Burt Cabañas� introduction to the hospitality industry came as a young boy when he needed a summer job.  His first position was as a lifeguard and clean-up boy at the Shelbourne Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.  After finishing high school and a period in the United States Marines, Cabañas returned to the Shelbourne Hotel and gained important operational experience

Burt Cabañas

Later he joined the five-star Doral Country Club, Miami, as conference coordinator.  Here he rapidly assumed positions of increasing responsibility in such areas as international sales, food and beverage, and eventually became the director of operations.  During this time he obtained his Bachelor�s Degree from Florida State International University�s Hotel and Restaurant Management School and was made honorary professor of the School for his work in developing their internship program.

Following a brief interlude in the deep-dish pizza business, Mr. Cabañas was recruited back to the industry by Stouffer Hotels to open the Pine Isle Resort in Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia. He later was appointed Regional Director of Operations for Stouffer Hotels, responsible for the financial performance of six hotel and resort properties. 

Just as he was considering the �career-making� opportunity to be part of the team that would launch what is now the well-established Crown Plaza brand, The Woodlands lured him away.  Cabañas joined The Woodlands team and jumped into what was then a developing new industry, conference centers.   His mission was to turn around and successfully manage The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, which was the core of an important new 24,000-acre master-planned development near Houston, Texas.  The opportunity to establish a management company to operate the property and add others at a later date became part of his future agreements with The Woodland�s owners. He launched Benchmark and later negotiated the buyout of the company in 1986.

Seeing great potential for the conference center industry and the need to manage its  growth responsibly as well as set standards, Burt Cabañas joined with a small group of industry executives in 1980 to start the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC).  Cabañas� commitment to the organization has been strong, and included serving as its president, co-authoring the Uniform System of Accounts for Conference Centers, and sitting on its governing board.  In 1988, he was awarded IACC�s Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his contributions to the industry.  Today, IACC has grown to include 300 members globally and is recognized as the definitive professional organization governing conference centers internationally.

Through 20 remarkable years, Burt Cabañas, Benchmark, and the hospitality industry have been indelibly linked.  Whether launching the company, building or redirecting countless properties, participating in the development of a new industry, or creating educational programs like the Hospitality Internship Program for the Florida International University, Burt Cabañas has been in the forefront leading an ever-growing management team.   Benchmark Hospitality today is the composite of hundreds of people who serve a growing list of guests every day.  It is Cabañas, however, who is out front championing, cheerleading, supporting and looking actively to the future.

Builds Top 10 Hospitality Company

Benchmark Hospitality is marking over two decades of leadership in the resort, conference center, and hotel industry.  Established by Burt Cabañas in 1980 in The Woodlands, Texas, Benchmark will be one of the Top 10 Hospitality Management Companies internationally by year-end.  The company�s portfolio includes properties in fifteen states, Canada, Japan, and Southeast Asia.  
 

Founder Cabañas launched Benchmark in 1980 with The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center.   At the time a senior executive within the hotel industry, Cabañas joined the Woodlands Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitchell Energy & Development Corp., to reposition The Woodlands Resort and The Woodlands Country Club.

The Woodlands Resort &  Conference Center 2301 North Millbend Drive  The Woodlands, Texas

Benchmark launched its second decade by developing its two flagship properties: The Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, California, and Lansdowne Resort, located in Leesburg, Virginia.  The company more than doubled in size with the addition of these properties.

Benchmark continued its expansion in 2000 with a new subsidiary, Benchmark Golf. The specialized company was developed to expand the number of the golf clubs, country clubs and golf resorts in Benchmark�s overall management portfolio.   A secondary benefit was the additional professional opportunities for the golf pros within the organization.    Benchmark Golf has the ambitious goal of 25 golf courses in three years and is well on its way to achieving this.

The company�s May 2001 purchase of International Conference Resorts (I.C.R.) and the addition of the Resort at Turtle Bay on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii, will launch Benchmark into the Top 10 Hospitality Management Companies this year.  The purchase of I.C.R. brought Scottsdale Conference Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona, to the portfolio and returned Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Benchmark.

Central to Benchmark Hospitality�s management philosophy throughout its two decades has been its Company Culture.   The company�s stated purpose is  �to provide an entrepreneurial environment where determined people dare to create, share, and build futures.�

In fact, Benchmark moved into managing select private corporate centers for companies such as S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., AT&T, and Sun Microsystems since �corporate conference centers provide an excellent training ground for growing the Benchmark professional staff,� according to Burt Cabañas.  �Our culture drives the organization and fuels our growth.  The expansion of the company comes through the creation of professional and educational opportunities for the people of Benchmark,� continued Cabañas.  �The company supports, encourages, and fosters an environment for this.�

Benchmark Hospitality, an international hospitality management company based in The Woodlands, Texas, operates luxury resorts, hotels, conference centers, spas, and golf clubs throughout the United States, in Canada, Japan, and Southeast Asia.