Director, Hotel Activation & Brand Development - Hybrid-AZ

Join BWH Hotels – Where Passion Meets Purpose

At BWH® Hotels, we don't just offer employment opportunities, we create opportunities to be part of something extraordinary. As a global leader in hospitality for nearly 80 years, our vision is to inspire travel through unique experiences. Joining our corporate team means becoming part of a dynamic and inclusive community that values innovation, collaboration, and making a meaningful impact in the travel industry.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, BWH Hotels boasts a powerful portfolio of 18 brands, including World Hotels™, Best Western® Hotels & Resorts, and Sure Stay Hotels®, with approximately 4,300 hotels in over 100 countries. We take pride in our top-ranking employee engagement scores and foster a workplace culture where your contributions truly matter. Join us and be part of a team that's shaping the future of hospitality!

Provides strategic leadership for Design Onboarding and Brand Development Project Management, ensuring successful execution of the hotel onboarding lifecycle from contract execution through opening and first-year stabilization. Oversees hotel activation, design implementation, owner engagement, operational readiness, and post-opening performance initiatives to support long-term hotel success, owner satisfaction, and brand growth. Leads cross-functional collaboration to improve onboarding effectiveness, drive operational excellence, and create a seamless owner experience across the BWH Hotels portfolio.

• Leads and directs the Design Onboarding and Brand Development Project Management teams, ensuring alignment, accountability, and execution across the full hotel onboarding lifecycle.
• Develops and executes onboarding strategies, programs, and initiatives that support successful implementation of new construction, conversion, and renovation projects from agreement execution through hotel opening and stabilization.
• Provides leadership oversight for design onboarding, product implementation, design approvals, brand standards compliance, project management activities, operational readiness, and opening preparedness.
• Establishes departmental standards, policies, tools, scorecards, and best practices that create consistency, efficiency, and accountability across onboarding and activation functions.
• Collaborates with Brand Management, Development, Operations, Revenue Management, Digital, Marketing, Sales, Learning & Development, and Technology teams to ensure successful implementation and activation of new hotels.
• Oversees first-year hotel ramp-up initiatives and performance monitoring, including owner engagement, system adoption, operational readiness, revenue optimization opportunities, and post-opening support.
• Identifies opportunities to improve onboarding effectiveness, owner satisfaction, and hotel performance through process improvements, enhanced communication, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Develops executive-level reporting, performance metrics, and dashboards to measure onboarding effectiveness, hotel activation milestones, owner success, and first-year performance outcomes.
• Builds and maintains productive relationships with hotel owners, management companies, developers, internal stakeholders, executive leadership, and affiliate partners.
• Motivates and develops staff by assessing strengths and opportunities, providing coaching and development plans, implementing effective hiring and retention practices, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Meets financial objectives by developing departmental budgets, managing resources effectively, and ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Maintains quality service by establishing and following company standards while supporting strategic business objectives and organizational growth.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in hospitality, hotel development, hotel operations, project management, onboarding, design, implementation, brand management, or related disciplines.
• Minimum 5 years of management experience leading teams and cross-functional business initiatives.
• Bac…