SEATTLE, Wash., The Dow Hotel Company, LLC (DHC), a hotel owner/investor and management company, today announced two senior management appointments as a result of the company’s recent expansion and acquisitions. Ernie Catanzaro has been promoted to vice president of operations, and Frank Rodriguez was named general manager of the Doubletree Hotel Bellevue, outside Seattle, Wash.
Ernie Catanzaro
In his new position as VP of operations, Catanzaro will be responsible for overseeing the operations and profitability of the company’s nationwide hotel portfolio. He also will be responsible for expanding the Dow Hotel Company’s signature Basil’s Restaurant concept and assisting in the transition process following new acquisitions. Catanzaro joined the company in 2002 as general manager of the Hilton Atlanta Northeast.
Previously, he was senior vice president of sales & marketing for French Quarter Hospitality Management.
A 25-year industry veteran, Catanzaro also served as vice president of sales & marketing for The Melrose Hotel Company, and has held several senior operational positions in upscale, full-service hotels. He began his career with Marriott Hotels. Catanzaro and his family will relocate to Seattle.
“We now have reached the size and distribution to build our bench strength with an eye to preparing for our planned future growth in the ownership and management of upscale, full-service hotels,” said Murray Dow, president of The Dow Hotel Company. “Ernie brings a proven track record of impacting top line revenues and bringing those revenues to the bottom line, while consistently delivering outstanding guest satisfaction.”
Frank Rodriguez
Frank Rodriguez has joined the company as general manager of the Doubletree Hotel Bellevue, located in metropolitan Seattle, Wash., which recently was acquired by the company. In his new position, he will be responsible for directing the renovation and repositioning of the hotel to the Hilton brand.
An accomplished industry veteran, Rodriguez’s experience includes general management and regional operational duties, both domestic and international, with Westin Hotels, Carlson Hotels, and Bass Hotels and Resorts. He previously was regional director of operations with the Kimpton Hotel Group. His career includes international resort assignments in St. Thomas, Aruba, Jamaica and Toronto, as well as several conversion and new hotel opening assignments in the United States.
“The core of our success rests with the quality of our general mangers,” Dow said. “Frank’s leadership and experience in operating upscale and luxury properties, combined with his broad background in repositioning hotels, will serve him well in his new position.”
The Dow Hotel Company, headquartered in Seattle, is a hotel owner/investor and operator of first-class, full-service hotels with properties throughout the United States. The company's portfolio of owned and managed properties comprises institutional grade hotels under such brands as Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Sheraton, Radisson, Crowne Plaza, and Doubletree.
The Bellevue property is the fourth recent addition to the company's West Coast expansion plan, which began with the acquisition of The Crowne Plaza Portland in Oregon, and continued with the management of a 565-room hotel in downtown San Francisco, currently being renovated and re-branded as a Hilton, and the management of the Marriott Anaheim Suites Hotel. The company aggressively seeks to acquire, co-invest with joint venture partners and/or manage mid- to large-size, institutional-grade, full-service hotels, especially those that have extensive food and beverage capabilities.
