As a division of The Donohoe Companies, Donohoe Hospitality is rooted in the values of a century old business. We are guided by the principles of service and integrity that have been associated with the Donohoe name since its inception over a century ago. We are proud of our dynamic, experienced and dedicated team that shares our mission and leads the way to continuing excellence and growth.
Thomas Penny is President of Donohoe Hospitality. As the senior leader of Donohoe Hospitality, Thomas guides the operation of a portfolio of 15 business class hotels, which are affiliated with the Marriott, Hilton, Choice and InterContinental Hotels Group. Thomas’ leadership responsibilities for Donohoe Hospitality include strategic planning, overall operational direction, development and acquisition of properties, and long-term financial and capital planning.
Thomas is a career hospitality professional with multi-brand hotel experience and a history of achieving above-average results in the areas of employee satisfaction, guest satisfaction, market share and profitability. Thomas joined The Donohoe Companies in 1996 and he has shared a successful 21+ year career with the company in both a developmental and hands-on operational capacity. Thomas serves on the Board of the American Hotel & Lodging Association and is a past Board Chair and member of the Hotel Association of Washington, DC.
As Executive Vice President at Donohoe Hospitality, Leticia guides the company’s leadership and strategy for sales, marketing, and revenue management, while helping design and plan new builds and new renovations for Donohoe Hospitality and its hotel portfolio. Leticia has over 30 years of experience in the industry, working with major hotel companies and has held various operations, sales and marketing positions. Directly prior to joining Donohoe, Leticia was Senior Vice President – Sales, Revenue Management & Digital Strategies, responsible for the development and implementation of all sales, revenue management, and digital strategy efforts at the national, regional and property levels.
Recently selected as one of IHI’s Top 100 Most Influential People in Hospitality, HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds, the Washington Business Journal’s Top 25 Minority Business Leader, and Georgetown University’s Hoya Professional 30. Leticia obtained her Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies with a minor in Business Law and Public Policy from the University of Maryland. Leticia also received her Masters of Professional Studies in Hospitality Management at Georgetown University.
With over 20 years in the hospitality industry, Donald has experience at the hotel, regional and corporate levels spending most of his career as a Director of Finance & Accounting with Marriott International. His favorite part of the business is training, developing and mentoring others to help the overall team grow and be successful both professionally and personally. Beginning a new chapter with Donohoe Hospitality, Donald looks forward to the growth of the Donohoe Hospitality Services portfolio of hotels while also helping the hotel leaders develop their financial acumen and provide outstanding results for their stakeholders.
Donald holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from The College of William and Mary and a Master’s of Business Administration from The Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.
After working several years in the hospitality and staffing industries, Deirdre joined The Donohoe Companies in 1992 in Human Resources. She was quickly promoted, and has since managed the HR function for Donohoe’s construction, real estate, development and building services divisions. While the Company’s headcount doubled, Deirdre was able to increase employee satisfaction while purchasing and delivering HR services more efficiently. She was involved in assisting Donohoe Hospitality set up new benefits programs when it was created in 2005, and more recently has taken over responsibility for Donohoe Hospitality’s entire HR group. Her ability to balance employee morale with maximum bottom-line results has allowed Donohoe Hospitality to develop and maintain a talented workforce.
Deirdre holds a BA from Vassar College, and MBA from George Mason University, is a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She also serves as a Board Member of Community Bridges.
As Vice President of Operations, Michael is responsible for the overall portfolio performance. Michael leads the development and execution of strategies that support, strengthen and grow the hotel operations while maintaining brand policies and standards. Michael has over 20 years of experience in the industry, specializing in hotel openings and turnaround properties. Michael began his career working the full suite of positions in full service, select service, and extended stay properties from South Carolina to Arlington, VA. He joined Donohoe Hospitality as a General Manager in 2009 and has been instrumental to opening two new Residence Inn properties.
Michael has demonstrated his ability to drive the DHS Premium through our “Employee through Profit” model, and has been a corporate and brand citizen while inspiring staff members. Throughout his various leadership positions, he has built award-winning teams and mentored associates who have been promoted to various leadership positions. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Carolina.
As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Donohoe Hospitality Services, Seon is responsible for the development and implementation of all sales and marketing efforts for the entire portfolio. Seon provides leadership and strategy for direct sales, catering and marketing. She works closely with the property leaders and is accountable for driving revenue generation while meeting objectives of the organization and ownership groups. She also focuses on team development and retention, training, repositioning and new hotel openings.
With more than 16 years of progressive sales and marketing, multi-brand experience, Seon acquired her unique skillset while working with full-service, upscale boutique, specialty select and extended-stay properties. Seon has held sales and marketing positions with well-known hotel companies including Hersha Hospitality Management, The Doyle Collection and PM Hotel Group. Directly prior to joining Donohoe, Seon was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PM Hotel Group, responsible for the implementation of all sales and marketing efforts for the company at the regional and property levels.
As Vice President of Revenue Management at Donohoe Hospitality, Neeta develops winning revenue strategies across the company portfolio. Neeta is a seasoned hotel management professional with over 20 years of experience spanning from front office operations, reservations, sales & marketing, and revenue management. She is adept at assessing market trends and analyzing the competition to develop revenue strategies that consistently exceed goals. Her broad range of experience comes from working at multiple hotel types, including boutique, luxury, and large brands.
