A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Wetenkamp was raised in the family restaurant business prior to beginning his career in the hospitality industry. After attending the University of Cincinnati, where he majored in Psychology, he apprenticed at various restaurants in and around Cincinnati prior to joining Westin Hotels and Resorts at the opening of the Westin Hotel Cincinnati. In thirteen years with Westin, he progressed steadily through the ranks at their hotels in Cincinnati, Boston and Waltham, Massachusetts. When the Hilton International hotel in Waltham was re-branded as the Westin Waltham, Mr. Wetenkamp was appointed Food and Beverage Director to oversee the re-opening of the property and its transition to Westin. In 1994 he left the hotel industry to work as consultant to a Newton, Massachusetts based start-up restaurant company, assisting with concept development, site selection and business plan development. 

In 1999 he returned to the hospitality industry as Food and Beverage Director at the Cliff House Resort and Spa in Ogunquit, Maine; and in 2004 joined Ocean Properties, Ltd. hotel management company in Portsmouth, NH as Food and Beverage Director at their Wentworth by the Sea, Marriott Hotel and Spa, which they had reopened in June 2003 and manage as a Marriott Hotels franchise. In 2006, Wentworth received the Marriott "Food & Beverage Excellence" award and "Hotel of the Year" top honors among all 343 full-service hotels in North America, based on its operating performance and guest satisfaction scores. In 2007 received the Marriott "Top Operation" and "Restaurant Dining Excellence" awards. 

The AAA Four Diamond hotel just received notice that the Wentworth Dining Room is rated Four Diamonds, as well (it held Three Diamond status, previously). Earlier this year, Wentworth By the Sea Hotel & Spa was also named to the Conde Nast Traveler "Gold List of the World's Best Places to Stay" and to the inaugural National Geographic Traveler "Stay List" of 150 hotels in North America that "incorporate and share the soul of their locations." 

Commenting on his new, expanded responsibilities as General Manager of Wentworth By the Sea, Mr. Wetenkamp said, "It is an honor to lead a team of hospitality professionals so dedicated to providing the best possible guest experience we can, day in and day out. As a team, we are challenged daily to anticipate the needs of our guests and colleagues and to exceed the very high marks we have set for ourselves. It is a privilege to be in the position of helping the entire team to uphold such high standards."

About Wentworth By the Sea Hotel & Spa (www.wentworth.com)
Wentworth By the Sea Hotel and Spa in New Castle (Portsmouth) is a National Trust "Preservation Success Story." Placed on the Trust's list of "Most Endangered Sites" in 1996, the hotel found a $30 million savior in Ocean Properties, Ltd. and reopened in May 2003. This Grand Dame by the Sea was originally built in 1874. It features 161 rooms, including the Flag Officer Suites its three turrets. With a 10,000-square-foot Conference Center, an 8,500 sq. ft. Spa including massage rooms, treatment rooms, saunas, whirlpools and an indoor pool, and the renovated outdoor pool near the waterfront, the Wentworth offers a historic sense of place and style. The Wentworth's claim to history is its role in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War, when the hotel housed the Russian and Japanese delegations. It was and is perhaps best known for sumptuous dinners like the one offered by the Japanese delegation as a peace offering on the night before the Treaty was signed.

Stephanie Seacord 
T: 603-772-1835
sseacord@lemd.