Meet Our Board of Directors
I oversee franchise relations, investor relations, financial results, operations, sales & marketing, quality and human resources for a large portfolio of hotels. I work closely with hospitality executives and hotel investors to ensure the successful achievement of their goals as well as the acquisition of new joint venture opportunities.
• Directed research and analysis for the International Society of Hospitality Consultants Hotel Capital Expenditure Study presented at the UCLA Hotel Investment Conference in 1995.
• Development strategy consulting for an upscale extended-stay hotel brand – Hilton Hotels 1997
• Site selection and market analysis training seminar for economy and mid-price extended-stay hotel brands – Extended Stay America 1997
• Research and analysis of billing and accounts payable settlement methods in the corporate apartment industry 2001
• Hotel development and management company staffing and compensation survey and report 2002
• Corporate brand development and investment analysis consulting for an upscale extended-stay hotel brand – Intercontinental Hotels Group 2003
• Market, financial and investment analyses for a portfolio of premium brand select service hotels 2005
• Development strategy consulting for an upscale extended-stay hotel brand – Hyatt Hotels 2006
• Special Servicer advisory services and research for the bankruptcy of the 700 hotel Extended Stay Hotel portfolio 2009
• Developed a forecasting model to evaluate the potential return on investment from branding a portfolio of luxury hotels 2009
• Lender advisory services and research on a portfolio of 42 distressed hotels 2010 - 2011
Selected Speaking Engagements:
• National AAHOA Conference, 1997, 2001,2002,2008
• Extended Stay America AGM Fort Lauderdale 1997
• National Real Estate Forum Conference, Chicago 1999
• The Atlanta Hotel Investment Conference 2002-2011
• The International Hotel Conference Monte Carlo 2003
• The Lodging Conference Phoenix 2005
• Guest Lecturer Georgia State University 1997, 2006
• The Appraisal Institute Atlanta 2008
• The Midwest Lodging Investor Summit Chicago 2008-2010
• Northpoint Hospitality Annual Meeting 2010
Phil Hugh founded Hugh Hotel Group in September of 2022. HHG is an organization focused on maximizing profitability and value for hoteliers through partnerships and relationships. He served as Chief Development Officer, Americas of Radisson Hotel Group until the successful sale of the Americas division to CHOICE Hotels International.
While with RHGA, Hugh led, built and delivered the development and growth strategies across its core brands in the Americas, including Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. He also manages strategic investments for the portfolio and spearheads merger and acquisition activity related to portfolio growth.
Hugh has 25 years of experience leading and motivating Franchise Sales & Development teams. Most recently, he spent seven years as a development leader at Red Roof Franchising, where he created a franchise division. His team built strong relationships that resulted in transforming the company to an asset-light and franchisee-focused organization.
Prior to that, that he was the Executive Vice President Worldwide Development & Sales at Realogy (01/2010-08/2013), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage with many of the best-known industry brands. He was also the President and CEO at DOC Corp (01/2005-12/2009). He was also the Senior Vice President Franchise Sales at Cendant (01/1997-12/2004), a provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries.
Selected Key Accomplishments
• Managed cash collection and application of over $1.2B annually achieving and exceeding EBIDTA targets.
• Increased cash collections from $800k to $1.2B annually over the last 5 years.
• Integrated newly acquired brands AmericInn and La Quinta into online payment and collection processes.
• Restructured collections to global regions in Europe and Middle East streamlining and increasing collection rates.
• Increased customer retention rates by 10% by planning, launching and managing a field team to travel extensively within the specific geographic regions with hotel owners and general managers.
Assist in closing and executing deals for new franchise agreements
Execute document management and closing agreements related to deals
Forecasting/budgeting and monitoring short and long term projections and targets
Jason Ballard serves as Head of Operations, Hyatt Studios, Hyatt’s first upper-midscale extended-stay brand announced in 2023. In this role, he’s leading the brand’s expansion by fostering relationships with owners, developers, and franchisees.
Responsible for the strategic oversight of commercial services, finance, brand, feasibility, and design teams, Ballard is dedicated to the brand's growth and financial success. Additionally, he’ll oversee operational excellence by optimizing property performance and ensuring adherence to brand standards.
Most recently serving as Hyatt's VP of Franchise Operations, Select Service, Ballard was instrumental in establishing Hyatt’s Franchise & Owner Relations Group. Under his leadership, the Americas Select Service Franchise portfolio saw its highest-ever owner and operator satisfaction scores.
Since joining Hyatt in 2006, Ballard has held positions in Revenue Management, Capital Planning and Operations Analytics across three regions – Americas, Asia Pacific, and EAME. He played a critical role in establishing the global footprint of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands, spearheading the first Hyatt select service properties in Thailand, China, Japan and Australia, and the first Hyatt properties in Barcelona, Athens and Budapest.
An alumnus of University of Virginia, Jason lives in Chicago with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, JJ and Olivia.
