Kirkwood Collection Hires Kenan Jones as New Vice President of Operations
Kirkwood Collection has hired Kenan Jones as Vice President of Operations to shepherd the collection through upcoming acquisitions and expansion of the brand. Jones has over 17 years of experience in operational and senior leadership roles with some of the most iconic brands in the boutique and lifestyle hotel space.
Kenan joins Kirkwood after his latest role as the opening General Manager of The Hoxton hotel in Downtown LA. There, under his leadership the property achieved #1 ranking on TripAdvisor, outperforming 400+ hotels in Los Angeles. Previously, Kenan held GM positions at Ace Hotel & Theater in downtown Los Angeles and The Standard Hotel in New York City's East Village.
Jones will oversee Kirkwood's regional operational strategy and work closely with onsite management to meet the brand's objectives. With his vast operational experience, Jones will further the brand's goal of blending the best of boutique hotels, B&B's and vacation rentals with an institutional-grade operations philosophy.
"I'm delighted to be joining the Kirkwood Collection and its team of vibrant and creative individuals. The character of each property located within California's quintessential vacation destinations make for a truly one-of-a-kind experience. As we move back to normalcy in a post-COVID travel industry, the future is bright at Kirkwood and I'm honored to be a part of this next chapter," says Jones.
Kirkwood Collection Founder and CEO Alex Kirkwood adds, "Kenan will play a leading role as Vice President of Operations managing our growing team across the state of California. We are excited to bring his ideas to life across the portfolio and into the next chapter as we onboard new hotels in our pipeline."
Jones has led three hotel opening teams including The W Hotel & Residences in Hollywood and The Standard Highline in Manhattan's Meatpacking District working with new construction as well as conversion of historic sites.
Jones has been responsible for assets generating annual revenues in excess of $30 million and teams of over 150 employees. He was selected to attend Starwood's (now Marriott) intensive hotel management program and continued his education by completing certification in Hotel Real Estate & Asset Management through Cornell University.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
