SAN FRANCISCO—Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has appointed Kathleen Reidenbach to the newly created role of chief commercial officer, a strategic move that unites the boutique hotel group’s commercial functions under an established Kimpton leader. Most recently, Reidenbach was Kimpton’s SVP of marketing.
In her new role, Reidenbach will oversee both the sales, catering and marketing departments, which together make up Kimpton’s commercial division. As the brand continues to evolve and scale globally, this role helps fortify Kimpton’s competitive edge by aligning key commercial functions, including digital, guest marketing, brand, communications, revenue and distribution, and corporate social responsibility (CSR), according to the brand.
“Kathleen’s unwavering commitment to Kimpton and remarkable leadership qualities make her the perfect fit for our new chief commercial officer position,” said Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino. “For nearly 15 years, her contributions have helped expand our portfolio and pave the way to the company’s historically high RevPAR Index without losing sight of the signature Kimpton flair our hotels and brand are known for.”
Since joining the company in 2002 as a business analyst, Reidenbach has held a series of increasingly prominent roles. In 2013, as Kimpton’s SVP of marketing, Reidenbach’s vision led the brand’s evolution from a collection of individual properties to that of a leading boutique operator with more than 60 hotels and 70-plus restaurants nationwide and several global openings on the horizon. Under her leadership, Kimpton has sharpened its digital presence, elevated its social media efforts, refined the company’s charitable giving initiatives and launched its unique loyalty program, Kimpton Karma Rewards—accomplishments that have helped drive both performance and category growth, according to the brand.
“In addition to being the creative force behind award-winning marketing strategies that have raised our brand recognition and positioning, Kathleen is a passionate champion of our heartfelt Kimpton culture. We’re confident she’ll lead with heart and intelligence as we bring the unique Kimpton guest experience to new destinations,” said DeFrino.
Prior to joining Kimpton, Reidenbach worked as a financial analyst at Robertson Stephens, an investment bank that provided a broad range of financial advisory services to growth companies in the technology, consumer and services sectors.