John Rees, SVP of Hotel Operations for Hard Rock International, is an accomplished hospitality industry veteran with over 30 years of experience and a multi-faceted skillset to lead operations with excellence. His passion for innovation and extensive experience has inspired him to target industry challenges such as procuring and incubating hospitality talent through impactful leadership programs and ensuring quality control across key hospitality verticals.
Rees completed his hospitality studies at Newbury College and has since gained various certifications in restaurant management, leadership training, and wine studies from top accredited institutions and universities such as Cornell University (Restaurant Management) and Wine and Spirits Institute UK. He completed his hospitality training at the Hotel Bellevue Palace in Bern, Switzerland, and also holds an Honorary Degree in Culinary Arts from the Long Island Culinary Federation.
His career path began as an Executive Chef, where he honed his fine cooking and leadership skills at some of the world’s most prestigious hotels. This led him to take on Food & Beverage Director positions before moving into his current focus in Hospitality Operations. He also previously held senior hotel operations leadership roles at Marriott International and Ritz-Carlton, where he managed operations in more than a dozen different countries on four continents. Rees’s most recent role as Vice President of Resort Operations and Guest Experience at Marriott Vacations Worldwide drove operational excellence for over 130 properties and guests worldwide across all disciplines.
“I’m thrilled to join the Bentley Price Associates’ “Best of The Best” list,” said Rees. “Hard Rock International’s future pipeline of hotel projects is very robust, allowing me to work with my teams to innovate and create more special brand touchpoints and guest experiences our fans expect. My goal is to make Hard Rock Hotels feel like the coolest place to stay with the best vibe and where every guest around the world is made to feel like a VIP.”
Welcome, John! We are honored to add your name to the our list.
DENNIS P. RIZZO
President & CEO
Bentley Price Associates, Inc.
