THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC (THE) - Steve & Skip Stearns

THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC STEPHEN STEARNS SKIP STEARNS Recognizing the increasing number of attorneys in need of a hotel expert to guide them through hotel & hospitality industry standards & practices, career-long hotel executives Steve & Skip Stearns formed THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC (THE) in 2002. The Stearns brothers have over 70 years of combined hotel management experience. Skip's responsibilities were primarily as a corporate officer while Steve's years were spent in senior management on hotel sites in daily operations. Their varied hotel training & professional experiences afford inquiring attorneys a broader knowledge base than the typical sole practitioner serving as a hotel expert, litigation consultant or expert witness. Building on the advantages of offering more than one hotel expert to the specialized needs of each lawsuit, THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC practice has grown to include associates with highly specialized hotel & hospitality expertise in Boston, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco & Tampa. In addition to the basics of day-to-day hotel operations, THE's associates offer professional restaurant ownership & experience, human resources, professional training, teaching & cultural diversity experience, standards development & inspection for compliance, corporate behavior, brand management & franchising knowledge. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC works with attorneys to determine who is most knowledgeable & location appropriate to deliver effective support in each case. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC has been disclosed in over 100 cases covering 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands. THE has appeared both for & against hotel properties, owners, operators, franchisors & individual litigants. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC is skilled at research & developing recommendations for discovery & deposition questioning. As litigation consultants, THE can provide strategic direction. As testifying expert witnesses, THE associates deliver unbiased opinions & reports as well as impartial testimony at deposition & trial. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC maintains a library of North American hotel company operating standards manuals, university level textbooks used to train aspiring hotel, restaurant & hospitality executives & relevant industry articles published in the most visible hotel industry trade publications. Hourly fees may be obtained by contacting Steve Stearns. THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC will not charge more than ten hours per calendar day when traveling for site inspections, deposition or trial. Retention of THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC is only effective upon receipt of retainer. Minimums, retainer amounts & other applicable terms are disclosed & agreed upon prior to retention.
	Stephen P. Stearns 258 East Tall Oaks Circle Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410 561-775-4990 Fax: 561-622-9223 Email: Steve@THEHOTELEXPERTSLLC.com Web Site: www.THEHOTELEXPERTSLLC.com
^ Return to Top ^ SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Over forty years of sales, marketing & hotel operations experience Twenty-two years as senior operating executive in full service hotels & resorts Thirty-six years experience training managers & line staff in hotel operations Drafts hotel operating standards & inspects for successful execution Continues to work with hotel, resort & casino companies, from economy class to luxury, toward consistent application of field operating standards PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC Palm Beach Gardens, FL 1991 to Present THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC (THE) provides strategic support & expert witness services to attorneys & their clients litigating claims related to hotels, resorts, motels, casinos, cruise lines, restaurants, racetracks & other entertainment venues. THE serves both plaintiffs & defendants who are hotel owners, operators, franchisors, franchisees & individual litigants by guiding attorneys through discovery & depositions, & by writing expert opinions & testifying at deposition & trial on hospitality practices & reasonable standards of care. Richey International Chevy Chase, MD Senior Vice President January 1991 to Present Marketing responsibility for the largest provider of operational surveys for the hospitality industry. Richey International surveys hotels in over 90 countries on every continent. PGA Sheraton Resort Palm Beach Gardens, FL Vice President, Managing Director of the PGA Sheraton Resort August 1985 to July 1990 Total responsibility for 336 rooms & 92 guest cottages, employing over 500 employees. In 1985, hotel occupancy was 61% with house profit of just over $2 million. 