We Are Parks Hospitality Group
Parks Hospitality Group is an award-winning, hotel development and management company dedicated to providing upscale accommodations and uniquely curated food and beverage experiences. Since 2008, Parks has partnered with Hilton and Marriott to develop a thriving portfolio of over 1400 rooms spanning North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Story
At Parks, we have cultivated a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages authenticity which supports the growth and development of our team members. Our Four Key Pillars: People, Passion, Product and Purposeful Process are essential to our foundation and serve to influence our actions both internally and externally.
The name “Parks” is an acronym that pays homage to the names of the immediate family of our founder, Ramesh Patel. His son, Shaunak, assumed the reins of the company in 2008, and is committed to ensuring that as we continue to grow, our team members always feel they are an integral part of the success of Parks Hospitality Group.
Our Mission and Vision is simple – Elevate people, service, and community in order to provide an outstanding experience for all. With this formula leading our actions; Parks is poised for continued success for many years to come.
Team
Shaunak Patel
President
Prior to joining Parks, Mr. Patel founded and managed Esoteric Solutions Inc., a technology solutions provider for the hospitality industry. He gained significant exposure to the hospitality industry through the time he spent working with hotels and owners.
Mr. Patel is a licensed unlimited General Contractor in the State of North Carolina and has reciprocity with 15 additional states.
Shaunak earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He obtained his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania with business exposure from the Wharton School of Business.
Chris Hardy
Vice President of Commercial Strategy
A 25 year veteran of the hospitality industry, Chris has served in leadership roles at hotel, regional and corporate levels with global brands including Hilton, Marriott, and Wyndham. He is active in industry organizations including HSMAI and an Adjunct Instructor at Wake Tech Community College.
Chris believes professional development, mentorship, collaboration, and never being content with the status quo are cornerstones to success. He received a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Keuka College and holds certifications from HSMAI and Cornell University.
Sean Branch
Vice President of Operations
Sean began his career in hospitality through various hotel positions that developed into leading award-winning hotels, serving as Vice President of Operations overseeing all global brands, and driving the company’s evolution forward as a premier management company. Strong brand partnerships, a passion for hospitality, and a cohesive vision are essential pillars in his strategic approach.
Mr. Branch attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Dhiran Patel
Vice President of Finance
Mr. Patel obtained his B.S. from the North Carolina State University in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management with a concentration in Tourism and Commercial Management.
Philip Bollhoefer
Vice President of Food and Beverage
Working in culinary management since 2006, he began his career with Hyatt Hotels. Philip has worked in high profile culinary destinations including Omni hotel properties in Chicago and the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. After opening The Montford Rooftop Bar with Parks Hospitality, Philip now brings his love of the culinary world, customer service, local market product sourcing and food waste prevention to all Parks Hospitality properties.
Philip is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.
Caleb Beasley
Regional Director of Revenue Management
Caleb is a member of HSMAI and the Professional Pricing Society and holds CRME and CPP certifications. Caleb obtained his B.A. in Philosophy and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan.
January Williamson
Area Revenue Manager
Ms. Williamson is a native of Buffalo, NY and earned a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University
Chuck Cordell
Accounting Manager
Prior to joining Parks Hospitality, Mr. Cordell was employed with Concord Hospitality as an Accounting Assistant where he assisted with a variety of select and full service properties.
Kristina Kletke
Accounting Assistant
In 2022, Kristina was promoted to the corporate office as the Accounting Assistant. She assists the Accounting Manager in the daily, monthly, and annual accounting processes for the Parks’ portfolio. She is also responsible for assisting in the day-to-day functions of accounting across each hotel and future development.
Prior to joining Parks Hospitality, Ms. Kletke graduated from East Carolina University where she obtained her B.S. in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Lodging and a Minor in Business Administration.
Seth Mason
Development Manager
Prior to joining Parks, Seth worked in South Korea as an English teacher before returning to school and pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.
Seth graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He earned his M.S. from the Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management in France and from the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jenny Basil
Development Coordinator
Prior to joining Parks, Jenny managed residential apartment properties in Durham, North Carolina for King Properties.
Ms. Basil obtained her B.S. in Urban and Regional Planning and a minor in Art from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.
Nolan Osborn
Director of Strategic Insights and Systems
Prior to joining Parks Hospitality Group, Nolan managed Customer Care Vendors for Synapse Group at their corporate office in Stamford, CT.
Nolan is a certified Project Management Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Nolan obtained a B.A. in International Studies from St. John Fisher College, with course work completed in Germany, Russia, and Washington D.C.
Kevin Fu
IT Manager
Mr. Fu obtained his B.S. in Biomedical and Health Sciences Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Robert Goss
Data Automation Analyst
Robert is responsible for building and maintaining data-driven processes, automating existing workflows, assisting in the creation and management various dashboards and reports. He supports the Sales, Revenue, Operations, Accounting, and Development departments to make data-driven decisions.
Robert obtained a B.S. in Statistics Magna Cum Laude from North Carolina State University with a minor in Business Administration.
Claire Kauserud
Regional Director of Sales Support
In 2023, Mrs. Kauserud was promoted to the corporate office as Regional Director of Sales Support. In this role, she is responsible for the development of onboarding, career development, training, and team recognition programs. She also assists in creating strategic action plans for target accounts, improving the sales cycle, optimizing sales impacted segments, and general sales support as needed.
