Since becoming the youngest general manager in the history of Holiday Inn at the age of 18 and later buying the hotel he started at, to holding the title of longest standing President of a national franchised hotel chain while at the helm of the Ramada hotel chain, Steven J. Belmonte brings new meaning to the phrase "from the mailroom to the Boardroom".
In 2002, Belmonte returned to his entrepreneurial roots and Launched Hospitality Solutions, LLC, a full service, nationwide consultation firm specializing in lodging industry issues at the hotel and corporate level. Drawing on over 35 years of experience and key contacts both in and outside of the industry, Hospitality Solutions was specifically designed to offer fundamental services which include: Motivational Speaking, Franchise Agreement Negotiations as well as Terminated Liquidated Damage Claim Negotiations, Mediation,Expert Witness, Litigation Support, and Feasibility Studies. Belmonte was a member of the Board of Directors of Arlington Hospitality (NASDAQ/NM:HOST), serving as chairman of the Compensation Committee and is a former Member of Arlington's Audit Committee Ad Hock/Strategic Developement. In addition to his positions with Arlington Hospitality, Mr.Belmonte serves on the Board of Industry Relationships for the Asian American Hotel Owner's Association, is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the Round Table Group and is a member of the Franchise Panel for the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution. In 2006 Mr. Belmonte became President CEO and Partner of the Lexington Collection of Fine Hotels and Resorts, a newly created membership brand. Mr. Belmonte grew the brand from zero to 40 hotels and sold his interest in February of 2009.
Prior to Hospitality Solutions, for nearly 11 years Belmonte was President and CEO of the Ramada hotel chain, which had over 1,000 hotels and nearly 135,000 hotel rooms throughout the United States. Major accomplishments included mor than doubling the size of the chain, adding the Ramada Limited and Ramada Plaza Hotel tiers, and launching the bold "Ramada's Inn/Holiday's Out" advertising campaign. As part of his plan to solidly position the Ramada chain in the upper-mid tier segment, Belmonte also masterminded the revolutionary customer service initiative, Personal Best Hospitality, which offered tuition reimbursement and a variety of other incentives to foster a career path in the hotel industry.
Mr. Belmonte has worked in almost every aspect of the hospitality industry, from owning and operating his own hotels to President and CEO of one of the largest hotel chains in the world.
Belmonte's commitment to give back to the industry where he made his career is also reflected by the positions he held: chairman of the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Foundation(AH&LEF). Indeed, his dedication to tomorrow's leaders is underscored by his work at the AH&LEF where, as past Chairman of its Fund Developement Committee, Belmonte led the "Annual Hospitality Fund" for two years raising record amounts of funds to support the development of lodging operations programs in High schools, resources for research projects and scholarship programs. Most recently, Belmonte chaired the AHF's ambitious "New Century Fund Campaign", in which a record $9.2 million was raised.
Prior to his position at Ramada, Belmonte was the President and CEO of Equity Hotel Corporation, a hotel management firm that he co-founded win 1984 and nurtured to become one of the top ten managemant companies in the industry. A variety of hotel brands made up the 35 property Equity portfolio, which in addition to his diverse experiences as a franchisee and general manager, equipped Belmonte with a broad range of expertise in the franchised hotel industry.
For additonal information on my charitable endeavors both inside and outside the hospitality industry, check out my website www.stevenbelmonte.com
