THE HOTEL EXPERTS

STEPHEN STEARNS        SKIP STEARNS


Steve & Skip Stearns have over 70 years of combined hotel management experience. Skip's responsibilities were primarily as a corporate officer while Steve's years were spent on property in daily operations.

Steve has been disclosed as an expert in approximately 30 cases over the past 10 years. He is experienced as a trial witness, being deposed, guiding attorneys through the discovery & deposition process & submitting detailed opinions. He has appeared both for & against hotel properties, owners, operators & franchisors.

Skip joined his brother in 2002 & brings with him considerable knowledge of franchise & brand management responsibilities. Those responsibilities include contractual negotiations & enforcement, corporate relations with individual hotels & development of hotel standards of operation, including inspection for compliance.

THE HOTEL EXPERTS (THE) works with attorneys to determine who is most knowledgeable to deliver effective support in each case. Steve & Skip are well versed in evaluating the day to day duties of all personnel at resort, hotel & motel & casino facilities & the obligations of hotel owners, management companies & franchisors.

THE fees are $395.00 per hour. When traveling for site inspection, deposition or trial, THE will not charge more than ten hours per calendar day. A retainer is required equal to the client's estimated fees projected over a 60-day period from the time of retention.




Stephen P. Stearns
258 East Tall Oaks Circle
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410
561-775-4990 Fax: 561-622-9223
Email: stevest50@aol.com
Web Site: The Hotel Experts

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SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
  • 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
  • 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 and health spa grossing $27 million annually
    • Responsible for hiring, training and 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, CN
      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:
SaltRiverFarm@yahoo.com
Web Site: The Hotel Experts


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SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
  • Thirty years of sales, marketing and hotel operations experience
  • Twenty-seven years of management experience
  • Franchise leadership including sales and contracting
  • Drafted operating standards and trained managers for their execution
  • Inspected for and supervised standards compliance
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
  • 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


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