Meet the pivot hotels & resorts team

A part of Pivot Hotels & Resorts since it was founded in 2015, Albert Smith brings nearly two decades of experience to the company from his previous assignments with Viceroy Hotel Group, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, SLS Las Vegas, sbe Entertainment and, most recently, Davidson Hotels & Resorts. His knowledge, leadership, and insight into the boutique, lifestyle and luxury segments are invaluable to Pivot as it reshapes the hospitality industry.

Patricia joined Pivot Hotels & Resorts in 2015, currently leading marketing activities for the company in her role as Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications . In this role, she is responsible for strategic implementation of integrated marketing and public relations efforts across Davidson's ever-growing portfolio. With over 20 years of hospitality leadership experience, Patricia has worked closely and strategically with a range of stakeholders. Prior to her time with Pivot, Patricia served in senior leadership roles in Viceroy Hotel Group and SBE Entertainment in addition to starting The Strategy Foundry, her own management company.

Harry joined Pivot Hotels & Resorts in 2015 and assisted in repositioning Hotel Zephyr, the first property in the Pivot portfolio. With over 20 years of hospitality experience in both the independent and branded environments, he has been able to drive total revenue and gain market share for diverse properties. Before joining Pivot, Harry worked with leading lifestyle companies at SBE and Viceroy Hotel Group as well as Banded hotels at Interstate Hotels and Resorts, Starwood and Hilton.

Vanessa joined Pivot Hotels & Resorts in September 2018, as Vice President of Sales. Vanessa leads and supports all Pivot hotels in sales strategy, propelling the team to sales greatness. Vanessa has over 20 years of a unique experience in high profile independent, lifestyle, luxury and branded hotels. Prior to joining Pivot, Vanessa served in senior leadership roles for Hilton, W Hotels and most recently, Sydell Group.

Caroline joined Pivot Hotels & Resorts in April 2016 as Vice President of Operations. Caroline oversees and supports all Pivot hotels propelling their service and operational excellence within the division. Caroline has over 10 years of a unique combination of operations experience in high profile lifestyle hotels and upscale dining environments. Prior to joining Pivot, Caroline served in senior management roles for Palm Restaurant Group, Disney, Viceroy Hotel Group, Kimpton, sbe Hotels & Restaurants, and most recently, Commune Hotels & Resorts.

Shannon Foster, a native Midwesterner, began her career in hotels while studying at Michigan State University where she earned a BA in Hospitality Business. . She has 14 years of luxury and lifestyle hotel experience and has served in senior management roles for Sage Hospitality Resources, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants where she spent 11 years. She was appointed General Manager of Noelle, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Nashville, TN prior to its opening and until her promotion to Corporate Director of Operations for Pivot.

Jim Gross joined Pivot Hotels in January 2018 as Corporate Director of Operations. In this role, Jim oversees and supports Pivot Hotels on the West Coast driving their service culture and operational excellence within the division. He has 20+ years of operations experience in branded, iconic and lifestyle hotels. Jim has served as General Manager and area Director of Operations roles at both Kimpton Hotels & Davidson Hotels. In his most recent role as General Manager, he is overseeing one of Pivot Hotels most historic and iconic hotels, The Don CeSar.

Holly joined Pivot Hotels & Resorts in December 2016 as Corporate Director of People & Culture. In this role, she leads the HR effort for all Pivot hotels and provides a strong cultural bridge between both the Pivot and Davidson platforms, fostering greater collaboration, crossover, and best practices amongst both teams. With more than 15 years of hospitality experience, Holly is a great business partner and cultural leader. Holly's career began in operations and led to People & Culture for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants where she eventually oversaw the D.C. region and their Southern California portfolio. Holly joined Pivot from sbe, where she served as Area Director of Human Resources.