135 keys in Albert Kahn’s 1931 Georgian icon. 18 more across five Colonial Homes themed for Poe, Whitman, Patrick Henry, Fritchie, and Wolcott. Clara’s Table farm-to-table. Four Vagabonds cocktail bar. 17,000 square feet of new event space. Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection. National Register of Historic Places. TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026. The posting calls for a captain with vision, energy, and creativity. Here’s what that looks like.
See Role Alignment →The Operator
U.S. News #1 Hotel in Iowa, two years running. AAA Four Diamond. Business of the Year in nine months. 40+ associates mentored into management. $1M+ in activation-driven incremental revenue.
I’ve led a Marriott Autograph Collection property as General Manager — The Warrior Hotel in Sioux City — to AAA Four Diamond and #1 Hotel in Iowa within twelve months. I’ve led an independent boutique with deep historic roots — Hotel Julien Dubuque, Iowa’s oldest hotel — to Business of the Year in nine months. Both times the work was the same: relaunch the F&B, set the cultural tone, build the team, and connect a beautiful building to the city around it.
Dearborn Inn has the architecture of Albert Kahn, the soul of the Vagabonds, the gardens of Clara Ford, and a 23-acre estate that is part hotel, part living museum. Marriott’s “Now Boarding” brief calls for vision, energy, creativity, and a captain who elevates every detail of the guest journey. Below is how that work translates from where I’ve done it before to where it would happen next.
Role Alignment
Marriott’s posting calls for a captain who can lead an incredible team, navigate operations with confidence, and elevate every detail of the guest journey at one of America’s most storied hotels. Here’s how the record lines up.
F&B Leadership
Clara’s Table and Four Vagabonds opened with the renovation. The opportunity is in programming — the kind of recurring activations, partner integrations, and community touchpoints that build outlet identity over time. I’ve relaunched five outlets across two properties under Marriott Autograph and independent brands. Here is how that experience translates.
A 195-seat farm-to-table restaurant honoring Clara Ford’s gardens and her gift for hosting. The kitchen is set. The opportunity is programming: a recurring “Clara’s Garden Lunch” with cuttings from the chef’s herb garden. A “Travels with Henry” tasting menu series tied to the Fords’ international trips. Wine dinners with Michigan vintners. Ford Friday lunch tables that turn the restaurant into the company cafeteria for Glass House visitors. At Hotel Julien I grew banquet revenue $300K and improved wedding profitability 30% — the same operational levers translate.
A cocktail bar themed after the road trips of Ford, Edison, Burroughs, and Firestone — the “vagabonds.” The Herberholz mural and 20-seat private dining room are made for storytelling. Programming opportunities: a “Vagabond Voyage” quarterly cocktail series tied to one of the four men. A bourbon-and-Edison “currents” cocktail flight. Limited single-barrel takeovers. Late-night literary salons in the private room tied to the Colonial Homes guests. At The Warrior I relaunched a rooftop bar and a bowling lounge that became the social anchor of Sioux City — same playbook, different stage.
The Opportunity
Dearborn Inn is rare in the Marriott portfolio: a 95-year-old Albert Kahn building, owned by Ford Motor Land, set on 23 acres across from The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village, with 17,000 square feet of new event space and Colonial Homes themed around American luminaries. Four revenue and reputation engines mapped to those assets, each proven at Marriott Autograph and historic-property scale.
Ford Land owns the inn. Ford World Headquarters is minutes away. Visiting executives, supplier delegations, prospective hires, and dealer summits represent a steady corporate base. The opportunity is making Dearborn Inn the natural choice for Ford-adjacent overnight travel — Ford Friday lunch tables at Clara’s, executive welcome rituals, integrated procurement workflows with Ford travel, and consistent relationships with the Ford teams that book Detroit visits. This is the foundation of stable midweek occupancy.
The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village receive 1.7 million visitors a year. Most stay elsewhere. The work is curating “Henry Ford Museum + Inn” packages that bundle The Henry Ford admission with overnight stays in the Edgar Allan Poe or Walt Whitman home; literary evenings tied to the Colonial Homes; American 250 programming through 2026. I’ve done this exact work as America 250 Committee Chair at Hotel Julien Dubuque — twelve months, twelve themes, dozens of new partnerships.
The new west wing event space is one of the highest-margin assets in the building. The Patrick Henry Home (4,000+ sq ft, six suites) is built for full-buyout weddings. The five Colonial Homes are made for VVIP buyouts and immersive group programming. The opportunity is a banquet sales engine that captures more of Detroit’s top weddings, executive retreats, and milestone events. At Hotel Julien I grew banquet $300K and improved wedding profitability 30% in year one.
