Pete Sams will be joining White Lodging as a new full service regional vice president. Sams' region will be identified shortly after he joins the organization in early August.
After serving honorably in the U.S. Army, Sams started his hospitality career as a restaurant server at the Omni Corpus Christi while completing his college education. Over the course of the next 20 years, Sams put together a successful and highly decorated career with Omni Hotels. He initially held several positions in the finance discipline, including leadership roles as an area director of finance for Omni Hotels, having responsibility for as many as ten hotels at one time in this capacity.
In 2004, Sams transitioned to operations and returned to the Omni Corpus Christi where he served as the Director of Operations over this complex 821 room two-tower environment. In 2006, he was named General Manager of the Omni Richmond. During his tenure in Richmond, the outstanding results he garnered in the areas of associate engagement, guest experience, RevPAR growth, and outstanding financial management earned him recognition as the General Manager of the Year for Omni Hotels in 2009. In 2010, he was selected to lead the historic 836 room Omni Shoreham in Washington DC, where he has served admirably for the past four years. The Shoreham is Washington DC's largest four-diamond hotel and the property was named as a "Best Place to Work" by the Washington Business Journal during Sams' tenure.
While at Omni, Sams also co-chaired a number of brand steering committees for Omni, to include updating the brand's associate recognition program. Sams also participated in several task force assignments to include several openings. As a general manager, he earned a great reputation for identifying talent and demonstrated a clear commitment to developing future leaders.
"White Lodging is a company with a sterling reputation for excellence and I am proud to now be a member of our growing family," said Sams. "There is a clear and ambitious vision for unprecedented growth in the immediate future. I could not be more excited to be joining this incredible team and I look forward to bringing value and impact to the organization as we garner future success together."
White Lodging Services Corporation - was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid-to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 160 hotels in 20 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotels, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group and Carlson Hotels Worldwide.