In February, Cindy Murphy was named regional vice president of operations for Norwalk, Connecticut-based HEI Hotels & Resorts, which owns or operates over 100 luxury, upper-upscale, and upscale independent and branded hotels and resorts throughout the United States. Bringing nearly 30 years of hospitality experience, Murphy is supporting HEI’s general managers in the field with her “uncanny ability to find the best in her teams,” said Anthony Rutledge, the company’s managing partner and CEO, in a press statement. Having worked with HEI in a franchise support role for the past five years, Murphy is well positioned for her new role. “I’ve always admired the company and was very excited about the opportunity to actually work for HEI. I jumped at the opportunity,” she told LODGING.
Prior to joining HEI, Murphy served as vice president of operations and head of the Sonesta Select brand for Sonesta Hotels, where she oversaw 224 company-managed hotels. She has also served as vice president of franchise performance support for IHG Hotels & Resorts, vice president of operations and technical services for Trust Hospitality, LLC, and senior director brand management for Marriott’s Autograph Collection, in addition to holding leadership positions with Choice Hotels and Hilton Hotel Corp.
Murphy joins HEI at a time when the company’s management portfolio is seeing strong growth, with 23 new additions last year. In February, the addition of the 93-room Saranac Waterfront Lodge, Saranac Lake, New York, brought its portfolio to 101 hotels. Located in the heart of the Adirondacks, the 93-room property’s highlights include a LEED-certified conference center and a 24-boat slip marina that is under development. Increasing occupancy, improving guest satisfaction scores, and upgrading the fine dining experience are among HEI’s goals for the Saranac Waterfront Lodge.
Murphy cites the importance of “differentiating your hotel from the hundreds of other hotels that are in your market. So, we’re really focused on [providing guests] a more experiential experience than a transactional one.”
In addition, Murphy is working with the HEI team on developing a customized maintenance program, scheduled to launch in May. “I’m very excited about that program, which will help not only with property maintenance, but it’ll keep our hotels sparkling and always appearing new.”
Related to property maintenance, and to every aspect of operations, is the ongoing labor challenge, which is “definitely a focus” for HEI, Murphy says. “Our commitment to our owners is to provide the returns that they expect, [and that] is impacted by the additional wages that we’re having to pay for contract labor. The industry has become very heavily reliant on contract labor, which has a snowball effect because it leads to an inconsistency in service and housekeeping cleanliness.”
In response, HEI is “hiring people that may not have experience in the hotel industry, but they have the personality and the fit for the industry,” says Murphy, an AHLEI CHA. “We hire them and then we try to upskill them. We have a big focus on mentoring and making sure that when there is an opportunity for them to move up, they’re ready for it.”