Dearborn is the heart of America’s largest Arab American community and one of metro Detroit’s most engaged civic markets. A locals program builds Clara’s Table into a Sunday-brunch standard, Four Vagabonds into an after-work fixture, and the inn into a venue locals call their own. First-look invitations to seasonal menus. Halal-forward Ramadan iftars at Clara’s. Detroit Arab American Studies programming at Four Vagabonds. Locals fill chairs midweek and tell visiting friends to book here.
The Programming
This is how I’d program Dearborn Inn. Twelve months, each anchored by the property’s assets — Henry Ford’s legacy, the Vagabonds, Clara’s gardens, the Colonial Homes, and the Greenfield Village calendar. Every theme ties a tentpole event, F&B activations at Clara’s and Four Vagabonds, a rooms package, a partner moment, and a team recognition ritual. Nothing exists in isolation. Each month feeds the next.
Vibe: New year, new inn. “The Reset” — zero-proof Vagabond cocktails for Dry January. “Clara’s Greenhouse Lunch” spotlighting the chef’s indoor herb garden. Detroit Restaurant Week tasting menus at Clara’s. Wellness packages tied to the Henry Ford Museum’s health and innovation exhibits.
Vibe: A tribute to the inn’s honeymoon legacy. The lobby scrapbook holds real letters from couples who honeymooned at the inn. “Walt’s Valentine” — signature menu inspired by Disney’s autographed 1930s lunch card. Four Vagabonds “Anti-Valentine’s” bourbon flights. Colonial Homes whole-house buyouts for milestone anniversaries.
Vibe: Reopening anniversary. A “94-Year Toast” lobby cocktail event. Four Vagabonds tasting flight tracing every decade since 1931. Spring menu launch at Clara’s with the first cuttings from the on-site garden. NCAA tournament watch parties for U-Mich and Michigan State alumni.
Vibe: Clara’s gardens come alive. Garden tours led by Executive Chef Patti for hotel guests. Detroit Auto Show afterparty at Four Vagabonds. “Pollinator Brunch” at Clara’s for Earth Day. Patrick Henry House activated for outdoor private dinners on the lawn.
Vibe: Detroit’s racing heritage. Indy 500 watch party on the lawn. Memorial Day weekend brunch at Clara’s honoring the Greenfield Village Memorial Day weekend programming. “Edsel’s Engines” classic-car cocktail series at Four Vagabonds. Mother’s Day high tea in the lobby with checkerboard floor display.
Vibe: Father’s Day belongs to this inn. The original Vagabonds were four men on a road trip. “Vagabond Weekend” package — whiskey tasting, Greenfield Village private tour, vintage auto experience, dinner at Clara’s. Father’s Day at Four Vagabonds with cigar lounge and bourbon flights. Michigan summer wedding season opens.
Vibe: Independence Day at one of America’s most iconic Georgian inns. Patrick Henry House lecture series tied to the homes’ namesakes. Fourth of July lawn party with views to the Henry Ford Museum. Themed cocktails at Four Vagabonds named for Founders. America 250 milestone programming — this is the inn’s natural moment.
Vibe: Concours d’Elegance of America at Inn at St. John’s and the Woodward Dream Cruise turn metro Detroit into an automotive showcase. Vintage car welcome packages. Four Vagabonds “Combustion” cocktail menu launch. Hotel Julien-style Murder Mystery Dinner adapted for Dearborn Inn — sold-out, 40% margin precedent.
Vibe: Greenfield Village Old Car Festival. Clara’s harvest dinner with Michigan farms named on the menu. “Harvest at the Inn” community plein-air dinner on the lawn. Detroit Lions kickoff watch parties at Four Vagabonds. Back-to-school and corporate retreat season opens for the new event space.
Vibe: The Edgar Allan Poe House becomes the centerpiece of the season. Build on the existing “Nevermore Noel” concept — literary evenings, Poe-themed cocktail menu at Four Vagabonds, costume gala in the new event space. Greenfield Village Hallowe’en partnership packages. Halloween-week Murder Mystery brought from Hotel Julien.
Vibe: Clara Ford was the gracious hostess. Her restaurant becomes the city’s Thanksgiving destination. Pre-fixe Thanksgiving feast at Clara’s with Michigan farms credited. “Drinksgiving” at Four Vagabonds — the biggest Wednesday of the year. Friendsgiving buyouts in the Patrick Henry House. Veterans Day complimentary breakfast for service members.
Vibe: Holiday magic with Henry Ford’s living museum across the street. Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village partnership packages. Lobby tree lighting with vintage Ford ornaments. Walt Disney’s 1934 menu reproduced for one weekend at Clara’s. Four Vagabonds New Year’s Eve gala with checkerboard-floor lobby reception. Colonial Homes holiday buyouts.
