The new appointees come in the wake of Julienne Smith replacing Joel Eisemann as Americas Chief Development Officer at the hotel group, following the latter’s retirement in June.

The new IHG Americas Development leadership team is now comprised of the following executives:

- Matt Frankiewicz as Senior Vice-President of Development – He replaces Smith in her former role. The former VP, Transactions & Asset Management for the Americas has over 20 years’ experience and joined IHG in 2017. Frankiewicz will principally manage the advancement and growth of IHG’s luxury, lifestyle and premium brands in the US and Canada.

- Tiffany Cooper as Senior Vice-President & Head of Development for North America & the Caribbean with Kimpton – She first started in the hospitality industry 25 years ago and will be tasked with growing the Kimpton brand in the region.

- Kevin Schramm as Senior Vice-President of Development for IHG’s Essentials and Suites Brands for US & Canada – The 10-year veteran at IHG retains the role he originally held prior to the restructuring. Schramm will continue to manage the teams dealing with brands’ annual signings.

- Paul Adan as Senior Regional Vice-President for Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean - He has more than 25 years’ experience in development and operations, and previously occupied the roles of Managing Director for Latin America & the Caribbean at Radisson Hotel Group Americas and Regional VP at Marriott International. He will lead the MLAC regional development team.

Additionally, two new appointments have been made in the broader regional development team. They are:

- Mike Wernet as Vice-President of Development & Owner Support – Taking over from Matt Frankiewicz, he has 25 years of experience in the business. In his past role, Wernet managed part of JLL’s hotel portfolio and led development of its North American business intelligence platform.

- Scott Duff as Vice-President of Development for Canada – He has 30 years’ development, branding and brokerage experience in Canada. Duff will be charged with overseeing strategic development, growing IHG’s luxury, lifestyle and premium brands, and maintaining its Essentials and Suites brands in the country.

The Americas constitute over 70% of IHG’s total hotel portfolio.

I’m excited about the strong potential of our Americas Development leadership team in capitalising on future growth opportunities and building upon our recent momentum as we work to grow with existing and new owners. The members of my team have significant breadth and depth of experience and proven abilities to connect with owners and developers throughout their respective careers. Under our new leadership, I’m confident that our best-in-class teams will continue to strengthen IHG and drive meaningful change within our industry.

Julienne Smith, Americas Chief Development Officer at IHG