WICHITA, KS—WaterWalk Hotel Apartments, industry entrepreneur Jack DeBoer’s fifth national brand, has added to its executive team in advance of moving to the company’s new corporate headquarters in late summer.
J. Nick Howell joined WaterWalk as VP of construction. He has more than 35 years of experience as a construction manager and was previously with Candlewood Suites. He has worked on such projects as the $400-million Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, FL; the $350-million Four Seasons, Emerald Bay Resort in the Bahamas; and the $180-million Green Valley Ranch & Spa in Las Vegas, among others.
David Redfern, president of WaterWalk. stated Howell’s “experience working on large-scale construction projects to deliver them on time and within budget will be a great asset to WaterWalk as we plan to bring new sites to over 15 cities in 2015.”
Karen S. Letkowski joined WaterWalk as director of brand standards and training, responsible for standards for openings, operations, sales and quality. She has more than 20 years of experience in extended-stay hotels in sales, operations and management, and held a similar role at another DeBoer brand, Candlewood Suites, when it launched.
Curtis Tillemans, WaterWalk’s new director of sales, joined the company with more than 25 years in sales. Tillemans has held past positions at KAJ Hospitality, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Cox Communications and Hertz Rent-a-Car.
This spring, the company also hosted its inaugural WaterWalk Hotel Apartments Franchise Conference here to celebrate rapid expansion throughout the country, with 21 new properties in development and 44 sites.
WaterWalk Hotel Apartments combines an upscale extended-stay hotel with the lifestyle of apartment living.