McHugh’s impact on industry felt by many who mourn his passing

CARROLLTON, TX— In an industry as close knit as the hotel business, the loss of one of its own always seems to be felt significantly by many. This has been especially the case with the recent death of Jack McHugh, 51, a 26-year veteran, and most recently the senior vp of business development for Aimbridge Hospitality. McHugh died suddenly and unexpectedly last month at his home in Carrollton, TX, from an apparent heart attack. Having served in various sales and marketing positions with such companies as Marriott, Red Lion, Wyndham, Prime Hospitality, Remington Hotel Corp. and Aimbridge, McHugh had the opportunity to touch many in the industry and develop a countless number of relationships that carried on throughout his life, including one with HOTEL BUSINESS® for which he recently participated in its annual Management Roundtable. The impact McHugh had on all of these relationships is evident in the words spoken about him in recent days. “In an industry that demands much and requires much, his voice from near or far will be missed. Though trite and often cited about many, Jack was one of a kind. I am grateful for going through this life having hired him, known him, worked with him, golfed with him and having him as a key member of a team of people who created magic together. He will continue on in the heart and minds of many,” said Eric Danziger, the former president and CEO of Wyndham who hired McHugh for the company in 1992. Today, Danziger is the CEO and director of Houston-based WhiteFence. Speaking for Remington Hotel Corp., which employed McHugh up until a year ago when he joined Aimbridge, were Monty Bennett, president and CEO of Remington, and Mark Sharkey, Remington’s COO. Bennett noted that Remington’s sadness when McHugh left a year ago has now only been surpassed by the sadness over his passing. Sharkey added, “I hired Jack to be our senior vp of sales and marketing and discovered he was one of the best ‘salespersons’ that I have ever encountered. When we decided to start a new business unit and needed someone to head the selling of our services, Jack was a natural talent to lead this effort. Jack also volunteered to head the sales for our first condo hotel project. Jack was and still is the best salesperson in this business, yet his real fame lies with his smile and laughter.” Perhaps best summing up McHugh as a person was Dave Johnson, the president and CEO of Aimbridge, who spoke at his funeral. Johnson said that he knew McHugh as a colleague and friend for more than 20 years and worked with him at Wyndham. So it was with great joy that he was able to hire McHugh to work at Aimbridge last year. And during his short tenure at Aimbridge, Johnson said McHugh had a significant impact on the company, which will continue to benefit from deals McHugh put in place for some time. In assessing McHugh, Johnson simply but most appropriately declared, “He was just a very loved guy in this industry, and we’ll all miss him.”