A graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Mr. Rolfs is no stranger to Ritz-Carlton as he spent more than 19 years with the group as a senior leader.
Prior to Shanghai, Mr. Rolfs was the President and General Manager of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, a 1,500-room exotic resort with a 40,000-square-foot spa, 11 restaurants and lounges, and extensive meeting facilities.
Mr. Rolfs started his Ritz-Carlton career in 1989 as Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage at The Ritz-Carlton, Houston USA. In 1991 he was appointed General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, Arizona and took similar position with The Ritz-Carlton, Aspen in 1993. In 1996 Mr. Rolfs moved to Asia with his appointment as opening General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Osaka, Japan.
After spending four successful years leading the team of The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka, Mr. Rolfs returned to the US in 2000 with his promotion to Area General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of Boston, where he successfully transformed the flagship Ritz-Carlton, Boston after a $40 million renovation while at the same time opened the second Ritz-Carlton property in the city, The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common.