Neeta started her hotel management career in India before moving to the United States where she progressively moved across the continent, from Hawaii, California, Louisiana, Virginia and now, Washington DC. One of her formative experiences has been surviving Hurricane Katrina and rebuilding the hotel back to normal operations. For the past nine years, Neeta has successfully implemented revenue strategies at Holiday Inn Capitol which have resulted in landmark performance at the hotel.
As Senior Director, Brand & Creative Strategy, Talia is responsible for growing and improving the portfolios presence on social media, building awareness, comprehension, and affinity for Donohoe Hospitality. Talia is an experienced leader who is passionate about building brands in creative ways and storytelling. With over 15 years in the industry, Talia has experience spanning from but not limited to front office operations, development, events, sales and marketing. She has worked for reputable brands such as Marriott and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Prior to joining Donohoe Hospitality, Talia worked for the ultra-luxury brand Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) managing the creative process, and implementation of all National Accounts Off-Premise 360 marketing campaigns resulting in brand and portfolio growth.
Talia obtained her Bachelors in Hospitality Management and Executive Masters in Business Administration at Howard University. She is a lifetime member of American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Beta Gamma Sigma National Honors Society. Talia is also a published photographer with work included in The Washingtonian and Smithsonian Institution.
As an experienced Chef with a reputation of driving impressive results, Malcolm is focused on creating destination restaurants, bars and event spaces that respect margins and continue to challenge and grow our people. Malcolm is actively curating forward-leaning concepts for hotels in the development pipeline, while strengthening relationships and partnerships within the local community.
Following a four-year stint in the Navy, Malcolm quickly transitioned into leadership roles within restaurant and hotel companies. In 2007, Mitchell launched Brain Food, a healthy school lunch program that provided nutritionally sound meals from scratch while holding true to gourmet style. The program’s success led to his involvement in Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign to fight childhood obesity which led to him being a featured chef for the “Party with a Purpose” in the Denver, Colorado Democratic National Convention for President Barack Obama. Mitchell has received multiple culinary awards, including Richmond Magazine Best New Restaurants 2014 & Baltimore Sun 2017 Best New Chef.
Building dynamic teams and producing lasting results have been the cornerstones of Sheri’s hospitality career for more than 27 years. Recognized as a multi-brand expert, she has held leadership positions in five different hotel brands. As Regional Director of Operations, she is responsible for the overall Residence Inn portfolio performance. She manages a hotel, while supporting, strengthening and growing hotel operations in multiple Residence Inn’s in the area.
Sheri graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Forensic Studies and Sociology and a Masters of Public Affairs degree in Labor Relations and Personnel Management. Sheri worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Indianapolis before serving a ten-year stint in the US Army, mostly as a Personnel Officer. After leaving active duty, Sheri went to work with Donohoe Hospitality Services, holding a variety of operational positions, before becoming a General Manager.
Sheri served on the Intercontinental Hotels Group General Manager’s Advisory Board, Destination DC Executive Board and is the past Chairman of the Hotel Association of Washington, DC.
As Regional Director of Operations at Donohoe Hospitality, Donavon is responsible for the overall portfolio performance of various hotels. Donavon works with each assigned hotel to drive GOP and profitability, produce exceptional results, and increase support to all key stakeholders.
Donavon has had a lengthy career of leading award-winning hotels in the D.C. Metro market, with his latest assignment as the Complex General Manager of the Courtyard & Residence Inn Downtown Convention Center. Previously, he excelled at the Courtyard Dupont Circle and in multiple General Manager roles throughout different brands, building passionate and dedicated teams at each. Donavon’s leadership is predicated on teaching, providing opportunities, and driving hotel performance to reach new highs.
As Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Donohoe Hospitality, Jeremy is responsible for implementing strategies for sales and revenue in addition to overseeing marketing efforts. Jeremy supports the sales and marketing team for multiple properties within the portfolio and works closely with the property leaders to optimize revenue contribution and market share growth.
With more than 15 years in hospitality sales and marketing, Jeremy has built his unique skillset with independent luxury properties and has multi-brand experience. A graduate of Virginia Tech’s hospitality program, Jeremy joined Donohoe in 2013 as Director of Sales & Marketing. Over the course of his tenure, Jeremy has led the sales and marketing efforts for IHG, Marriott, and Hyatt branded properties.
As Area Director of Sales and Marketing, Rebecca is responsible for driving revenue results while meeting the objectives of the organization. Rebecca supports the sales and marketing team for multiple properties within the portfolio and implements strategies to increase market share growth.
With more than 14 years in hospitality sales and marketing, Rebecca has built her unique skillset with branded focused service and extended stay properties. Rebecca joined Donohoe in 2018 as Director of Sales & Marketing. Rebecca has held sales and marketing positions with well-known hotel companies including Tharaldson Hospitality Management and Aimbridge Hospitality. Over the course of her career, Rebecca has proven herself as a results-driven sales leader.
In his capacity as Corporate Director of Information & Technology, Fekade is responsible for procurement, installation, maintenance and support of computer networks and information systems for all Donohoe Hospitality managed properties. With over 30 years in the hotel industry, Fekade began his career in a full-service hotel working in various restaurant positions, including Assistant Restaurant Manager of a $6M food service operation.
Fekade utilized his organizational talents in managing multiple hotel capital improvement projects totaling $5M and in 2001, as Director of Information and Technology, he oversaw all technology systems for a full-service hotel with over $30M in annual revenues. Fekade also worked in corporate positions that included technology helpdesk oversight, website design and maintenance, and procurement of corporate and property-level technology and communications systems. Fekade holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Maryland and is trained in Microsoft operating and Novell Network Systems as well as Hilton, Marriott and IHG property level IT systems.