Dolce Hotels and Resorts, a meetings-focused hospitality company that manages 23 hotels, resorts and meetings centers in the U.S., Canada and Europe, has appointed industry veteran Steven A. Rudnitsky as president and CEO. Effective December 8, Rudnitsky, who recently stepped down as president and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide’s Hotel Group, will be responsible for driving Dolce’s growth worldwide. The expansion plans will be underwritten by Broadreach Capital Partners, which purchased a majority stake in Dolce last year, and other capital partners.
Rudnitsky will be responsible for developing the company’s strategic direction and plans, delivering on business objectives and overseeing all departments. He will also serve on the Dolce board and report to company chairman Andy Dolce, with whom he will work closely to stimulate growth through acquisition and development efforts.
Rudnitsky said his first task will be to develop short- and long-term objectives and strategies including a brand refresh and capital improvements. Among other tactics, the company is working to increase occupancy with more social and leisure business.
During his nearly seven-tenure with Wyndham Hotel Group, Rudnitsky is credited with improving performance of the company’s hotel brands and expanding its portfolio domestically and internationally in wake of the 9/11 hospitality industry downturn. He launched one of the travel industry’s largest loyalty programs, acquired four brands and negotiated numerous domestic and international management contracts as well as joint-venture agreements for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and the Asia Pacific region.
Rudnitsky has also held leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies including Kraft, Nabisco and Pillsbury, and held sales and marketing positions at PepsiCo. He is a former chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Multicultural & Diversity Advisory Council and served on the Travel Business Roundtable, the Planning Committee of the annual New York University Hospitality Industry Investment Conference and the Advisory Board of the University of Delaware School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.
He is a former trustee of the National Restaurant Association’s Education Foundation, a past director and founding member of the Multicultural Foodservice Hospitality Alliance and a former board member of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.
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