IRVING, TX — May 20, 2021 — Spire Hospitality, a nationally recognized third-party hotel management company owned by AWH Partners, a privately held real estate investment firm headquartered in New York, has appointed Ted Arps, a 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, as executive vice president and chief development officer.
“Ted brings with him extensive experience in operations and business development in the hospitality industry, and has a proven track record of success,” said Chris Russell, CEO of Spire Hospitality. “Not only that, but he’s a fit culturally. Members of our leadership team, including me, have worked with him in a variety of capacities over the years, and I can say with certainty that he’s aligned with Spire’s vision, core business principles and purpose.”
In his new role, Arps is responsible for sourcing new business opportunities in markets across the United States and supporting the growth of the company’s firmly established third-party management business.
Arps previously held various senior leadership positions at Davidson Hospitality Group, including senior vice president of strategic operations and senior vice president of business development. During his time with the company, he oversaw investment management, where he was responsible for value enhancement through innovative ideas and actions, real estate operations improvements, value-adds, and ROI projects; and accelerated deal growth through acquisitions and management transitions. Recently, he oversaw the transition and operation of a Midwest iconic resort valued at $150 million.
Prior to Davidson, he served as the director of hotel investments for Crow Holdings, where he managed the private equity group’s hotel real estate investment holdings. He led the acquisition of 18 properties and oversaw asset management for 28 of Crow’s hotels, including the then Wyndham Anatole, during his tenure.
He began his career in hospitality with Bristol Hotels and Resorts, eventually working his way up to vice president of operations, where he worked with a portfolio that grew from 3 to 120 hotels, and to $1 billion in sales. He also held a variety of other hotel management roles with the company, including food and beverage manager; general manager; and regional manager.
“Spire exudes a collaborative and transparent leadership, an engaged culture of high-performance, and a focus on people, passion and purpose,” Arps said. “What also attracted me to Spire is its reputation for maximizing asset value while curating uniquely personalized, unforgettable guest experiences. This rare combination of deliverables is anchored by a full-suite of third-party hotel management services, thus being a complete hospitality management solution for full-service hotels and resorts, and select-service hotels.”
