Niki Leondakis, the former president and COO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group, has been named the new CEO of Commune Hotels & Resorts, the hotel company made possible via the merger of Joie de Vivre Hospitality and Thompson Hotels. John Pritzker, co-chairman of Commune Hotels & Resorts, made the announcement. Leondakis joins Commune at a pivotal time for the company, which currently has a portfolio of 46 hotels.
Said Pritzker of the hiring, "Niki’s work at Kimpton exhibited her passion and balanced approach to leadership. Having Niki partner with us at this time gives her a unique opportunity to impact all aspects of the company during a period of rapid expansion."
Leondakis will join a team that is looking to expand the company into the key markets of London, Miami, Chicago, New York City, Seattle, Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii and Palo Alto, Calif.
Our sister publication Hotel Management sat down with Leondakis for its five questions series back in January while she was with Kimpton. Check it out, here.
Commune was formed when, first, in June of 2010, Geolo Capital, a private equity firm founded by John Pritzker, purchased a majority stake in Joie de Vivre Hospitality with plans to expand the brand beyond its California portfolio. The following year, Geolo Capital and New York’s Pomeranc family, owner of Thompson Hotels, merged their hospitality interests to form Commune Hotels & Resorts.
The resulting merger combined 33 boutique hotels operated by Joie de Vivre Hospitality with the 12 Thompson Hotels to form an international collection of lifestyle properties.
Since the formation of Commune Hotels & Resorts, the company has announced its acquisition of and/or management of 5 Beekman in New York’s financial district, Chicago’s Chicago Athletic Association, Thompson Chicago (formerly Sutton Place Hotel), Thompson Ocean Drive (formerly the Hotel Victor) and Epiphany in Palo Alto, Calif., among others.
Visit www.communehotels.com