“I like to try things I haven't done before,” says John Russell. “Hopefully they'll make a difference.”
And make a difference John's work has. During the past 30 years, his initiatives have become the mainstays for hotels, resorts and timeshare organizations. Wearing many hospitality hats - often simultaneously - John has led the industry in marketing, operations, franchise sales and management of a range of hotels, from limited service to luxury.

“This industry has been very generous to me, and I like to give back,” explains the former chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA). With a resume that reads like a world tour of hospitality, John offers the following career highlights:

Traversing Cendant
As vice chairman of the travel division of Cendant Corp., John ran one of the world's largest providers of travel services, including hotel franchising, vacation ownership and car rentals. He served simultaneously as president and CEO of Cendant's Resort Condominium International, LLC, Global Operations, leading the world's largest timeshare exchange service.

John held senior-executive positions throughout Cendant. He was chairman and CEO of the hotel division, overseeing 6,500 hotels under eight brands, including Days Inn, Ramada Inn, Howard Johnson, Super 8, Travelodge and Wingate Inns. He also spearheaded an effort that generated a more than 600 percent increase in franchise sales activity as executive vice president of franchise sales for Cendant's Century 21 Real Estate Corp.

Additionally, John held top positions at Days Inn of America. During his three-year stint at president, he oversaw the brand's expansion into a chain on 1,500 hotels. Earlier in his career at Days Inn, he served as senior vice president of operations and senior vice president of marketing. John helped take Days Inn public. Additionally, he launched initiatives that have become hotel standards, including club memberships for business travelers and the industry's first super saver program.

Top Hotels
Before Cendant, John held senior-executive positions with premier hotels and resorts across the country. He was general manager of the AAA four-diamond Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, Calif., ranked by Conde Naste Traveler as one of North America's top 50 resorts. Prior to that, John worked for Carlson Companies. There, he served simultaneously as president and CEO of Colony Hotels & Resorts and as executive vice president for Radisson Resorts.

John began his career at Sheraton Corp. as tour and travel sales manager with the Sheraton Park Hotel, Washington, D.C., a 1,500-room convention hotel. During his nine years with the company, he rose through the ranks, holding senior sales and marketing positions and ultimately running Sheraton's corporate sales training program.

Long-Standing Leader
In addition to serving as chairman of AH&LA, 2001, John is a two-term past president of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI). He sits on the Board of Interstate Hotels & Resorts and is dean of the AH&LA Educational Foundation Presidents Academy. A West Point graduate, he served in Vietnam, Germany, and stateside before leaving the Army as a captain.

John's many professional honors include: Hall of Fame, HSMAI; Above and Beyond Award, 2000, Lodging Conference; and Albert E. Koehl Lifetime Achievement Award in Hospitality, 2000, HSMAI. Additionally, he received the 1996 American Friends of Tel Aviv University Peace Award in recognition of his dedication to the vision of tolerance and understanding among peoples.