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Daniel Hostettler PRESIDENT , GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR , OCEAN HOUSE
Watch Hill , RHODE ISLAND
Appointed president and managing director during the Ocean House ’ s development in 2009 , Hostettler , a hospitality executive with 20 years of luxury hotel and restaurant industry experience , has been instrumental in the development , growth and management of , as well as the service delivery within , the Ocean House and its growth into a boutique New England Management company consisting of sister properties the Weekapaug Inn , Watch Hill Inn , and Spicer Mansion . The Ocean House is one of only eight hotels in the world today to hold a Triple Five Star rating from Forbes .
Hostettler was educated in Europe , is fluent in Swiss German , and conversational in French and Spanish , in addition to English , and has participated in the opening of seven luxury properties . He served as president and managing director of Lajitas : The Ultimate Hideout in Lajitas , Texas , and as managing director at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa in Santa Fe , New Mexico , and the Summer Lodge Hotel and Spa in Dorset , England . Previously , Hostettler held positions with Meadowood , Napa Valley , California , and was part of the opening team of The Peninsula , Beverly Hills , California .
He guest lectures and plays a leading role in overseeing the Relais & Chateaux association in North America .
Richard Kessler CHAIRMAN AND CEO , THE KESSLER COLLECTION
Orlando , FLORIDA
Having spent 45 years in hotel development and hotel management , including nine years as president and chairman of Days Inns of America and 32 years as president and CEO of The Kessler Enterprise , Kessler today remains very involved in the conception and design and oversees in the U . S . 10 Kessler Collection boutique properties in Florida , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Alabama and Colorado .
In 2010 , Kessler was the first owner-operator to fly Marriott International ’ s Autograph Collection flag , launching the brand ’ s first seven hotels . In 2017 , Kessler will commence construction on Autograph Collection projects in Greenville , South Carolina , Charlotte , North Carolina , and Atlanta , Georgia .
In November 2016 , Kessler started construction of the Plant Riverside District Hospitality and Entertainment Complex in Savannah , Georgia , a US $ 275 million complex to be anchored by a 419-room JW Marriott , 13 food and beverage venues , a live entertainment venue , approximately 22,000 square feet of meeting space , and retail . Kessler was successful in sponsoring legislation in the state of Georgia to increase the cap on state historic tax credits from US $ 350,000 to US $ 10 million on a single project .
Born in Savannah , Georgia , Kessler has served countless philanthropic groups and is the founder and sustainer of The Kessler Reformation Collection at Emory University ’ s Pitts Theological Library . Kessler is also the founder of the annual Orange County Public School Visual and Performing Arts Teachers scholarship .
12 hotelsmag . com April 2017