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Mr. Rudnitsky

Steven Rudnitsky

President & Chief Executive Officer, Miraval Group Denver

Steven Rudnitsky has been associated for more than 36 years with iconic consumer packaged-goods companies, including Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Pillsbury, Kraft Foods and Nabisco as well as leading hospitality companies, including Cendant Corporation, Wyndham Worldwide, Dolce Hotels & Resorts and now, Miraval Group. As president & chief executive officer of Denver-based Miraval Group, he leads expansion of the company's luxury resort, spa and wellness portfolio globally. He also oversees ESPA International Ltd., a United Kingdom-based company that focuses on upscale spas and skin-care products. Both are affiliated with KSL Capital Partners LLC. Prior to Miraval Group, Mr. Rudnitsky was president & chief executive officer of Dolce Hotels & Resorts. From 2008 to 2015, he built the company into a premier branded lifestyle and meetings-focused manager of hotels, resorts and corporate conference centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. During late 2014 and early 2015, Mr. Rudnitsky initiated, negotiated and consummated Dolce's sale to Wyndham Worldwide of Parsippany, New Jersey, delivering approximately a two times return to Dolce's shareholders. Before joining Dolce, Mr. Rudnitsky served the Hotel Group Wyndham Worldwide's as president & chief executive officer. Cendant Corporation, predecessor of Wyndham Worldwide, recruited him in 2002 to improve the performance of its 12 hotel brands and expand its portfolio following the 2001 hospitality industry downturn. Earlier in his career, Mr. Rudnitsky was appointed president of Nabisco Food Service Company in 1999 and subsequently was named president of Kraft Foodservice and executive vice president of Kraft Foods Inc., Glenview, Illinois, following its acquisition of Nabisco. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Rudnitsky was vice president and general manager, food service, for Pillsbury Bakery & Food Service in Minneapolis. From 1984 to 1996, he held positions of increasing responsibility at PepsiCo Inc., based in Purchase, New York. Mr. Rudnitsky began his career in 1980 with McNeil Consumer Products, a Johnson & Johnson Company, on Long Island, New York. Mr. Rudnitsky earned a bachelor of business administration degree at Temple University, Philadelphia, in 1980 and a master of business administration degree in marketing at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1985. He received the Stephen W. Brener Lodging Hospitality Silver Plate Award at the 29th Annual New York University Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in 2007.

Please visit http://www.miravalresorts.com for more information.

Mr. Rudnitsky can be contacted at 720-428-6557 or srudnitsky@miravalresorts.com

Coming up in May 2019...

Eco-Friendly Practices: Corporate Social Responsibility

The hotel industry has undertaken a long-term effort to build more responsible and socially conscious businesses. What began with small efforts to reduce waste - such as paperless checkouts and refillable soap dispensers - has evolved into an international movement toward implementing sustainable development practices. In addition to establishing themselves as good corporate citizens, adopting eco-friendly practices is sound business for hotels. According to a recent report from Deloitte, 95% of business travelers believe the hotel industry should be undertaking “green” initiatives, and Millennials are twice as likely to support brands with strong management of environmental and social issues. Given these conclusions, hotels are continuing to innovate in the areas of environmental sustainability. For example, one leading hotel chain has designed special elevators that collect kinetic energy from the moving lift and in the process, they have reduced their energy consumption by 50%  over conventional elevators. Also, they installed an advanced air conditioning system which employs a magnetic mechanical system that makes them more energy efficient. Other hotels are installing Intelligent Building Systems which monitor and control temperatures in rooms, common areas and swimming pools, as well as ventilation and cold water systems. Some hotels are installing Electric Vehicle charging stations, planting rooftop gardens, implementing stringent recycling programs, and insisting on the use of biodegradable materials. Another trend is the creation of Green Teams within a hotel's operation that are tasked to implement earth-friendly practices and manage budgets for green projects. Some hotels have even gone so far as to curtail or eliminate room service, believing that keeping the kitchen open 24/7 isn't terribly sustainable. The May issue of the Hotel Business Review will document what some hotels are doing to integrate sustainable practices into their operations and how they are benefiting from them.

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