1990 occupancy was 71% with house profit in excess of $5.5 million. Americana Hotels, Inc. Vice President & Managing Director Chicago, IL November 1976 to August 1985 Americana Canyon Hotel Racquet & Golf Resort, Palm Springs, CA October 1982 August 1985 Fully responsible for this 468 unit hotel Supervisor of Americana Snow King Resort - 200 rooms Jackson Hole, WY Quality Inn - 500 room facility Kansas City, MO In Jackson Hole, took house profit from 14K in 1982, to 800K in 1984 by taking personnel from Palm Springs & promoting them to executive committee positions in Jackson including the General Manager Americana Canyon Hotel Vice President & General Manager November 1976 to September 1982 468-unit complex resort with convention center, two golf courses, large tennis complex & health spa grossing $27 million annually Responsible for hiring, training & supervising 600 employees Dunfey Family Hotels Hampton, NH August 1974 to November 1976 General Manager, Sheraton Airport Inn, Philadelphia, PA Responsible for this 350 unit hotel grossing over $5 million annually. Brought occupancy to 82% in the second year of operation. Capital Centre Arena Landover, MD April 1973 to June 1974 Marketing Director Marketing responsibility for a new arena which opened in December 1973. Supervised public relations, group & season ticket sales, community relations & all advertising for the NBA & NHL franchises owned by Capital Centre. Also responsible for promotion of various attractions such as Ice Capades, the circus, rodeo etc. Total operating budget over $7.5 million. Sonesta Hotels (formerly Hotels Corporation of America) Boston, MA May 1964 to March 1973 General Manager, Hotel Sonesta Cambridge, MA August 1970 to March 1973 Responsible for this 200 unit hotel grossing over $3 million. Hotel employed 155 people General Manager, Charter House Hotel Buffalo, NY March 1969 to August 1970 Responsible for this 100 unit hotel grossing $1.25 million annually. Employed 90 people Director of Marketing, Hotel Sonesta Hartford, CT October 1967 to March 1969 Responsible for the marketing department consisting of seven people, plus coordinating with outside public relations& advertising agencies. The hotel contained 300 units, grossing $4 million annually. Business Development Manager, Hotel Sonesta Washington D.C. February 1966 to October 1967 Responsible for promoting weekend business for this 350 unit hotel. This was an experimental position to see if a weekend sales specialist could be developed for downtown commercial hotels that badly needed higher weekend occupancy. Sales Representative, Hotel Kenmore Boston, MA February 1965 to February 1966 Responsible for convention & banquet sales for this 400 unit hotel Sales Manager, Charter House Hotel Newton, MA May 1964 to February 1965 Responsible for group sales of this 175 unit Motel Tyrolian Tours Tyrol, Austria December 1963 to May 1964 Tour Director for small group of Austrian hotels catering to English speaking guests. Responsibilities were to see that guests knew where to obtain skies, where to ski, where to buy souvenirs, etc. MILITARY SERVICE December 1961 to December 1963 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Achieved rank of Captain EDUCATION Graduate of Purdue University - 1961 Bachelor of Science Degree Major - Political Science ASSOCIATIONS Chairman of the Board, Palm Beach County Hotel & Motel Association. Board of Directors, Florida Hotel & Motel Association ExecutiveCommittee of the Palm Beach County Visitors & Convention Bureau. Instructor in Hotel Management Courses, Palm Beach Community College. Skip Stearns Salt River Farm 21 Depot Road Stratham, NH 03885-2104 603-778-0110 Fax: (603) 778-0333 Email: Skip@THEHOTELEXPERTSLLC.com Web Site: www.THEHOTELEXPERTSLLC.com ^ Return to Top ^ SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Over thirty years of sales, marketing & hotel operations experience Twenty-seven years of management experience Franchise leadership including sales & contracting Drafted operating standards & trained managers for their execution Inspected for & supervised standards compliance PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC Stratham, NH Member 2002 to Present THE HOTEL EXPERTS, LLC (THE) provides strategic support & expert witness services to attorneys & their clients litigating claims related to hotels, resorts, motels, casinos, cruise lines, restaurants, racetracks & other entertainment venues. THE serves both plaintiffs & defendants who are hotel owners, operators, franchisors, franchisees & individual litigants by guiding attorneys through discovery & depositions, & by writing expert opinions & testifying at deposition & trial on hospitality practices & reasonable standards of care. Franchise Associates Stratham, NH Principal 1996 to Present Franchise Associates provides consulting services targeting small to medium-sized management companies & individual hotels. Services include but are not limited to: strategic planning, annual