WATERFORD, CT? Robert Winchester was recently promoted to president/COO at Waterford Hotel Group, a management company based here. Winchester replaces former president John Todia, who left the company after only 18 months in that position. The move was by ?mutual consent? of both parties, according to Waterford. In his new position, Winchester will be responsible for all activities at the 24 hotels in Waterford?s portfolio, and will oversee the company?s sales/marketing, finance, operations, information systems and human resources departments. Winchester has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, beginning his career as a dishwasher in a Howard Johnson hotel. He subsequently waited tables and tended bars at various resorts before attending the University of Connecticut where he received a degree in accounting. Upon graduation, he held a position with Price Waterhouse for a number of years. ?I knew that public accounting was not for me,? he noted, so he went to work for Waterford in March 1990. He rose through the ranks, eventually serving as vp/CFO prior to his promotion to president. Winchester is upbeat about the future of Waterford and predicted that the company will have an additional six to 11 hotels in its portfolio by the end of 2000.
