DENVER, Colo. — Red Lion Hotels Corporation (RLHC) has appointed John J. Russell, Jr. as its Chief Executive Officer. Russell is an industry veteran with more than 40 years of hospitality experience and has been serving as RLHC’s interim CEO since Dec. 3, 2019.
“We’re very pleased to be appointing John as Red Lion’s permanent CEO,” says Carter Pate, chairman of the board, RLHC. “Since joining RLHC, John has helped refocus the company on supporting its franchisee relationships and cultivating franchise growth. He’s also helped effectively navigate through this incredibly difficult period and the related challenges due to the pandemic. We’re fortunate to have someone with the depth of experience that John brings to lead the RLHC team and support our commitment to improving shareholder value.”
Prior to joining RLHC, Russell served as president and COO of Sentry Hospitality, a management company for hotels, resorts, conference centres and private-residence clubs. Throughout his career, he has also held roles with the Georgia Aquarium and Ocean Visions, Inc., as well as hospitality companies such as ITT Sheraton, Days Inn of America and Carlson Companies. Russell is also a past chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and president of the Hospitality Sales Marketing Association International.
