ABOUT US
OUR HISTORY
Key Hotels & Resorts was founded in 2000 and has a twenty-year proven track record of advancing RevPAR, RevPAR Index, and overall top-line and bottom-line performance for its portfolio of first-class independent and boutique hotels and resorts all around the world. In servicing our hotels, our Corporate Executives draw from over two-hundred years of combined expert management, development, marketing and culinary leadership experience with some of the finest hospitality companies including: Hilton Worldwide, The Ritz-Carlton, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, and Trump Hotels. Coupled with an incomparable level of passion and personalized care, Key continues to deliver superior results to its exclusive portfolio of hotels, resorts, and condo-hotels around the world.
OUR VISION
We are a world-class company of hospitality professionals passionately committed to creating exceptional guest experiences, dedicated to the sustained financial performance of our properties, and devoted to the care of our team-members for our portfolio of first-class hotels and resorts.
OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM
Albert Laclé
Managing Partner
Albert Laclé…a seasoned sales and marketing executive, trained with such industry giants as Intercontinental Hotels, Holiday Inn Corporation and Halloran Hotels, he held positions of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Sands Casino Hotel, Senior Vice President of Marketing with Inter-Hotels Hospitality Services and Executive Director of Marketing for the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Mr. Laclé studied marketing at Cornell University and holds a degree in Hotel Management. He speaks fluent English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento. To contact Albert Laclé, please e-mail alacle@keymanagementgroup.com
Walter Kohlross
Managing Partner
Walter Kohlross … a trustee for The Academy of Hospitality Science (5 Star Diamond Award), member of the Chaine de Rotisseurs Society, former member and chairman of the American Hotel-Motel Association (Food & Beverage) and a Certified AHMA Food & Beverage Executive. Mr. Kohlross trained in the fine hotels of Europe, including Hotel-Intercontinental, Geneva and Trust House Forte, London. He spent 16 years developing new properties with Westin Hotels Worldwide. His track record of successful openings includes the Carlton-Hotel, Johannesburg, S.A. and the tower for the Century-Plaza, Los Angeles. He was part of the development and opening team at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, where he held several senior executive positions including Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations. He also spent a number of years in charge of European casino marketing. Mr. Kohlross’ expertise is in Hotel Operations and Food & Beverage, with an emphasis on new property opening, conceptualization and project planning. He also has extensive experience in business development, budgeting, planning and administration. He speaks fluent English, German, and French. To contact Walter Kohlross, please e-mail wkohlross@keymanagementgroup.com
John Laclé
Managing Director
John Laclé is an experienced Hotelier with over twenty years of Operational, Sales & Revenue, and General Management leadership experience in Hospitality. John has a proven track record of leading highly trained teams of hospitality professionals in elevating operational and financial performances of upscale and luxury hotels and resorts for branded and independent hotels. He has five years of General Management experience, successfully operating high-performance hotels and resorts in Miami, Florida, and ten years of Sales & Marketing, Revenue Management and Commercial Management experience in various international markets. John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Miami. John is also Green Belt Six Sigma and Lean Management certified.
George Nemchik
Vice-President of Development
Mr. Nemchik graduated from Georgia Institute ofTechnology in 1977 with degrees from the School of Architecture in Building Construction. He attended on a wrestling scholarship. After graduation, Mr. Nemchlk obtained a Class “A” certified General Contractor’s license for the state of Florida and for two years worked for Venture construction company overseeing construction of commercial buildings throughout the southeastern United States. Mr. Nemchik joined Johnson Properties, Inc. as a hotel construction project manager in 1979 overseeing construction of the Atlanta Airport Marriott hotel. In 1983, Johnson Properties obtained the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company whereupon Mr. Nemchik embarked on a mixed-use and hotel development career as partner in, and Senior Vice President – Development for, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. In 1985 Mr. Nemchik wrote the world-wide standards and guidelines for development of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. While with the Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Nemchik completed construction of 25 Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts around the globe including sites in Australia, Indonesia, England, Spain, Malaysia, Japan, Mexico, China, Singapore and the United States.
Diego Amat
Executive Food & Beverage Director
Deriving inspiration from Spanish, French, Italian, and Moroccan cuisine, Executive Chef Diego Amat has a stellar career spanning more than 20 years in the profession of the culinary arts. He most recently served as the Executive Chef of the Zagat top-rated Mercat a La Planxa Restaurant located at the landmark Marriott Autograph Hotel Chicago, considered the “best in all of Chicago,” and was featured on the Food Network’s Bite Club Chicago. Chef Diego began his career at Barcelona’s prestigious Hoffman School and stayed on following graduation as an Assistant Professor. After leaving the University, he began his works with Barcelona’s most revered Michelin-starred restaurants like Gaig and Jean-Lun Figueres. Later, Chef Diego opened Barcelona’s first gastrobar, La Estrella de Plata, awarded amongst “the best tapas bars,” and at the forefront of a new wave of innovative tapa bars. Later, Chef Diegoserved as the Corporate Executive Chef of world-class restaurants in Lyon, France and South Beach, Miami before making his mark in Chicago. Experienced in all forms of culinary, including themed buffets, a la carte restaurants, grill and barbecues, 1,500 person banquets, pool bars, all-inclusive resorts, and “live shows,” Diego derives his inspirations from cuisines from Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Morocco. Chef Diego speaks Spanish, French and English and is versed in multiple Food Safety, Operational and Cost Control Management.