Kai Fischer Appointed GM for Hilton Westchester

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. December 11, 2013

December 11, 2013 - Kai Fischer, a hospitality industry veteran whose career spans more than 30 years, has been appointed general manager at the 445-room Hilton Westchester and is responsible for overseeing all day-to-day operations of the largest hotel in Westchester County, N.Y. He begins his new role on December 16.

Hilton Worldwide Fischer most recently was multi-property director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. During his tenure, he helped lead the 1,781-room Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel through a $180 million renovation and the 650-room Sheraton Manhattan through a conversion to The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel. He also directed the consolidation and deployment of 11 metropolitan New York-area sales teams into a centralized sales force.

“Kai's proven leadership and expertise in operations, management and sales, coupled with his commitment to outstanding customer service, will ensure the Hilton Westchester's continued success as the leading upscale hotel in Westchester County,” said Ted Ratcliff, senior vice president, operations, eastern North America, Hilton Worldwide. He added, “His prior knowledge and familiarity with the metropolitan New York market, is a key asset for this position, and will serve him well as he begins his new role in managing this important suburban property.”

From 2008 to 2010, he was general manager of the Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center in Plano, Texas. Prior to that, he was general manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana in Westlake, Texas, where he led the hotel through a $27 million renovation and received awards for food and beverage excellence, employee satisfaction and sales leadership.

He worked at Marriott's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2000 to 2003 as market director, sales & revenue strategy, responsible for directing sales, marketing, budgeting and revenue strategy decisions for 21 hotels and conference centers.

From 1996 to 2000, Fischer was area director of marketing for the Richmond Marriott in Virginia, responsible for group, catering, event management, revenue management and execution of strategies for area hotels. Among his accomplishments, he developed a pilot program for the first commission-based sales positions at Marriott hotels.

Prior to that, he held various sales, marketing and food and beverage positions at Marriott hotels in Colorado, Bermuda, Texas, New York and Maryland. Before he embarked upon his career in hospitality, Kai served as a college football coach.

He is a graduate of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, where he received a bachelor of science degree in hotel and restaurant administration.

The 445-room Hilton Westchester recently completed a $35 million, multi-year project to transform its guest rooms and public spaces in the image of Westchester County's celebrated country clubs, where guests can step out of the present day and walk into a world of serenity and comfort. Hilton Westchester welcomes all types of groups including conventions and corporate, association and social events with 32,000 square feet of newly renovated flexible space. The hotel's smoke-free campus is a short drive from White Plains, the county seat, New Rochelle, Harrison and offices of PepsiCo, Morgan Stanley, MasterCard International and IBM.

Also nearby are The Westchester mall and Historic Hudson Valley attractions including Van Cortlandt Manor, Sunnyside, home of author Washington Irving; Lyndhurst; Hudson River Museum; and Old Dutch Church (Sleepy Hollow). The historic Rye Playland amusement park on Long Island Sound and the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk are also a short drive from the hotel.

The hotel is located in close drive proximity to all major metropolitan NYC airports including La Guardia Airport (45 minutes), John F. Kennedy International Airport (55 minutes) and Westchester County Airport (less than 10 minutes). Amtrak and Metro-North trains serving the Northeast Corridor stop at New Rochelle.