LARRY GUEST
Larry is Chief Executive Officer for Icon
Hospitality Services. Prior to founding Icon, he served Hospitality Partners in
Bethesda, MD from 2000 to 2005, initially as Director of Operations, and later
as Vice President of Operations & Corporate Services. He led Hospitality
Partners during the economic recession that began in early 2001, then through
the challenging aftermath of September 11 to achieve the highest sales in
company history.
In April 2005, Larry was named President and
Chief Operating Officer for Donohoe Hospitality Services, a wholly owned
subsidiary spun off from Hospitality Partners as a new division of The Donohoe
Companies. He crafted a strategic direction
for the new division, built a corporate team while streamlining and decreasing
the cost of corporate infrastructure, improved unit-level financial results,
enhanced owner relations, and oversaw the on-time/on-budget opening of the
Hilton Garden Inn in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Prior to Hospitality Partners and Donohoe
Hospitality Services, Larry was Vice President & General Manager of Smith
Corporate Living, the corporate housing subsidiary of Charles E. Smith
Residential Realty. He restructured operations in Chicago and Washington, D.C.,
and wrote a comprehensive acquisition-based growth strategy designed to deliver
4-fold growth.
Larry launched his hospitality career with
Marriott International. Over the course of 24 years, he served as General
Manager of U.S. and international hotels, including the Tysons Corner Marriott
in Virginia, and the Marriott Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, an
85-year-old historic landmark and Marriott’s first hotel in South America. He
spent several years in human resources at the corporate level where he held
progressively responsible executive positions, including 5 years as Senior Vice
President of Human Resources for Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites.
Larry served four years in the U.S. Marine
Corps. He earned his Bachelor of Arts
Degree in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland, and
attended the Advanced Human Resources Development Program at the University of
Michigan.
