General Manager Support Staff

BEN BUCHANAN

**** ******** ***** ******: 913-***-****

Parma, OH 44129 ************@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Self-motivated professional with over extensive experience in diverse customer-driven environments. Possess sound educational and professional competencies to implement strategic operational initiatives to enhance productivity, quality, service, and overall bottom-line performance. Energetic, innovative, and strategic hands-on leader with polished negotiation, interpersonal and communication abilities, superior team-building skills, and the ability to motivate others on all levels in the achievement of individual and organizational goals. Extensive experience in both hotel and beverage management.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Operations Management Client Relationship Management

Human Resource Management Training / Mentoring Program

Staff Leadership / Development Missions Driven

Financial / Budget Management Policy / Procedure Management

Strategic Planning / Tactical Execution Facilities Experience

Recruitment Management Hospitality Operations

Marketing / Sales Productivity Improvement

Office / Administrative Management Effective Communication

Food and Beverage Capital Improvements and Renovations

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Task Force Manager 2023 – Present

LIGHT HOUSE HOTELS AND RESORTS

Manage hotel from 100-220 units and oversee job performance for management, supervisors, and support staff including food and beverage along with the maintenance staff.

• Part of the management team for two hotels, forecasting, budgeting, purchasing, inventory management, vendor relations, and direct internal and external maintenance; hiring, training, and scheduling support staff.

• Inspect rooms, public areas, and grounds for cleanliness and appearance daily; project occupancy levels, cash -flow, and accounting activities; ensure the hotel meets health, safety, and security regulations, and licensing laws; ensure top-notch guest services.

• Develop and oversee the development and execution of sales and business plans, budget, financial reports, forecasts, and other reports used to set hotel strategy and monitor operational effectiveness. Handle and resolve guest issues and guest satisfaction. Deal with ownership regarding daily operations and renovations.

General Manager 2022 – 2023

Arbor Hospitality, STAYBRIDGE SUITES Mayfield, OH

Manage and direct all operations for a 100-unit hotel and oversee job performance for management, supervisors, and support staff including bistro and maintenance staff.

• Forecasting, budgeting, purchasing, inventory management, vendor relations, and direct internal and external maintenance; hiring, training, and scheduling support staff.

Inspect rooms, public areas, and grounds for cleanliness and appearance daily; project occupancy levels, cash -flow, and accounting activities; ensure the hotel meets health, safety, and security regulations, and licensing laws; ensure top-notch guest services.

• Develop and oversee the development and execution of sales and business plans, budget, financial reports, forecasts, and other reports used to set hotel strategy and monitor operational effectiveness. Handle and resolve guest issues to guest satisfaction.

Lodge General Manager 2020 – 2021

PERMIAN LODGING LLC Permian Basin, TX

Managed all aspects of lodging services from initial set up, movement, and maintenance for various oil field personnel in the Permian Basin. Ensured efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the establishment.

• Inspected rooms, public areas, and grounds for cleanliness and appearance daily. Ensured that company standards for guest services, maintenance, and housekeeping were met. Monitored staff performance to ensure that guests were satisfied with lodging services.

• Responsible for financial management monitoring of each site location such as room sales, reservations, accounting, cash flow, projecting occupancy levels, and deciding which rooms to discount and when to offer special rates. Coordinated the activities of various departments such as housekeeping, Wi-Fi services, food and beverage, security, parking, fitness centers, recreational centers, meeting, and conference rooms.

Task Force General Manager 2019 – 2020

CARVER GROUP Nationwide

Assist owners and companies to succeed by building investment teams and teaching team members approaches to grow assets. Hold leadership team accountable for strategy execution and guide individual professional development.

• Personal development in all aspects of the hotel, food, and beverage; embrace leading a solid team; training and developing to excel in roles and continuously improve; motivate associates to exceed expectations; passionately uphold and elevate a positive work environment for associates. Ensure the portfolio operations are functioning within the financial parameters established in the program; providing analyses and implications of key learnings to be applied in the development of future best practices as related to sales and marketing practices.

