oto development

OTO Development Appoints Leadership Team for Hyatt Centric Mountain View Opening July

Hyatt Centric Mountain View | July 2, 2019

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. (July 2, 2019) – Hyatt Centric Mountain View, slated to open mid-July, announces an executive leadership team with more than eight decades of combined hospitality experience. OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, is developing and will manage the new hotel. Rich Higdon has been appointed as general manager of the 167-room lifestyle hotel in the heart of Silicon Valley and Keith Battaglia as director of sales. Bryan Showalter has been named executive chef of Fairchilds Public House, the hotel’s restaurant and bar. “It’s a privilege to bring the first Hyatt Centric hotel to Silicon Valley,” says Higdo...

OTO Development Enters Atlanta Market With New Management Contract for Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown

OTO Development | June 13, 2019

SPARTANBURG SC (June 13, 2019) – OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, has added Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown to its managed portfolio. The Spartanburg SC-based hospitality company develops and operates its own set of select-service hotels while also lending expertise to ownership groups ranging from publicly traded REITs to private equity firms to high net worth individuals. The most recent third-party management contract, signed earlier this month, represents OTO’s entry into the dynamic Atlanta market. “Metro Atlanta offers exciting opportunities to expand our managed portfolio,” says Corry Oakes, President/CEO of OTO D...

OTO Development Breaks Ground on Hyatt Place National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland

OTO Development | April 3, 2019

SPARTANBURG SC (April 3, 2019) – OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, has broken ground on Hyatt Place National Harbor. Slated to open in late 2020, the seven-story waterfront hotel will be the first Hyatt-branded property in Prince George's County, Maryland. It's the latest hospitality addition to National Harbor, a 350-acre destination on the banks of the Potomac River with a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities. Based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, OTO previously developed a Hampton Inn & Suites in National Harbor and now manages that property for Blackstone. "It's always exciting to break gro...

OTO Development Appoints Denise Beers-Kiepper as Vice President of Human Resources

OTO Development | February 20, 2019

SPARTANBURG SC (FEBRUARY 20, 2019) – OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, has appointed Denise Beers-Kiepper as Vice President of Human Resources. She is tasked with leading and developing the Spartanburg-based hotelier's human resources team, which supports ~2,400 employees across the country. OTO recruited Beers-Kiepper through a nationwide search for not only human resources expertise but also entrepreneurial spirit. This HR veteran certainly fits the bill, with a diverse background in business, human capital strategy and organizational development at companies ranging from tech start-up to Fortune 500. "We are delighted...

OTO Development Acquires Florida’s Best Western Key Ambassador Resort Inn

OTO Development | September 21, 2018

SPARTANBURG SC (September 21, 2018) -- OTO Development has taken its first dive into the Florida Keys hospitality market with the purchase of Best Western Key Ambassador Resort Inn. The transaction was completed Monday, September 17, between The Key Ambassador Co. and Spartanburg-based OTO, which is part of The Johnson Group. "We are delighted to add this popular Key West property to our portfolio of owned hotels," says Corry Oakes, CEO of OTO Development. "This purchase extends the geographic reach of our operations with an ideal location in America's southernmost city." Originally built in the 1950s, the 100-ro...

OTO Wins Hilton Developer of the Year Award—for 2nd Consecutive Year

OTO Development | June 18, 2018

South Carolina-based hospitality company earns national honor OTO Development has been named Hilton Developer of the Year in the Focused Service category -- for the second consecutive year. The 2017 award was announced earlier this month during the NYU International Hospitality Conference. OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, earned this national recognition for a Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton in Santa Monica, California -- a city that hadn't seen a new select-service hotel in nearly 30 years. The innovative project showcases OTO's ability to bring top-shelf quality and design into high-barrier-to-entry markets; inde...

RLH Corporation Closes Acquisition of the Knights Inn Brand From Wyndham Hotel Group

OTO Development | May 16, 2018

DENVER (May 16, 2018) — RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) today announced that it closed its acquisition of the Knights Inn brand from Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN). As a result of the acquisition, the Company acquired approximately 350 economy segment franchise contracts across North America and a pipeline of additional contracts. The acquisition is another step in RLH Corporation's transformation into an asset-light franchised hotel company. The Company expects the transaction will be immediately accretive to the Company's earnings and cash flow. "We are enthusiastic to have closed the acqui...

OTO Development Opens the 121-Room Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown

Hilton Garden Inn | May 1, 2018

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) award-winning, global upscale brand of hotels, today announced the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown. Managed by OTO Development, a Johnson Management company, the property offers 121 rooms to travelers seeking generous accommodations in a relaxed atmosphere. Located at 174 West Street, Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown is ideally located in the capital city's arts district, within walking distance of the Maryland State House, government offices, shopping and dining, and less than a mile from the Naval Academy and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. "The staff...