Starwood Hotels appoints team for new Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North in Irving

by PegNews wire

IRVING — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is pleased to announce that a new leadership team has been appointed to drive the operational and marketing efforts for the new Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North, slated to open July 2009 in Irving. Paul Van Hoosier is general manager and Shannon Hopper is director of sales and marketing.

Inspired by Westin Hotels & Resorts, the new 123-room Element hotel is among the first in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings. The hotel will offer a new experience that combines eco-friendly touches with smart design, comfortable public spaces and modern amenities. Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North is owned by SAVA Holdings, LLC and managed by Aquila Lodging. It will be located in Irving at the southwest corner of Belt Line and IH-635.

"The Element brand is designed to help guests thrive by providing a whole new perspective on longer stay travel, and it is the hotel's leaders and associates that bring the brand to life and deliver on this promise," said Brian McGuinness, senior vice president of Element Hotels. "We are excited to welcome Paul and Shannon to the Element family and look forward to continuing to build a best-in-class team at Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North."

With over 22 years of hospitality industry experience, Van Hoosier joined the Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North hotel after serving as director of lodging for the Durango Mountain Resort in Colorado. Throughout his career, Van Hoosier served in numerous operational leadership positions, including general manager for Coach's LLC, general manager for the Water's Edge Resort and Spa, director of rooms for Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club, director of front office services for the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, as well as other management positions with several Westin Hotels and Resorts properties, Four Seasons Resort & Clubs, as well as the Sheraton Maui Hotel. Van Hoosier received his Master of Liberal Arts degree from Pepperdine University, his Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications from the University of Washington and holds a GMP certification from the managers program of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Hopper brings 15 years of extensive hospitality experience that includes sales and marketing and operations expertise. Prior to joining the Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North hotel, she opened both the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa and the Marriott Residence Inn Cultural District in Fort Worth, Texas, serving as director of sales and marketing. Hopper also spent a part of her career in the Pacific Northwest as director of sales and marketing for the Marriott SpringHill Suites in Seattle, Wash. Other key luxury hotels in her portfolio include the Ashton Hotel and the Four Seasons Resort and Club. Hopper received her Bachelor of Human Science degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.