General Manager 2016 – 2018

STAYBRIDGE SUITES San Antonio, TX

Provided effective leadership to seven direct report staff and 32 total personnel. Managed 120-room, extended-stay property, including best-in-class stewardship of branding standards, financial performance, customer experience, and safety.

• Proactively reviewed historical occupancy trends and pending events to anticipate required staffing levels. Critically reviewed reports of occupancy and revenue and partnered with revenue management professionals to analyze trends and implement changes to maximize room revenue.

• Developed and/or oversee the development and execution of sales and business plans, annual budget, financial reports, forecasts, and other reports used to set hotel strategy and monitor operational effectiveness. Unwavering commitment to the guest experience, demonstrated by maintaining the highest standards of guest service and maintenance of the hotel.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Implemented a series of changes in SOPs including customer engagement practices loss control, presentation standards, partner support, and resource allocation that yielded a $300k increase.

• Implemented a new payroll system, resulting in inefficacies that lowered payroll by more than 10%. A catalyst to the hotel passing all QA inspections as of July 2018, a dramatic improvement from the historical pass rate of no more than 1 QA inspection in a row per year, saving ownership thousands of dollars spent each year.

General Manager 2009 – 2016

LODGING HOST HOTEL CORPORATION - STAYBRIDGE SUITES Las Cruces, NM

Recruited as part of the management team for the takeover of hotels; operated an extended-stay Staybridge Suites property approximate to White Sands National Park and Space America/Government and Private Missile Testing.

• Relied upon as a member of the senior leadership team to proficiently take over a group of hotels, including conceptualizing and deploying new SOPs in advance of the new GM’s selection/arrival. Served as interim GM at Dearborn Hotel, a 750-room hotel with full F&B operations and 60K+ sq. ft. of meeting/banquet space.

• Responsible for the preparation, presentation, and subsequent achievement of the hotel's annual Operating Budget, Marketing & Sales Plan, and Capital Budget. Managed ongoing profitability of the hotel, ensuring revenue and guest satisfaction targets were met and exceeded.

• Ensured all decisions are made in the best interest of the hotels and management. Delivered hotel budget goals and set other short- and long-term strategic goals for the property. Developed improvement actions and carry out cost savings.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Successfully led Staybridge to KPI performance including 97% guest satisfaction, 92% QA scores, 31% increase in extended-stay guest occupancy, and spearheading a 10% increase in government per diem rate.

Director of Sales and Marketing 2005 – 2009

TRINITY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Kansas City, MO

Accountable for effectively conceptualizing and deploying sales and marketing strategies to meet the requirements of 11 Choice and Wyndham properties throughout the Midwest.

• Served for 2+ years as GM of a full-service corporate hotel, including attached community favorite Restaurant and two popular Bars, as well as a large convention and banquet space with a seating capacity of 1500 and a breakout area, then promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing.

• Provided support in various management and supervisory assignments on weekly rotations throughout the hotels including assisting with scheduling, training, and development of staff.

• Maximized room yield and hotel/resort revenue through innovative sales practices and yield management programs. Oversaw and managed all departments and worked closely with

Department heads daily. Managed and develop the Hotel Executive team to ensure career progression and development.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Innovatively expanded marketing targets to include colleges, hospitals, and corporate leisure markets. Recruited into the role as GM and was subsequently promoted to Director tasked with utilizing aggressive, localized marketing strategies to increase gross revenue and profit margins.

• Skillfully created new websites to increase the online profile of properties. Resourcefully developed partnerships w/ Expedia, Hotel.com, and AAA to increase exposure and RevPAR.

EDUCATION / TRAINING

Associates of Culinary Arts

Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa

Training: General Manager Program (Cornell University)

Leadership Las Cruces Program (Chamber of Commerce)

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