Contor has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing for the Chicago hotel, effective immediately. In his new role, Joel will provide strategic direction for the sales teams, actively respond to financial performance and ensure achievement of Kimpton’s short and long term goals.
Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Contor has over fifteen years of experience in the hospitality industry. He started his career as a Cabin Crew Manager for Virgin Airlines Australia, before taking a leap of faith and moving to the U.S. in 2014 to find his true calling in hotels.
Contor has worked with The Kimpton brand since 2016, starting as a Sales Manager at the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel in Milwaukee. He has been with the Kimpton brand ever since, which has been named in the Top 10 of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies To Work For” for the past eleven years.
“Joel’s passion for the hospitality industry and years of expertise is a tremendous asset to us,” said Nabil Moubayed, General Manager for The Kimpton Gray Hotel. “We’re very excited for him to continue to grow with us and lead the team.”
In 2019, Contor moved to Chicago and joined the Kimpton Gray team as the Associate Director of Sales and Marketing. In that role, he played a key role in the hotel’s commercial marketing plan and execution, including originating the committee to drive internal and external marketing. He actively participated on the tactical emergency team to operate the hotel through COVID-19 operations and monitored the properties’ financial performance relative to budget and forecast.
He takes an experiential and human approach to his leadership philosophy, and always prides himself on being a key player and looking for more approachable ways to offer service.
“I’m incredibly excited for this next step in my career with the Gray,” says Contor. “I am dedicated to keeping the heart of hospitality shining, and looking forward to reimagining what the next Kimpton experience looks like in these ever evolving times for travel.”
