Lew Wiens has been appointed chairman and chief executive officer at True North Hotel Group

True North Hotel Group has announced the transition of three key executives – Lew Wiens, Richard Merkel and Brad Wiens – into new chief officer positions. Effective January 2, Lew Wiens has moved from president to chairman and chief executive officer of True North Hotel Group. Lew Wiens’ roots in the hospitality industry stem back to 1983, when he co-founded RHW, a company comprised of RHW Management, Inc., and RHW Construction, Inc. He then established Henry Hotels, Inc., in 1995 to concentrate on hotel development opportunities, and entered into a joint venture with Mike Dubroff in 1998, forming True North Hotel Group, L.L.C. In 2002, Lew Wiens teamed up with Richard Merkel to reorganize the company as True North Hotel Group, Inc. Lew Wiens is a licensed real estate broker in Kansas and Missouri, holds a Certified Hotel Administrator (C.H.A.) designation from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Motel Association, and is a graduate of the University of Kansas. He is past president of The Residence Inn Association and served as president of the SpringHill Suites Franchise Advisory Council from its inception in 1998 through the summer of 2012.