OTO Development Brings Internal Talent to AC Hotel Spartanburg

February 20, 2017 | Development

Spartanburg, SC – As AC Hotel Spartanburg enters the final stages of construction, OTO Development, the hotel’s owner / developer, announces their appointment of a General Manager and Director of Sales. The two new hires are the foundation for the property’s operations team, which will grow over the next 6 months.

Managing the property will be Alyssa Stroup (pictured on the left), a longtime veteran of OTO Development.  Stroup began her career as Assistant General Manager for Residence Inn Hoover, Alabama, in 2009, and served as the property’s General Manager from 2012 to 2017.

“Choosing Alyssa as Spartanburg’s General Manager was a no-brainer,” remarked OTO Development’s CEO, Corry Oakes. “Her work with Residence Inn Hoover demonstrated her leadership and skill in guest service, and for this property in particular, we wanted a very hands-on GM to manage both the day-to-day operations and support the larger vision of this local passion project.”

Stroup’s guest service scores consistently earned recognition within Marriott for excellence, ranking in the top 15% of the Residence Inn brand nationwide. Currently ranked 27^th out of nearly 800 properties, the Residence Inn Hoover has been awarded top honors within OTO for achieving the best service scores within the entire managed portfolio for three consecutive years.

“It’s bittersweet to leave the family we’ve created at Residence Inn Hoover. I’m looking forward to building that same internal family with AC Spartanburg, and am thrilled to take on a new brand,” Stroup remarked. “As a very hands-on General Manager, it’ll be a new experience to open a hotel, and to have a hand in building the team. I couldn’t be more excited about the move to Spartanburg, and look forward to bringing that same guest experience to the AC.”

Karen Williams (pictured on the right) will helm the sales department as Director of Sales. With 26 years of sales experience, Williams is a former Corporate Marriott Associate, who drove revenue and solicited new business for Marriott properties worldwide. Highly trained in Marriott’s brand standards, the parent brand of AC Hotels, she is adept in driving customer loyalty and emphasizing unique property amenities in her group leads and conversions.

For Spartanburg, those unique points are locally-inspired cuisine with European flair, museum-quality fine art largely created by artists associated with North Carolina’s Black Mountain College, and a rooftop restaurant and bar overlooking Spartanburg’s growing downtown. “Many sales professionals don’t have the opportunity to open a hotel, and to open this particular property in a community as supportive and committed as Spartanburg is so exciting,” Williams remarked. “As the first AC Hotel to open in the state, we’re keenly aware of the impact this hotel has the ability to make, and look forward to continuing to celebrate our development milestones with Spartanburg.”

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