MONTGOMERY, TX —Industry veteran Marc Leffman died July 7 following a short battle with cancer. He was 62.
A member of the hospitality industry for more than 40 years, Leffman most recently served as COO of management company French Quarter Hospitality, LLC, which he joined in 2000. He oversaw marketing, staff planning, profit analysis, product service and presentation.
During the past three years, the Chicago native oversaw the conception and recent opening of the $130 million La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa, French Quarter Hospitality’s most significant project to date. The development transformed an abandoned conference property on the shores of Lake Conroe near Houston, TX, into a new destination for the region.
Leffman also was a successful manager of 10 major properties who earned numerous awards from employers, including Miami-based The Continental Companies and Sheraton Hotel and Resorts.
His affiliations included the Doubletree Hotel JFK Airport in Jamaica, NY; Omni Albany Hotel (now Crowne Plaza Hotel Albany-City Center) in Albany, NY; Hilton Cleveland South (now Doubletree Hotel Cleveland South) in Cleveland, OH; Sheraton Chicago (now InterContinental) and Sheraton O’Hare in Chicago; Sheraton Grand Dallas Forth Worth Airport in Irving, TX; and Savannah Inn and Country Club in Savannah, GA.
He also owned a food importing business in Phoenix.
In a 2005 blog entry, Leffman reflected on his career: “I have been in the hotel business for 36 years now. I was very young when I started, and I never thought it would go this long. But I can’t ever imagine doing anything else. It is still quite a great industry, and I have met so many wonderful friends and colleagues.”
Leffman was predeceased by his father, Manny and by his mother, Dorothy.
He is survived by his wife, Colleen; daughter, Kelly M. Leffman-Reising and granddaughters, Juliana and Charlotte Reising of Bay Village, OH; son, Michael Alan Leffman of New Orleans, LA; and cousin, Perri Ardman of Kingston, NY.