Jim Evans and Si Sloman Form OPUS Hospitality Advisors
SCOTTSDALE, AZ, Ocotber 10, 2006. Hotel veterans Jim Evans and Si Sloman have assembled a team of hospitality professionals and launched OPUS Hospitality Advisors, a full service, hotel management and asset management company. OPUS will focus on upscale and mid-market properties of 150 rooms or more, located primarily in the western half of the country. Concurrently, the company announced that it has signed a contract to operate a portfolio of six hotels in the western U. S. owned by Trinity Hotel Investors.
"We believe OPUS will generate higher returns for its owners through emphasis on marketing, operational excellence, cutting-edge technology and a culture that places high value on both guest and Team Member satisfaction," said Evans, OPUS principal and CEO. "Both Si and I have held senior positions with a number of great hotel companies. We believe what we bring from that broad base of experience will enable us to create a high performance organization."
Combined, the principals of OPUS have more than 60 years of hotel industry experience. Evans is the former CEO of Best Western International. His 30-year hotel career includes senior leadership positions with Promus Hotel Corporation, Doubletree Hotels and Hyatt Corporation. He recently completed a three-year "sabbatical" from the industry to become CEO of Jenny Craig International where he led the company to unprecedented growth, including the introduction of the highly successful advertising campaign featuring actress Kirstie Alley as brand spokesperson.
"The key to any hotel's success is in well-trained and highly motivated Team Members," said Sloman, OPUS principal and chief operating officer. "They are the fuel that keeps the property running at top speed and at peak performance. We have spent a great deal of time defining our corporate culture, and how we will attract, train and retain the best in the industry. It is by optimizing the Team Member and Guest experience that will help define our success. Combined with our proprietary operating systems, we will generate superior returns on our owners' investments."
Sloman previously was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Meyer Jabara Hotels, where he oversaw operations of the company's 27 brand name and independent, upscale hotels. He is the former senior vice president of operations of Best Western International, where he developed the brand's global quality assurance program that created worldwide brand identity standards. His operations expertise includes senior management positions, through successive mergers and acquisitions with Guest Quarters Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Promus Hotels and Hilton Hotels, each time resulting in greater responsibility.
The company six-hotel portfolio includes two Courtyard by Marriott hotels and four Holiday Inns.