planning, organizational analysis, team building, problem solving, marketing, operating standards & services, customer relations, growth & development, franchise selection & negotiation, contracting & franchise relations Omni Hotels Hampton, NH Vice President, Director of Franchising 1991 to 1996 Full responsibility for franchising program comprised of 17 hotels or 50% of North American properties Generation of development prospects & active participation in solicitation process Negotiation, preliminary drafting & authorized signatory on all franchise contracts Proactive assurance of favorable relations with owners & operators Facilitation of all new hire executive level orientation Supervising author & guardian of Omni Hotels Operating Manual Active support of field management with respect to training, motivational programs, quality assurance, brand products & revenue generation Member of corporate executive operating committee reporting to President & CEO Vice President, Director of Franchise Sales & Marketing 1987 to 1991 One of two corporate officers chosen to launch franchising program aimed at increasing brand presence, fee income & marketing funding Participated in development planning, execution & closing of new hotel contracts Planned for corporate resources to effectively deliver support services Provided sales, marketing & general support to all franchisees & their operators Vice President, Director of National Sales 1983 to 1987 Constructed the merger of Omni & Dunfey Hotels' National Sales organizations Supervised 26 directors of sales, sales managers & support personnel in Boston, Chicago, New York & Washington, DC Opened National Sales Offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles & Dallas Responsible for collateral development, advertising & direct mail Initiated database account management Constructed company-wide group & convention sales contract Vested sales executives with the authority to directly negotiate & to contract clients at a time when competitors had not yet demonstrated the ability to do so, thereby creating a unique strategic advantage with buyers & unusual credibility with hotels served Dunfey Hotels Hampton, NH Regional Director of Sales & Marketing 1982 to 1983 Provided corporate sales & marketing supervision to 8 hotels from California to New York Responsible for hiring, training & ongoing support Led sales & marketing transition of the 1,240-room New York Sheraton New York Statler - 1,800 rooms (A Dunfey Hotel) New York, NY Director of Sales 1980 to 1982 Supervised 53 people in 7 departments including room sales, catering sales & convention services for this hotel boasting over 95,000 square feet of function & exhibit space Personally attracted & negotiated largest convention accounts, airline crews & other volume producers Responsible for collateral development, advertising, direct mail & public relations Served on hotel's executive operating committee Dunfey Houston Hotel - 450 rooms Houston, TX Director of Sales 1977-1980 Arrived as Assistant Director of Sales & promoted to Director of Sales within one year Hired, trained & supervised 14 sales & catering executives focused on the solicitation & servicing of commercial transient & group buyers, state & national associations & other groups, wholesale buyers & banquet events Personally improved solicitation of largest & most strategically critical accounts Responsible for all collateral development, advertising, direct mail & public relations Served on hotel's executive operating committee Dunfey Atlanta Hotel - 370 rooms Atlanta, GA National Sales Manager 1976 to 1977 Senior sales responsibility via telephone & personal sales calls for national association, corporate & other group meetings suited to the hotel's 13,000 square foot ballroom & additional 20,000 square feet of meeting & function space Assisted director of sales in orientation, training & supervision of all new hires Dunfey Hyannis Resort - 225 rooms Hyannis, MA Regional Sales Manager 1975 to 1976 Solicitation of association, corporate & other group meeting & incentive business attracted to this hotel's Cape Cod location, extensive function capabilities & recreational facilities including golf, indoor & outdoor tennis, health spa & indoor & outdoor swimming pools Account pursuit covered all of New England at various times via personal & telephone sales calls Dunfey's Howard Johnson Hotel - 275 rooms Newton, MA Sales Manager 1974 to 1975 Initiated program to capture transient commercial travelers Door to door & telephone solicitation of corporate accounts & travel agents Newton Public Schools Newton, MA Secondary School Teacher 1973 to 1974 Taught grades 7 - 9 in the English & Social Studies Department of Meadowbrook Junior High School EDUCATION University of Massachusetts Boston, MA B.A., Psychology - 1973 Secondary School Teacher Certification - 1973 ^ Return to Top ^ Please let the Experts know you found them @ Ca-Experts.Com
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