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As president and chief operating officer, O'Neil will be responsible
for all operations at the famed Las Vegas
resort, reporting to Boynton, effective Monday, April 6.
O'Neil joins Caesars after more than 30 years in the hotel industry, 25 years with ITT Sheraton Corporation. In his most recent position, O'Neil was responsible for the Sheraton New York Hotel Towers, the Sheraton Manhattan Hotel and the Sheraton Russell. The Sheraton Hotels of New York has one of the highest operating margins in the city.
Barry S. Sternlicht, chairman and chief executive officer of Starwood, said, "I am delighted with Paul's appointment. He will bring the very best hotel skills to our full treasure chest of casino expertise. Paul's intimate knowledge of yield management, group pricing and margins will help maximize Caesars' value for our shareholders.
His tenure with Sheraton will help our hotel and gaming teams to work
together more closely enabling Caesars Palace to leverage off the considerable
purchasing scale, group booking and marketing power
of Sheraton, Westin and our other global brands. In this way, Caesars
Palace will be uniquely positioned vis a vis its Las Vegas competition."
"Paul is widely respected within the hospitality industry and brings
a tremendous track record of innovation and
increased margins, as well as superb people skills and employee involvement,"
said Boynton. "He joins a
management team that is heavily experienced in casino operations. Paul's
skills will be very important for the
expanded Caesars Palace and the challenges of the marketplace in the
next few years."
O'Neil's career with Sheraton included managing ITT Sheraton convention
hotels in New York, Philadelphia,
Honolulu and Detroit. He also was general manager of the 1,500-room
Sheraton Washington Hotel and area
manager for several ITT Sheraton properties in the mid-Atlantic states.
He also served as vice president ITT
Sheraton and director of operations, North American division.
Prior to ITT Sheraton, O'Neil was executive vice president of operations
for Canadian Pacific Hotels Resorts.
Born and raised in Schenectady, N.Y., O'Neil is a graduate of S.U.N.Y.
Delhi and Florida State University with a
major in hotel and restaurant administration.
Active in his business community, he was appointed by Governor George
Pataki to serve as a member of the
board of directors of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. He is also
chairman of the board of the New York
Convention and Visitors Bureau, serves as a member of the board of
the New York Hospitality and Tourism
Association and is treasurer of the New York City Hotel Association.
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