Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Connolly

Patrick Connolly

Chief Customer Officer, Orange Lake Resorts

Patrick Connolly provides strategic vision and leadership for Orange Lake Resorts' operations, guest services and the company's Holiday Inn Club product, managing its development, growth and delivery to more than 125,000 Club members throughout the world.

In his role, Mr. Connolly also manages inventory and operations for the growing resort portfolio, as well as customer service and product engagement for more than 340,000 owners and Club members.

Mr. Connolly's strategic leadership and initiatives were instrumental in the growth of the company from a single-site timeshare property in 2006 to 28 resort properties located in 14 states today.

In 2009, he also helped to conceptualize and launch the company's first luxury villa product, the Signature Collection, which is has expanded from its launch at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, FL to ten resorts across the country. His teams have been honored with numerous industry and national hospitality awards for guest service and operations.

Mr. Connolly's career encompasses 30 years in customer service and manufacturing roles, including extensive experience in the mortgage and timeshare industries. For nearly a decade prior to joining Orange Lake Resorts in 2006, he was engaged in the member servicing divisions as Senior Vice President of Membership for RCI® North America, the largest timeshare exchange company in the world, and oversaw many of their relationships with numerous member clubs throughout the industry. He also held previous management positions with PHH Mortgage and General Electric.

Mr. Connolly holds a B.S. from Notre Dame University and an Executive M.B.A from the University of South Florida.

Please visit http://corporate.orangelake.com for more information.

Mr. Connolly can be contacted at +1 4073956876 or pconnolly@holidayinnclub.com

Coming up in December 2019...

Hotel Law: A Labor Crisis and Cyber Security

According to a recent study, the hospitality industry accounted for 2.9 trillion dollars in sales and in the U.S. alone, was responsible for 1 in 9 jobs. In an industry of that scope and dimension, legal issues touch every aspect of a hotel's operation, and legal services are required in order to conform to all prevailing laws and regulations. Though not all hotels face the same issues, there are some industry-wide subjects that are of concern more broadly. One of those matters is the issue of immigration and how it affects the ability of hotels to recruit qualified employees. The hotel industry is currently facing a labor crisis; the U.S. Labor Department estimates that there are 600,000 unfilled jobs in the industry. Part of the problem contributing to this labor shortage is the lack of H2B visas for low-skilled workers, combined with the difficulty in obtaining J-1 visas for temporary workers. Because comprehensive immigration reform is not being addressed politically, hotel managers expect things are going to get worse before they get better. Corporate cyber security is another major legal issue the industry must address. Hotels are under enormous pressure in this area given the large volume of customer financial transactions they handle daily. Recently, a federal court ruled that the Federal Trade Commission had the power to regulate corporate cyber security, so it is incumbent on hotels to establish data security programs in order to prevent data breaches. The lack of such programs could cause hotels to face legal threats from government agencies, class action lawsuits, and damage to their brand image if a data breach should occur. These are just two of the critical issues that the December issue of Hotel Business Review will examine in the area of hotel law.
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