Award Winning Hotelier to Oversee Operations at New Hotel Connected to Palm Beach County Convention Center
MIAMI – May 15, 2015 — John L. Parkinson has been appointed general manager of Hilton West Palm Beach in Palm Beach Florida, effective immediately. Parkinson most recently held the position of general manager for DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Orlando – Lake Buena Vista, the only all-suite Downtown Disney® hotel located inside Walt Disney World Resort®. In his new capacity, he will oversee operations for the contemporary new build 400-room hotel located in the heart of West Palm Beach, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2016.
Parkinson joined Hilton Worldwide in 2003 as assistant general manager after training with Wyndham Hotels and working in various operational positions at Marriott in Orlando, Florida.
In 2005, he was promoted to hotel manager of Embassy Suites Orlando International Drive South Convention Center before becoming general manager in 2008. As a general manager, his teams have received numerous Hilton Worldwide hotel awards achieving top goals in 2010, 2011 and 2014.
Parkinson graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan College where he was an All-American Baseball Player with a B.S. in Business Administration. He currently is active on the Board of Directors for the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association, is a past Chairman of the Resort Area Chamber of Commerce and sits as a Board of Directors for Little League Baseball. In 2013, he was named to the Orlando Business Journals top 40 influential people in Central Florida under 40 years old.
In his free time, he enjoys fitness, anything outside, especially coaching his 6-year-old son’s baseball team and taking in his 3-year-old daughter’s dance class.
Hilton West Palm Beach is suitably located minutes from Palm Beach International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida. The hotel offers a design conducive to productivity and relaxation, along with amenities that meet the needs of both professional planners and attendees.
Directly accessible via a covered walkway from the Palm Beach County Convention Center, Hilton West Palm Beach presents a spectacular setting for conventions, trade shows, meetings and social events. An architectural masterpiece with state-of-the-art amenities designed to embrace guests’ needs. The hotel will offer 400 refined and contemporary guestrooms including 25 stylish suites, an expansive and lush pool deck accented with cabanas and an outdoor fire pit, a bountiful state-of-the-art fitness center, an eclectic and curated art program as well as energetic food & beverage program including a lobby bar, restaurant & lounge and poolside bar and grill. Dedicated function space offers an easy flow between general sessions, while exquisite manicured lawns provide the perfect backdrop for catered events. The 350,000 square-foot center features a 100,000 square-foot exhibit hall, a 22,000 square foot ballroom and 21,000 square feet of flexible breakout space divisible into 19 rooms.
