Karen McWilliams Receives “Top 25” Honor as an HSMAI Extraordinary Mind
Concord Hospitality’s vice president of revenue strategy named to annual list
RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 23, 2022) – Concord Hospitality – an award winning hotel management and development company – is pleased to announce the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has selected Karen McWilliams, vice president of revenue strategy at Concord Hospitality, as one of the “HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization” for 2021.
The 19th annual list recognizes the “best of the best” in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries. The 2021 “Top 25” recipients were judged by a panel of senior industry executives for their recent work based on the following criteria: creativity and innovation, cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations, and/or sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains.
“The ‘Top 25’ is our annual hot list that celebrates the sales, marketing and revenue optimization leaders and innovators in our industry,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “Throughout the pandemic and into the recovery, these extraordinary professionals have risen to each challenge and met unprecedented circumstances with creativity, strength, and ingenuity. These leaders are empowering recovery.”
McWilliams joined Concord in May of 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, specializing in strategy creation and execution, as well as training team members on the key components of revenue management processes and fundamentals. She is an expert at driving collaborative initiatives focused on strategic thinking and profit performance. Prior to joining Concord, McWilliams held revenue management roles for Alliance Hospitality and Meyer Jabara Hotels. She is an active member of the HSMAI and holds an appointed position on think tank groups with TravelClick, as well as the Full-Service Marriott Advisory Board. McWilliams attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Chamberlayne College, located in Boston.
“Over the past 13 years, Karen has been truly exceptional,” said Kevin McAteer, senior vice president of Marketing and Sales at Concord Hospitality. “Due in part to her dedication, leadership and tireless contributions, Concord Hospitality has been able to celebrate an impressive 13-consecutive-year run of RevPAR index growth. We are fortunate to have such an extraordinary strategist like Karen on our team and look forward to all she will continue to achieve.”
Recipients will be honored in person on March 30 at a special reception in Boca Raton, Fla. In addition to the Top 25 reception, winners will be featured in an HSMAI special report, receive a personalized award, and – moving forward – will be recognized as a Top 25 Mind in Hospitality Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization.