Feb 17, 2025
Opening & Transitioning hotels is a complex endeavor requiring meticulous planning, cross-functional collaboration, and a keen eye for detail. As Senior Director of Openings & Transitions, Megan’s role is to orchestrate a symphony of timelines, budgets, stakeholders, and teams, all while ensuring the final product delivers a seamless experience for our team members & guests alike. As the Director of Hotel Openings, Rachelle’s focus is managing the successful launch of new hotels across various brands, including Hilton, Margaritaville, and, most recently, Marriott. Both roles require strategic thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability, but are extremely rewarding!
We recently transitioned management of 5 properties, plus opened our brand-new Asher Adams Hotel, Autograph Collection in Salt Lake City, all within the same week. Not an easy feat, but the best part of our job is collaborating with all the other teams that make Openings & Transitions come to life: From Legal to Treasury, Business Development to Ops, and everyone in between. A crucial part of our roles involves hosting both internal and external critical path calls – weekly calls with our Davidson corporate team as well as with ownership groups & the brand teams to track progress and address any potential roadblocks. We use our project management tool, Pacer, to ensure alignment across all parties and stay on track with key milestones. Whether it’s confirming deadlines for final inspections, making sure marketing materials are finalized, or ensuring the right team members are in place, these calls are essential for keeping everything moving forward smoothly.
Many of our weeks are spent on the road, visiting projects in various stages – whether it’s
announcing a transition to a hotel team, onboarding team members for a transition, or reviewing model rooms for an upcoming renovation, collaborating across departments is a vital part of our roles.
While onsite for a Transition, Megan’s day starts with a Transition Team meeting to touch base with the regional leaders to ensure critical path timelines are being met and verify any
outstanding due diligence needs. By mid-morning she’s checking in with IT on the progress of data migrations and visiting HR to ensure all new team members are completing their onboarding and attending orientations.
Throughout the day Megan checks in with the corporate support teams on the status of various legal requirements or systems interfaces. By lunch, the Transition team is hosting a Transition Celebration to welcome the property team to the Davidson Family!
In the months leading up to a hotel Opening, Rachelle’s day starts by connecting with project managers, operational teams, and contractors to check on construction timelines, staffing, and marketing preparations. As the opening date nears, she’s more hands-on, overseeing the completion of training schedules, guest experience designs, and vendor coordination to ensure everything aligns with brand standards and is ready for the big day.
In our world, the unexpected is inevitable. Construction delays, supply chain disruptions, unforeseen regulatory requirements, or last-minute pivots in a deal can derail plans, so clear communication, regular status meetings, and critical paths help to keep all stakeholders informed and aligned.
The culmination of months – sometimes years – of work is Opening or Transition Day. Seeing guests walk through the door of a fully operational hotel for the first time; Team members buzzing around bringing all elements of the story to life, is immensely satisfying. It’s a testament to the coordination, effort, and dedication of everyone involved.
When you spend many weeks on the road, away from home and family, your work family becomes even that much more important. We’re lucky to work with amazing peers that make traveling & exploring new cities that much more fun.
Working on Openings & Transitions is dynamic, challenging, and rewarding. It offers the opportunity to bring teams together and spaces to life, blending creativity and strategy in equal measure. No two projects are the same, but the insights from each project inform the next, creating a cycle of continuous improvement. We hope to see you on the road soon at a project near you!
Upon arriving at the hotel, my priority is connecting with the team. Touching base in all areas sets the tone for the day, allowing us to tackle any potential issues, resolve any guests, or team members concerns swiftly.
On the road with Lucas Laidlaw Regional Director of Operations, Davidson Hospitality Group and Tim Graham, Corporate Executive Chef, Davidson Restaurant Group
The post-Covid era has this new generation focused on health, wellness and social responsibility, driving a trend towards conscious cocktailing.
See what Davidson Hospitality Group does for their inaugural day of service.