CATEGORY
Chief Operating Officer
RECIPIENT
Jason Kreul, Remington Hospitality
By DAVID EISEN
A nchors aweigh. For Jason Kreul, COO of Remington Hospitality, setting a course on a career in hospitality was deeply influenced by his father, who, after naval service and a graduate degree from Michigan State, dropped anchor in the hotel business. He opened what is now the Hilton Chicago O’ Hare Airport; subsequently served as general manager of multiple properties; and eventually taught accounting at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University. Talk about a legacy to live up to. It was the excitement and energy that initially caught Kreul’ s attention to the hospitality industry. He started working as early as he could— as a dishwasher, a server, a cook.“ Every guest experience was a chance to build a lasting memory and I went home every day knowing I’ d made an impact on someone,” he said.
Kreul’ s future ascendance to the role of chief operating officer was shaped in those early years. Dishwashing, for example, is often seen as a menial job, but it teaches lessons in cleanliness, which is a core tenet of great hotel operation. He also learned from those he reported to, like the fastidious chef at an early job who had a penchant for checklists.“ I followed my cleaning checklist diligently,” Kreul said.“ It was inspected at the end of my shift, so
I always knew what success looked like.” Kreul was never above the work, either. One of the weekly checklist items was a climb into the dumpster after it was emptied to hose it out.“ I hated it, but it taught me never to be afraid to get my hands dirty,” he said.
ON THE UP AND UP Physical exertion is less a part of Kreul’ s job today as COO of Remington, which is one of the largest thirdparty management companies in the U. S., with a portfolio of more than 120 hotels in the U. S. and four countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. Prior to joining
Remington in 2025, he held the COO position with First Hospitality and, before that, was with Highgate for six years. His climb through the ranks of hospitality is credited to ambition and motivation, but also teamwork, he said.“ I love solving problems with others, building something great and being part of a team that drives performance results.” Part of it also goes back to his formative years:“ I’ m insanely organized and efficient,” he said. Early on, he would make lists for everything he needed to accomplish. It paid off. He was GM of a full-service Marriott by the age of 28( take that, dad!) and by 33 had been named
Marriott’ s Global GM of the Year. He said that the recognition was more about the team he assembled than him, specifically. The same
54 hotelsmag. com September 2026