NEW YORK—Ian Schrager Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Danette Opaczewski as chief operating officer. Opaczewski joins Ian Schrager Company with a strong, multi-disciplined financial and operational background with more than 20 years in the hospitality industry.
In her most recent position as executive vice president of operations and technology for the Denihan Hospitality Group, Opaczewski’s leadership and strategic direction added hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate value to the company by renovating, repositioning, and adding keys to assets in several major urban markets. During her tenure, Opaczewski oversaw 14 hotel assets valued at $2.5 billion; increased food and beverage revenue from $25 million to $100 million; restructured the sales and marketing platform; and defined the company vision and lead pitches to major hotel and real estate equity investors. She also restructured the company internally to increase operational efficiencies in marketing, branding, sales, revenue, human resources, and IT areas.
Prior to Denihan, Opaczewski served as chief financial officer for James Hotels where she was responsible for leading, directing, and developing all financial and accounting standards. In this role, Opaczewski executed all aspects of acquisitions, dispositions, and financing of hotels assets. Previously she held the position of vice president of finance and operations for Morgans Hotel Group, formerly known as Ian Schrager Hotels, in New York City.
“We are incredibly fortunate to be working with Danette again,” Schrager said. “I consider her to be one of the ablest operators in the business. With her on board, we are now in a position to leverage her abilities to really expand our brands and grow.”
“I’m very excited to be joining Ian Schrager Company at this stage in its growth and development,” Opaczewski said. “Ian is a true visionary in the industry. There is tremendous potential in the PUBLIC brand on how it both connects emotionally with the modern traveler and drives real estate value for its owner. I look forward to growing Ian’s company and partnering with his talented team.”
Opaczewski currently serves on the board and executive committee of the New York City Hotel Association.
