CHARLOTTE, NC—Extended Stay America has accepted the resignation of its chief marketing officer, Tom Seddon.
Seddon is leaving to pursue a masters degree in data science at University of California, Berkeley. He joined the company in April 2012 and was part of taking the company public in November 2013.
“Over the past four and half years, Tom has played a critical role in the success of our major initiatives—consolidating and repositioning the brand, renovating our hotels, adding revenue management, building a loyalty platform and transforming our sales team,” said Gerry Lopez, CEO, Extended Stay America. “This has powered our RevPAR and EBITDA performance and set a strong foundation for our future growth, as we laid out at our recent Investor Day. One of my management mantras is ‘leave things better than you found them’ and Tom has certainly done that and more. This is a bold move for Tom to make, but those who know him will appreciate what a perfect decision it is.”
Commenting on his departure, Seddon said, “I’ve really enjoyed being part of the revival of the company over the last four-and-a-half years, being a member of a great management team, and I’m convinced that the future of the business is even brighter.”
The company also announced that Tom Buoy, EVP revenue of management, will join the executive team, reporting directly to Lopez and taking on additional responsibilities for e-commerce and marketing communications. Tom Bardenett, COO, will be taking on additional responsibility for the sales team.