Ben Rafter leads growth, strategy and hotel revenue generation for OLS. Before joining, he was president and CEO of Aqua Hospitality and president of Aston Hotels & Resorts — the largest hotel operator in the Waikiki market. Previously, Ben grew Aqua Hospitality fivefold in less than four years, from a small Waikiki operator to the only hotel company on all six Hawaii tourism islands. Also while at Aqua, Ben completed more than 20 renovations as well as new, ground-up developments.

He was so confident of the Aqua team’s operational capabilities he placed his personal cell phone number in all of Aqua’s hotel rooms. When the company was sold to Interval Leisure Group (IILG, Aston’s parent), Ben estimated his number was accessible to more than 2 million visitors to Hawaii a year.

Prior to Aqua, he spent more than 15 years guiding successful tech companies. In various roles he created global innovation centers, acted as a principal strategist for G2000 and startup companies, and founded companies of his own. In 1996, he co-founded Innerlinx (LiveBid), which was acquired by Amazon.com. Ben began his career in the distribution department of Westin Hotels & Resorts.

Martti Mannoja’s 40-plus years of hospitality experience drives operational efficiencies across all OLS properties. Before joining the OLS team in 1991, he served as corporate director of reporting/assistant corporate controller for Colony Hotels & Resorts. Martti also spent 13 years with the Radisson Hotel Corporation in various senior-level financial management positions.

Rob Robinson brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to his role of vice president of OLS. Rob has held multiple positions with Highgate and Kimpton Hotels, and his experience includes both property and regional-level leadership, transitions, large-scale renovations, repositioning, and rebranding.

Claudia Jackson has more than 30 years of experience in the hotel industry. She has worked with a variety of hotel companies in sales and marketing, including Embassy Suites, Intercontinental Hotel Group / Holiday Inn, Marriott, Radisson Hotels, and independent boutique properties. Prior to joining the OLS corporate executive team, Claudia held director of sales positions at several OLS-managed properties and also served as general manager of Le Montrose Suite Hotel in West Hollywood.

Sean Williams oversees new business development and investing for Springboard Hospitality and affiliates. His professional and academic career in hospitality investment management,
investment banking, and real estate private equity spans three decades across three continents.

At GreenOak he led the negotiation, structuring, acquisition and asset management for over $750 million in hotels based in the United States, including the Thompson Miami Beach, the Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles, and the award-winning Surfjack Hotel in Hawaii. As a registered Investment Advisor and Finra member, he also advised multiple public firms on M&A and special situations.

During his tenure as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and Vice President at Merrill Lynch, he executed over $8 billion of acquisitions of non-performing loans, commercial real estate, public equities, and strategic investments as well as multiple joint ventures and partnerships in Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Sean is an active member of both the Urban Land Institute as well as the AHLA Hospitality Round Table. He graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and holds a Masters of Engineering from the University of Tokyo.

Ira Kleinrock has more than 40 years of hospitality experience managing branded, full-service and independent boutique hotels. Ira has extensive experience with opening hotels, construction, and renovation planning and execution. He also served as an independent, third-party asset manager and project developer for five years.

Ira has spent nearly two decades with OLS, managing hotels and leveraging his extensive knowledge of food and beverage, sales and marketing, and driving profitability.

Gary Stringham has an extensive background in hospitality revenue management, e-commerce & distribution disciplines and has worked for high-performing organizations including Joie De Vivre Hotels, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, and Two Roads Hospitality. He brings significant experience driving results for lifestyle hotels in both urban and resort markets. His affinity for building strategy and performance analysis allows him to optimize across multiple disciplines including sales, marketing & operations to bring results-oriented solutions with overall profitability at top of mind.

Gary believes in a calculated, risk-taking, test-and-learn approach to always push the boundaries of what is possible while incorporating his creative thinking to possible solutions, multiple theories, alternatives and possibilities. Gary understands that for independent properties success is sometimes about breaking the rules and going outside the status quo to drive return on investment through innovative approaches. Through this thought process and strong collaboration, he has consistently demonstrated significant market share and revenue gains.

In addition to his role with OLS, Gary is a frequent speaker at industry events and panels, where he enjoys sharing insight to help grow and inspire the revenue management community.

Brian Jenkins drives analytics and quantitative analysis and is responsible for executing revenue-generating and cost-reduction initiatives across all OLS properties. Prior to joining OLS, Brian was a management consultant at Capco in New York, where he led global transformational change programs at top-tier banks.

Brian has a passion for travel, which has led him to visit over 30 countries, including traversing the “Iron Curtain” from Belgrade to Budapest, navigating Alaska’s Inside Passage, exploring Patagonia, and studying developing economies across Southeast Asia. Brian grew up in Seattle and received his B.A. in Finance and Economics from Columbia University

Amber Watt is a digital marketing expert who specializes in working with independent hotels and mid-sized chains to develop and execute digital strategies and tactics, leading to substantial growth in the web channel. Her areas of expertise include marketing and positioning strategy as well as media planning, project management, analytics and reporting, tactical oversight of paid search, metasearch and social media.

With extensive experience in-house, consulting and on the agency side, Amber has experience with brands such as Hotel Wailea Relais & Châteaux, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Filament Hospitality, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Hawaiian Airlines, Rydges Hotels & Resorts, Thredbo Alpine Village and various independent lodges and inns.

With more than 20 years of experience, Brandon is a hospitality veteran with a passion of demystifying the evolving hospitality global distribution landscape. Known for executing complex and high-profile projects while propelling revenue growth and profitability. Skilled in delivering top-line revenue strategies while managing the cost of customer acquisition. Brandon has solid management experience spanning multiple disciplines including Revenue Management, Distribution Optimization, Project Management, Call Center Operations, Reservation Sales and Process Improvement.

