Trailborn Hotels & Resorts has appointed Paul Eckert as chief operations officer, the outdoors-focused hospitality brand announced Thursday.
In his new role, Eckert will oversee operations across Trailborn’s growing portfolio, including forthcoming openings in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Mendocino, California.
Eckert is tasked with partnering with on-property leadership “to ensure operational excellence and a guest experience that reflects Trailborn’s commitment to thoughtful design, curated programming and deep connection to place,” according to a news release.
Eckert brings three decades of hospitality industry experience to the role, most recently serving as executive vice president of operations and business intelligence at Davidson Hospitality Group. He also previously held leadership roles at Omni Hotels & Resorts and Interstate Hotels & Resorts, per his LinkedIn.
“As we enter our next chapter with larger, more complex resort-style properties like Trailborn Jackson Hole and a multi-property campus in Mendocino, Paul’s operational rigor, track record of achieving top guest satisfaction, and passion for hospitality make him the ideal partner to help us build enduring systems, empower our on-property teams, and deliver exceptional guest experiences,” Mike Weiss and Ben Weinberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of Trailborn, said in a joint statement.
The new Jackson Hole property is opening after Castle Peak Holdings, the investment firm behind Trailborn, acquired Snow King Resort last year with plans to renovate and convert it under the Trailborn brand. Castle Peak’s long-term strategy for Trailborn includes buying off-market properties in “iconic outdoor destinations with growing demand and high barriers-to-entry,” and repositioning them under the brand, Weinberg previously said.
Upon opening this summer, Trailborn Jackson Hole will be the brand’s first ski resort and four-seasons mountain destination. The opening will follow the spring debut of Hill House at Trailborn Mendocino, “a design-driven coastal retreat,” per the brand.
Last year, after joining Marriott International’s system through a long-term agreement, Trailborn unveiled a property near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. That hotel, among the rest of the Trailborn portfolio, anchors an outdoors-focused collection brand that Marriott launched in October.
Marriott’s chief development officer for select brands, Bobby Molinary, told Hotel Dive earlier this year that the outdoor hospitality sector is “a really popular and growing space” with “a lot of interest.”
