Overview
John Cantele, President (Full Bio)
John Cantele has built a career of success in the hospitality industry by creating
relevant brands and moving them forward in providing unparalleled levels of service
quality and enterprise value. Today, he is recognized as a transformative leader in
the industry—a forward thinker who draws upon his unique experience as an owner-operator,
franchisor, franchisee, investor, management company executive, and member of public
company brand councils to elevate the customer experience as well as company financial
performance and market share.
“John has extensive experience across all aspects of select service hotels, both managed
and franchised,” explains La Quinta President and CEO Keith Cline. “He was instrumental
in growing multiple select service brands at Hyatt where he used his entrepreneurial
approach as a longtime owner/operator to help optimize brand distribution and implement
significant operational enhancements.”
These comments reflect the impact John has had on the industry. Today, he continues
that momentum as a Co-founder and Principal of LeximaS. John leads LeximaS in partnership with hospitality leaders, David Emery and Kay Auer. Leveraging their
extensive industry experience, John, David, and Kay provide third-party management
and underwriting services. Drawing upon his background in hotel operations, John represents
the company’s third-party management business.
John joined the La Quinta Holdings, LLC, executive leadership team in 2016. Sought
out to co-lead the transformation of the brand, he quickly transitioned into his role
as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. As the operational, sales,
and revenue management lead for the company, he was pivotal in positioning the business
for sale to Wyndham in 2018. From 2018 to 2019, John served as the Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer for CorePoint Lodging Inc., a publicly traded
REIT created to own the La Quinta real estate assets.
The trajectory of John’s career began in companies like Guest Quarters Hotels and
Residence Inn, where he gained valuable multi-property sales experience. He then joined
Summerfield Suites Hotels, a transition that would provide him with valuable General
Manager experience and a path of advancement into the role of Vice President of Operations.
In this position, John launched the extended-stay brand, Sierra Suites. The business
was acquired by Patriot American Hospitality, Inc., and Wyndham in 1998. Over the
next two years, John co-led the post-merger integration of the Summerfield Suites
and Sierra Suites brands as a Vice President of Operations for Patriot American/Wyndham.
In 2000, John helped launch LodgeWorks, a hotel management company specializing in
upscale and extended-stay brands. As a Founding Partner and the Senior Vice President
of Operations, John led the operation repositioning of Sierra Suites into Hotel Sierra
and co-led the company’s shift into the boutique hotel market with the AVIA brand
while successfully managing more established brands including Hilton, Starwood, and
Hyatt. He was among a senior executive team that helped position LodgeWorks assets,
management contracts, and the Hotel Sierra and AVIA brands for sale to Hyatt Hotel
Corporation in 2011.
John joined Hyatt in 2011 to co-lead the operational integration of the Summerfield
Suites and Hotel Sierra brands into the Hyatt infrastructure and continue to lead
growth of the business as Hyatt House. His role of Senior Vice President of Hyatt
House was expanded in 2012 to include Hyatt Place.
As Hyatt turned its focus to two of its fastest-growing brands, Hyatt Place and Hyatt
House, John was promoted into the position of Global Head Select Hotels—a responsibility
which spanned North America, Asia, Africa, and Latin America as well as more than
two thousand employees and a multimillion-dollar P&L. He was a member of a leadership
team that fueled extensive global growth. in July 2015, the Hyatt Place brand was
recognized J.D. Power as highest in guest satisfaction among upscale hotel chains.
John holds a B.S. in hospitality management from the University of Wisconsin, Stout.
He is a sub-committee member for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA),
a member of the Kansas State University Hospitality School Advisory Board, and a member
of the Board of Directors (Past President) for the Wichita Country Club. He has been
invited to speak on various industry conference panels and events. In addition, he
is a former member of the La Quinta Brand Council and Hyatt Brand Council as well
as the former co-chair of the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Brand Councils.