Lindsay Watson

Operational Leadership & Multi-Property Oversight

• Directed daily operations for multiple hotels located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. Responsible for overseeing approximately 1200 total rooms and 250 employees across front office, sales, housekeeping, food & beverage, and engineering.
• Standardized operational procedures across all properties, improving consistency and compliance with brand standards, resulting in 15% higher QA/audit scores.
• Implemented centralized reporting and performance dashboards, enabling data-driven decision-making and reducing variance in key performance indicators across hotels.

Financial Performance & Profitability

• Managed a combined operating budget of $26 million across all 12 properties, achieving 26% year-over-year revenue growth and 5.9% GOP margin improvement.
• Partnered with property GMs and revenue management teams to increase RevPAR by $2.47 and ADR by $2.10 across the portfolio.
• Negotiated multi-property vendor contracts and bulk purchasing agreements, reducing operating expenses by $5 million annually.

Guest Satisfaction & Service Excellence

• Elevated guest satisfaction scores portfolio-wide.
• Introduced guest experience initiatives across all hotels, including loyalty program enhancements and cross-property service training.
• Monitored guest feedback trends and implemented property-level action plans, minimizing guest assistance brand penalties by 90%.

Team Leadership & Development

• Led, coached, and evaluated 12 General Managers and approximately 25 senior department heads, fostering a high-performance culture and reducing leadership turnover.
• Designed and launched multi-property leadership development and cross-training programs, building a strong pipeline of future GMs.
• Facilitated quarterly performance reviews and strategy sessions with hotel leadership teams to align property goals with corporate objectives.

Strategic Projects & Growth Initiatives

• Spearheaded multi-million-dollar renovation and rebranding projects across multiple brands, including Hilton, IHG, and Marriott. All completed on time and under budget.
• Collaborated with corporate leadership on new market entries, successfully onboarding 6 additional properties into the portfolio in the course of 4 years.

Operational & Interim Leadership

• Served as interim General Manager or senior operations leader at multiple properties during transitions, ensuring smooth day-to-day hotel operations across front office, sales, housekeeping, F&B, and engineering.
• Rapidly assessed property performance and implemented turnaround strategies, stabilizing operations within 2 weeks of deployment.
• Maintained compliance with brand standards, corporate policies, and ownership expectations during times of transition.

Financial & Revenue Impact

• Partnered with revenue management and sales teams to drive occupancy and ADR improvements.
• Controlled operating costs by renegotiating vendor contracts and optimizing labor scheduling without compromising service quality.
• Conducted financial audits at assigned hotels, correcting reporting errors and implementing stronger controls before permanent leadership resumed.

Team Development & Training

• Recruited, trained, and mentored department managers and supervisors to ensure leadership continuity after task force departure.
• Implemented cross-training initiatives to strengthen staff flexibility, reduce turnover, and enhance overall team performance.
• Reinforced company culture and service standards, boosting employee engagement scores during times of uncertainty.

Guest Satisfaction & Service Recovery

• Improved guest satisfaction ratings at transition properties through proactive service recovery and process enhancements.
• Established temporary quality assurance programs, ensuring each property exceeded brand inspection requirements while under interim management.
• Resolved critical guest service and reputation management issues, protecting brand perception during high-risk transitional periods.

Special Projects & Strategic Support

• Assisted in pre-opening and rebranding projects, including hiring, vendor selection, and system implementation to ensure successful launches.
• Supported acquisition integrations by aligning new hotels with company SOPs, financial systems, and service standards within 2 months.
• Collaborated with corporate and ownership teams on property repositioning and turnaround strategies for underperforming assets.

oanLeadership & Operations

• Directed all hotel operations for a 80-room property, including front office, sales, housekeeping, food & beverage, sales, and engineering, ensuring seamless day-to-day performance.
• Oversaw a team of 3 managers and 20 employees, fostering a high-performance culture focused on accountability, service excellence, and brand compliance.
• Implemented operational SOPs that increased efficiency and improved audit/QA scores.

Financial & Revenue Management

• Managed an annual operating budget of $3.1 million, consistently achieving or exceeding GOP targets.
• Partnered with revenue management and sales teams to optimize occupancy and ADR, resulting in RevPAR growth of $13.76.
• Reduced operating costs through vendor negotiations, labor management, and process optimization without compromising guest experience.

Guest Experience & Service Quality

• Championed guest satisfaction initiatives, raising guest survey scores and improving online review ratings across platforms (TripAdvisor, Medallia, etc.).
• Established service recovery programs.
• Maintained brand standards compliance, achieving an outstanding on corporate quality assurance inspections.

Team Development & Training

• Recruited, trained, and mentored department leaders, reducing turnover and building a strong pipeline of future managers.
• Launched cross-training and recognition programs to enhance team engagement and productivity.

Strategic Growth & Community Engagement

• Built strong relationships with ownership, corporate leadership, and local community partners to drive business development and brand reputation.
• Designed and executed sales & marketing initiatives, resulting increased group and corporate bookings.