Poised for growth, Marcus Hotels & Resorts recognizes that people are the most important asset.
Entrepreneurial. Conservative. Caring. Fun. Profitable. Those are the five words that Greg Marcus, president & CEO, The Marcus Corporation, used to describe his company, which encompasses both Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels & Resorts. Founded in 1935 with the purchase of a single movie theater in Ripon, WI, today the company offers more than 50 theater locations within the Midwest and owns and/or operates 18 hotels, resorts and other properties nationwide.
Recently, Marcus has made a few executive changes-Andrea Foster was added as SVP, development of Marcus Hotels & Resorts, Susan Terry as VP of culinary and food & beverage operations and Peggy Williams-Smith was promoted to SVP of SafeHouse Restaurants-which the company executives said is indicative of a positivity and forward momentum that Marcus is currently experiencing.
The biggest focus for the hotel division? Third-party management. “Our focus right now is to grow our management business. That’s where we see the most likely paths of growth,” said Marcus.
Foster, who is tasked with heading-up development efforts for the management company, noted that in the past, the industry might have perceived Marcus as being more internally focused on operating its own properties. “Where we want to move our reputation going forward is to have awareness of Marcus as a third-party manager,” she said. “That awareness is already broadening on a daily basis.” Foster noted that in the conversations she’s had since joining the Milwaukee-based company, response has been very positive, with doors opening to new partners.
“We have incredibly high integrity, a talented team and we’re considered best in class,” she said. Both Foster and Marcus noted that Forbes named The Marcus Corporation as one of America’s 100 most trustworthy companies in 2013.
Marcus expanded on the value proposition for owners. “We bring a lot to the table,” he said, ticking off the checklist: “A deep bench, 50 years of institutional knowledge of the hotel business, a robust food & beverage operation, a spa background, we can bring capital to the table if that’s a need, infrastructure. We’re not just two guys in a room who decided to open up a management business today. We’ve got enterprise software, not just because of our hotel business but because of our theater business as well. That gives us a balance sheet, and a conservative balance sheet at that. We have a pretty good palette to paint with. Not only have we been around, but we’re going to be around.” Read the full article >>