With a keen focus on developing cohesive synergies through system integration requires an approach with core principles; Strategy, Project Management and Optimization. Collaborations has no limits, therefore conquering the hospitality distribution technology landscapes demands contribution from all disciplines of the organization.

Brandon’s professional experience has provided him the opportunity to influence the hospitality industry across multiple hotel segments, IE…Economy, Select Service, Mid-Scale, Upscale and Boutique Lifestyle Luxury brands. With this diversity of brands, he has been exposed to various expectations and performance deliverables required.

Sarie Mannoja has been with OLS since 1992. Before joining the home office in 1997, she held director of human resources positions at Le Montrose Suite Hotel, Mondrian, and the Marriott Ontario. Sarie is an expert in the complex legal and human resource issues surrounding operating in California, but her passion is leading training initiatives so the OLS team can deliver world-class customer service to our visitors and travelers.

Larry has 38 years of lodging industry Finance and Accounting Management experience. He oversees the Hotel Controllers, and is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of financial statements and compliance with internal controls.

Additionally, Larry coordinates the preparation of the annual budgets, participates in hotel transitions, and develops technology tools to maximize accuracy and efficiency. Prior to OLS, he served in Accounting and Finance management roles with several companies, including Hilton Hotels, Embassy Suites, and Viceroy Hotels and Resorts.

Jennifer is a dynamic and strategic professional with a track record of delivering ROI-driven initiatives for corporate, lifestyle, luxury and entertainment markets. Jennifer has a vast background from her time at Four Seasons, The Beverly Hilton, Sunset Marquis and OLS’ Hotel Amarano, where she excelled to the corporate role with OLS she currently holds.

bio to come

Errol Reyes has over 20 years of experience in human resources with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality and retail industries. He has worked for Starwood, Joie de Vivre, Hyatt, Hilton, and other hotel management companies.

Errol began in operations, ultimately evolving into a human resource professional. He is skilled in Training and Organizational Development, Recruitment, Coaching, Employee and Labor Relations, Workers’ Compensation, Benefit Administration, and Hotel Management, utilizing current technology and social media. He has a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management, complemented by a PHR and SHRM-CP certifications.

Volkan Kaya is a hotelier with over 20 years of hospitality and hotel experience, focused on Revenue Management, Sales and Marketing, P&L financial responsibilities along with development and leadership skills. He has demonstrated the ability to make an immediate impact on companies’ bottom lines and expand business.

Volkan’s prior hospitality management experience includes revenue management positions with independent boutique hotels in Fisherman’s Wharf as Area Director of Revenue; Hilton Hotels in San Francisco, Los Angeles & San Diego between years of 2005-2016. Volkan holds degrees in Hospitality Management from University of Mersin in Turkey, as well as certifications from Cornell School of Hotel Administration for Advance Hospitality Revenue Management (2013) and Hotel Asset Management (2014); CRME title Certified Revenue Management Executive with HSMAI organization.

Paul Seo has over 20 years of experience in hospitality revenue management working for brands including Sheraton and Westin, as well as rising through the ranks at Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group from Area Revenue Manager to Corporate Director of Revenue Analytics. In addition to has vast expertise in demand forecasting and pricing strategy, he spent time as the owner/operator (and chef!) of an award-winning bed & breakfast in the famed wine growing region of Alexander Valley, before rejoining the hotel world at Best Western International’s corporate office in revenue management, and eventually landing at Springboard Hospitality.

As director of finance, Stephen Keller brings more than two decades of experience. Before OLS, Stephen served as corporate controller for 15 hotels, which grew to 26 in just a few years. In addition, he led the finance department for Dream Cruises Hawaii. Stephen also served as the chief financial officer for a Hawaii-based nonprofit.

KeAlii Alexander’s career in the hospitality industry spans more than 20 years with a focus on boutique management, construction, and project management. His experience includes corporate oversight for a range of hotels and has served in leadership roles for multiple successful hotel transitions.

Alyson Wee is responsible for developing, enhancing and leading revenue management strategies and best practices for the properties located in Hawaii. She also focuses on rate building, connectivity and distribution. Prior to joining OLS, she served as a revenue manager for several Hawaii properties ranging from budget to upscale boutique where she successfully increased and impacted important revenue metrics and key performance indicators. She brings a fresh perspective to the hospitality industry previously working at a family law firm then a real estate law firm.

Jade Hammond is a highly motivated and innovative sales and marketing professional. She brings a breadth of knowledge in the transient segment from her time at Hotelbeds in top grossing markets such as Hawaii and the Caribbean. Jade specializes in delivering incremental growth to destinations heavily reliant on leisure tourism by optimizing global reach, negotiating strategic agreements and developing creative marketing plans. She brings a fresh perspective to Springboard Hospitality and looks forward to building our prominent presence in the Hawaiian Islands.

Claire Daoang brings a decade of hospitality and accounting experience to her role of corporate accounting manager at OLS. Before OLS, Claire served as complex director of finance with Highgate Hotels, in addition to her service as a controller with Montage Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Centric Waikiki beach. Claire also volunteers as treasurer for three Hawaii-based non-profits focused on preserving the environment and Hawaiian culture.

Esther Ng brings years of revenue management, distribution and e-commerce experience from hotels located in Hawaii. With her expansive knowledge in revenue optimization, she has driven successful strategies and tactics for multiple hotels to maximize revenue. Prior to joining OLS, she held revenue, sales, and online marketing positions at Highgate and Starwood Hotels.