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.

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Our most important resource that ultimately sets us apart from our competitors. We expect extraordinary things and must provide the tools, resources and training required to empower our team to achieve their very best.

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We are committed to providing a product that all team members are proud to represent. We are guided by the fact that decisions made today should have a positive impact tomorrow.

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We must develop and implement processes that have an explicable purpose. Our foundation consists of processes that create consistency and form that will allow us to grow in a responsible manner.

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It can’t be taught or bought. It is so strong that others can see it, hear it and feel it from the way you present yourself and your ideas. You cannot contain it or control it and without it, success is not possible. Passion is what allows us to enjoy the journey and breeds perseverance. Passion builds strength, talent, and a foundation to overcome any obstacle.

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

Mr. Shaunak Patel joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2008 and has been responsible for Parks’ overall growth. Mr. Patel provides strategic and innovative guidance in Parks’ management, development, and construction divisions.

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

Mr. Chris Hardy joined Parks Hospitality Group in January, 2020 to lead sales, marketing, and revenue management across the company. He is responsible for developing strategies that drive top line revenue, increase market share, and profitability.

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

Mr. Sean Branch joined Parks Hospitality in 2021 as the Vice President of Operations to carry the company’s operational vision forward. Mr. Branch specializes in driving optimal operational results, creating successful teams, and implementing strategic growth initiatives. His career spans over two decades where prior he was a key leader at Newport Hospitality Group for over 17 years.

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. Dhiran Patel joined Parks Hospitality in 2013 as the Corporate Controller and now serves as its Vice President of Finance. Mr. Patel is responsible for oversight of the Company’s corporate and hotel accounting, treasury, tax, financial planning and analysis, asset management, internal audit and investor relations. Prior to joining Parks Hospitality, he was employed with Concord Hospitality as a Property Controller where he managed a variety of select and full service properties.

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

Mr. Philip Bollhoefer originally joined the Parks Hospitality Group in 2016 as an Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director. Mr. Bollhoefer became the Vice President of Food & Beverage in 2022. Philip is responsible for the growth of F&B operations including creating F&B concepts for new hotel projects. He specializes in building strong teams and efficient systems for ensuring all food and beverage operations are delivering a consistent, service driven approach to providing high quality products for guests.

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.

Cheryl Gould

Vice President of People and Culture

Cheryl Gould joined Parks Hospitality Group in August 2022 as Vice President of People and Culture leading the human resources strategy and function. A human resources leader with over 20 years of human resources experience, Cheryl has served in leadership roles in public and non-profit organizations with global brands including Wyndham Destinations, Amazon, Habitat for Humanity and Deloitte.

Mrs. Gould is active in both the local and national chapters of the society of human resources management and holds multiple human resources certifications including Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and Engagement Champion.

As a sought after trusted advisor to senior leadership teams; Cheryl believes a focus on values, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are hallmarks for a successful people strategy.

Mrs. Gould obtained a B.S. from Middle Tennessee State University with a concentration in organizational leadership and a M.S. from Austin Peay State University with a concentration in Management.

Caleb Beasley

Regional Director of Revenue Management

Mr. Caleb Beasley joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2021 as Regional Director of Revenue Management. Mr. Beasley is responsible for the implementation and execution of revenue strategies that drive top-line revenue and maximize profit. Prior to joining Parks Hospitality Group, Caleb served as a revenue leader with OTO Development for eight years. As a 17-year hospitality veteran, Caleb has collaborated with department heads for resort, full service and focus serviced brands within Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt. He has had the opportunity to serve hotels in nearly every major US market.

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.

Chuck Cordell

Accounting Manager

Mr. Chuck Cordell joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2017 as the Accounting Assistant and is currently its Accounting Manager. Mr. Cordell is responsible for daily, monthly, and annual accounting processes for Parks’ portfolio. He is also responsible for performing and managing the day to day functions of accounting across each hotel and future development to assure ownership of proper financial control and record-keeping.

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

Ms. Kristina Kletke joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2019 as a Manager in Training. During her nine-month training program, she travelled to several properties across the portfolio and gained valuable experience in opening, operating, and managing different Hilton branded hotels. Upon her completion of the MIT program, Kristina joined the Tru by Hilton Raleigh Durham Airport as the Operations Manager, where she provided direction and oversight for all operational activities and departments within the hotel.

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

Mr. Seth Mason originally joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2014 as a Project Manager and became Development Manager in 2021. As Development Manager, he is responsible for assisting with a variety of tasks involved with real estate development. These include site selection, market due diligence, managing project expenses and budgets, ensuring brand compliance, FF&E purchasing, and organizing and coordinating efforts during the design, development, and construction of new properties.

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 Associate

Ms. Jenny Basil joined Parks Hospitality Group in April 2022 as its Development Associate. As Development Associate she is involved with the due diligence, design, development, and construction of Parks’ hotels.

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.

Kevin Fu

IT Manager

Mr. Kevin Fu joined Parks Hospitality Group in October 2016 as its Information Technology Engineer and is currently its Information Technology Manager. The maintenance and operation of cloud functionality for all company processes are his primary responsibilities along with assisting in the resolution of any technical issues arising on the properties.

Mr. Fu obtained his B.S. in Biomedical and Health Sciences Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nolan Osborn

Director of Strategic Insights and Systems

Mr. Nolan Osborn joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2019 as the Project Manager for Operations and is currently its Director of Strategic Insights and Systems. Nolan is responsible for the direction, coordination, and implementation of Parks’ Business Intelligence Platform along with overseeing the company’s Information Technology.

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.

Claire Kauserud

Regional Director of Sales Support

Mrs. Claire Kauserud joined Parks Hospitality Group in 2018 as the Area Director of Sales for the Cary Collection of Hilton Hotels. During her 4 years on property, she led her team through the challenges posed to the industry as a result of COVID. As part of the recovery in 2022, she and her team celebrated one of the highest grossing revenue years to date.

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

Mr. Justin Osborne joined Parks Hospitality in 2019 and has held various positions including Front Desk Representative, Front Desk Supervisor, Assistant General Manager for the Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh-Cary and Interim General Manager for the Tru by Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport. He joined the corporate office as the People and Culture Manager in March 2023. In this role, he works closely with the Vice President of People and Culture to build and manage people processes that are scalable, while maximizing employee engagement throughout the company.

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.

Kenny Novak

Task Force Manager

Mr. Kenny Novak joined Parks in February 2019 as opening Operations Manager for Homewood Suites Greenville and moved into the position of Task Force Manager in May 2021. In his current role, Mr. Novak is responsible for a variety of tasks while traveling to all of the properties and assisting with operational needs. While not only assisting the portfolio with day-to-day operations, he is also responsible for working with each property on their QA preparedness, performing Parks’ Internal Reviews, and working with hotel leadership to maintain compliance across both Parks’ internal systems and brand requirements. He serves as a valuable extension of the corporate office team.

Mr. Novak attended college at Clemson University in Clemson, SC.

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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.

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