With more than 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Metcalf joins the HQ Hotels team from Crescent Hotels & Resorts, who spent 18 years with the company in various roles, most recently COO.
“Mike joins HQ Hotels at a pivotal stage of its launch ahead of the first HQ hotel openings in Montreux, Switzerland, and Detroit.” said Nazarian. “His extensive background in hospitality at every level and his business acumen makes him the ideal choice for HQ and we are delighted to have him at the brand’s helm.”
Throughout his tenure at Crescent, Metcalf had a strong focus on the company’s expansion and development. As VP, business development, the company purchased eight hotels in 18 months, and he was instrumental in the portfolio growing from 28 hotels to more than 110. As COO, he had direct oversight of full-service hotels, premium focused-service hotels and premium golf resorts.
He spent many years as GM of the original Delta Orlando, a 900-room hotel at Universal Studios, as well as GM of the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, FL—ahead of Crescent being hired to manage the property. Similarly, he spent 15 years with ITT Sheraton in various positions across the U.S. and Canada, with an additional six years consulting across multiple projects in Hawaii, L.A., New York, Florida and the Caribbean handling bank workouts, asset management and underwriting loans.
“As the HQ brand launches globally, my focus will be to source new deals, develop brand standards, and ensure we deliver on the HQ brand promise to guests, employees and owners alike,” said Metcalf. “We’re creating a unique and global hotel experience specifically targeting Gen Z and Millennial travelers. In particular, we see the savvy Latin American travel demographic as integral. With a major portion of the brand experience driven by activations conceptualized at our bars and restaurants, our hotels will be known for their entertainment value with iconic F&B partners including Disruptive Restaurant Group (DRG), and the largest premium quickservice restaurant brand Everybody Eats.”
Tags: Disruptive Restaurant Group (DRG), Everybody Eats, HQ Hotels and Residences, Mike Metcalf, Sam Nazarian