As a 14-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Mrs. Kauserud served as a Director of Sales for several Hilton hotel brands including DoubleTree, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites. Claire is an active member of HSMAI, where she obtained her CRME designation and serves on the board.
Justin Osborne
People and Culture Manager
Prior to joining Parks Hospitality, Mr. Osborne worked in student housing operations at the University of South Florida and Florida Southern College. He was responsible for recruiting, supervising, training, and assessing student and full-time staff members and directed efforts to creating a safe and welcoming residential community to promote student success. He has over 15 years of leadership and organizational development experience in hospitality and higher education.
Mr. Osborne obtained a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.A.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Virginia Tech.
Levi Diala
Payroll and Benefits Administrator
With a passion for giving back to the community, Mr. Diala has volunteered for various causes across North Carolina including teaching, mentoring and donating his time to specific initiatives. Mr. Diala obtained his B.A. in Mathematics from Wake Forest University.
Nikolas Yankov
Task Force Manager
Before joining Parks, Nikolas held the role of Operations Manager at a Hampton Inn in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he led key initiatives for Vision Hospitality. Nikolas earned his B.S. in hospitality management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and furthered his passion with an M.S. in tourism management from Colorado State University, specializing in sustainability.
Expertise
We offer expertise and a depth of resources in all key aspects of hotel operations that provides effective operating strategies and yields exemplary service, revenue and financial performance.
- Operations – We believe “service” drives bottom line profit and our team members are empowered to do whatever it takes to provide superior guest service. We manage our assets and make every decision on the basis that we will live with the consequences and or rewards of those decisions for years to come.
- Sales and Marketing – We expend infinite resources to meet the expectation of having every hotel lead their respective market. We manage by Market Segment and Channel to deploy aggressive sales and marketing strategies to optimize market share.
- Revenue Management – Leveraging advanced analytics, forecasts and detailed segmentation to implement effective pricing and inventory strategies, we align Revenue Management with Sales and Marketing to develop winning strategies as one Commercial Team.
- Accounting & Finance – Our advanced systems offer accurate and timely financials, and allow our management teams to operate in an effective and efficient manner. Our services include detailed P&L analysis, routine audits and a full-range of customizable financial and reporting capabilities.
- Human Resources – Our HR practices focus on recruiting and retaining top talent within the hotel industry by providing standardized policies and procedures, in-depth training, accountability and strong culture. Our processes help create environments focused on superior guest service and happy and efficient workplaces.
- Information Technology – We administer and support numerous systems and provide services that enhance business operations and guest services. We utilize a variety of easy to use cloud services that support all departments.
Parks’ management philosophy centers on establishing a balanced scorecard aimed at providing clear focus and attention to the company’s keys to success. We maintain high expectations for the critical aspects of our company that we defined as our Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). Combined with our Parks Pillars, KPI’s help to offer a culture with common goals, accountability for all team members, and connects their work to the overall success of the company. We invest in our team members and provide them with the tools, resources and vision to excel individually and as a team.
Our KPI’s help to maintain focus on the most important measures of success for the company.
- Team Member Satisfaction and Development – Our people are our most valuable resource and we have an unrelenting pursuit to be the #1 employer of choice within the hotel industry. We want to lead the industry in training and team member development with a commitment to ensuring purposeful process in all areas of hotel management.
- Guest Satisfaction – We expect all hotels within the portfolio to rank within the top 20% of their respective brand service score rankings.
- Top Line Revenue – We believe driving top-line revenue growth is integral to our success. We operate many dynamic systems that are inclusionary of all team members, as each and every team member plays a key role in selling and creating memborable experiences.
- Profitability – We ultimately believe top-line revenue performance, maximizing operational efficiencies and cost control accountability are the most important factors driving our financial performance.
All hotels in our portfolio started as a vision and were constructed into reality from the ground up. We ensure the success of our “visions” by being involved owners who have a true passion for hospitality. Our projects are meticulously planned and analyzed, ultimately leading to the successful pairing of ideal locations and superior brands. Our growth as a company is directly attributed to the fact that each of our projects have been just as successful as the last.
Our success as Hotel Developers is attributed to several factors::
- Market Due Diligence: We utilize a series of analytical reports and our own industry expertise to evaluate and identify sustainable growth markets.
- Brand Partnership: We believe the hotel brand is equally as important as location. We are proud development and operating partners with leading hotel brands such as Hilton and Marriott.
- Site Selection: Location is everything but we take it a step further. Our vigorous site selection process ensures all hotel site locations feature great visibility, easy access and synergy with local surroundings.
- Design, Development & Construction: We use industry-leading architects, engineers and construction companies to develop prototypical and atypical building designs.
- Investor Relations: Our track record of on-time, on-budget, smartly designed and lucrative hotel developments has led to many repeat investors. We are personally invested in all our projects and self-manage all properties. So we mean it when we say we’re fully invested in the outcome. We ensure financial stability and responsible asset management profitability on an everyday basis.
Contact Us
Parks Hospitality Group Corporate Offices
4242 Six Forks Road
Suite 1600
Raleigh, NC 27609
Get Directions
P: 919-854-2797
F: 919-854-2798
contactus@parkshotels.com