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To arrange an interview with a member of the Columbus Chamber team, contact:

Michelle Bretscher, APR
Vice President, Marketing and Communication
W: (614) 225.6908 
C:  614.499.0889

michelle_bretscher@columbus.org

  • News May 03, 2012

    Columbus Hospitality Announces Five Year Expansion Plan

    The largest hotel management company based in the Columbus area has announced an energized plan for growth over the next five years.

    Charles Lagarce, President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "We are confident that the economy will improve steadily between now and 2017. Travel industry trends are up and hotel owners are in need of a company they can trust to significantly increase their ROI. That's where we excel!"

    The plan calls for the addition of ten (10) more first-class hotel assets in key market areas; in particular the state of Ohio and the Midwest. They plan to execute this strategy by increasing their portfolio of upscale select-service and full-service hotels.

    Founded by Lagarce in 1998, Columbus Hospitality is the area's hometown hotel and hospitality management firm supervising the operations of a variety of hotels, conference centers, restaurants and clubs throughout the state of Ohio and Florida. In the Columbus market the firm manages The Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus Downtown, The Lofts Hotel, Hyatt Place in Grandview and NorthPointe Hotel & Conference Center in Lewis Center. It also manages the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe and Max & Erma's Restaurant Downtown. Altogether the company manages seven hotels, three conference centers, four restaurants and two private clubs with more than 700 employees and annual revenues in excess of $50 million. The combined valuation of the assets under their supervision is $250 million. Columbus Hospitality has continued to grow steadily during the current recession.

    "We built and opened Hyatt Place and the Buckeye Grill right in the middle of this down time and both operations are thriving," said Lagarce. "Our point of difference is an ownership mentality that permeates the entire organization. Every employee focuses first on guest satisfaction and is then encouraged to consider long-term profitability, spending each dollar as if it were his/her own."

    The company has initiated a Professional Services and Consulting Division led by hospitality veteran Bob Monica as Managing Director, Business Development. Monica has general management experience with first-class hotel and restaurant operations around the country including Sheraton City Center Hotel, Washington, DC, Radisson Hotel & Executive Conference Center, Somerset, NJ, Radisson Resort, Scottsdale, AZ and Sheraton Hotel, Orlando, FL. Here in the Columbus area he served as GM of NorthPointe Hotel and Conference Center, Lewis Center managed by Columbus Hospitality. In 1998 he founded a successful wine-themed company based in Dublin, opening the area's first wine bar and restaurant, Wine Shoppe Bistro.

    The new Professional Services department will offer expert assistance to owners, investors and mixed-use developers in a variety of hospitality-based categories. Specific consulting services are offered in the areas of asset management, market and site evaluation, financial estimates and business valuations, facility design and construction supervision as well as operational, sales, food and beverage reviews and more.

    "Hotels and other hospitality assets are simply too expensive to build and challenging to operate to allow for less than effective and efficient management," says Monica. "Guest expectations have heightened and operating expenses are at an all-time high," he continued. "It's critical that the operator has the expertise and utilizes judicious decision making to carefully balance the needs of the customer and the owner."

    Lagarce has more than thirty years of top level experience in managing first-class hospitality operations. He has served on the board of The American Hotel and Lodging Association and is past president of The Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association. He has also served as chair of The Greater Columbus Lodging Council and is a past executive board member of Experience Columbus.

    "We are convinced that our company is uniquely positioned for significant growth," says Lagarce. "With the growth of Columbus into one of America's largest and leading cities the opportunity for expansion has increased exponentially. Our history in this business community, combined with our track record of success, marks us as the undisputed hotel management leader. And we intend to live up to that position of leadership."