The System
Signature monthly event — Patrick Henry lecture, Vagabond gala, Murder Mystery
Coordinated programming at Clara’s Table and Four Vagabonds
Themed package — main inn, two Colonial Lodges, or full Colonial Home buyout
Greenfield Village, The Henry Ford, Ford Land, Detroit civic and cultural institutions
Content moment — Vagabonds-style storytelling, archive artifact reveal
Team recognition — gratitude journal entry, mentorship milestone, learning moment
In Production Now
This isn’t theoretical. As America 250 Committee Chair, I’m executing a year-long Americana programming calendar at Hotel Julien Dubuque right now. And the Dearborn Inn was built for exactly this kind of work — Patrick Henry, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, Barbara Fritchie, and Oliver Wolcott already have their homes on the lawn.
When the nation’s semiquincentennial presented a once-in-250-years moment, I built a full year of programming — twelve themed months, each anchored by a community partnership and supported by activations across F&B, events, and guest experience. At Dearborn Inn, the same campaign would land on a property that was literally designed by Henry Ford as a monument to American luminaries.
The Colonial Homes are the campaign infrastructure. The Patrick Henry House is the largest of the five at over 4,000 square feet — built for full-buyout America 250 dinner programming. The Edgar Allan Poe House Halloween activation already exists. Nine more months of Founders, poets, and reformers would extend that programming through the 2026 semiquincentennial.
The Execution
Four months from the America 250 campaign at Hotel Julien Dubuque. Room promos, daily F&B specials, tentpole events, spa tie-ins, recurring series — every month a complete system, not a single event. This is the operational discipline I’d bring to Clara’s, Four Vagabonds, the Colonial Homes, and the new event space.
February: Love & Freedom
March: Prohibition & Progress
April: Art & Music
May: Heroes of Service
Proof of Work
The Warrior Hotel was a 1930 restored icon in Sioux City — Marriott Autograph Collection, stunning architecture, struggling identity. The opportunity was to turn a beautiful empty stage into a landmark. The building was already there. The work was to make it matter.
The Team: Every department aligned around one shared goal. Culture and performance moved together — not as competing priorities, but as the same thing. 156 associates. $10M operating budget. One direction.
The Guest: Guest satisfaction rose 20 points. NPS up 24. Recovery programs turned feedback into loyalty. Guests didn’t just return — they advocated.
The Friction: Labor forecasting tied to occupancy. Menu engineering balancing quality with cost. Systems that let people do their best work without fighting the operation.
The Asset: RevPAR up 25%. RGI up 19.6 points. Named #1 Hotel in Iowa by U.S. News & World Report — 2024 and 2025, back-to-back. AAA Four Diamond sustained 2023–2025. A direct Autograph Collection precedent for the work this role asks for.
Hotel Julien Dubuque was founded in 1839 — Iowa’s oldest hotel, a 133-key AAA boutique with 15,000 square feet of meeting space, a three-meal restaurant, a cocktail lounge, and a spa. When I arrived as GM in September 2024, the building had 186 years of history and a city that had stopped paying attention.
The Team: Built service culture, programming cadence, and community engagement from the operator’s office outward. Earned a Chamber board appointment within months. Reduced payroll by 9,800+ hours and $118K over six months — while NPS climbed 9 points and engagement climbed 27.
The Guest: Rebuilt the three-meal restaurant and cocktail lounge. Launched the sold-out Murder Mystery Dinner at 40% margins. Orchestrated the property’s first Culinary Olympics. Banquet revenue up $300K. Wedding profitability up 30%.
The Friction: Aligned legacy ownership, a long-tenured team, and a community that had heard every promise before. Built trust through visibility and follow-through.
The Asset: 2025 Chamber Business of the Year — Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce. 12% GOPPAR growth. GOP 8% above ownership targets. #1 TripAdvisor in market. The playbook applied in a historic building, not a modern one.
In 2024 I took the GM role at Hotel Julien while simultaneously retained as Regional Director of Operations & Community Engagement for a $250M portfolio across four properties: The Warrior, Hotel St. Louis, Hotel Blackhawk, and The Current Iowa. 750,000 square feet of combined real estate. 521 keys. 500+ associates. Marriott-branded and independent properties side by side.
The Team: Transitioned from day-to-day operations to coaching General Managers across the portfolio. Liaison between ownership and staff. Built culture infrastructure that sustained without me in the building.
The Guest: 22 destination-activating events and community programming initiatives across the portfolio — experiences that manufactured demand rather than capturing it.
The Friction: Bridged ownership and operations across four buildings. Finalized budgets, protected partnerships, cleared paths for four leadership teams to execute.
The Asset: 6% portfolio-wide TRevPAR increase. 24% leadership retention increase across 20 managers. Built a succession pipeline that protected service continuity and brand standards across all four properties.
The Warrior Hotel had reopened in 2020 — mid-pandemic — and spent two years without a community identity. No local following. No neighborhood connection. When I arrived as AGM in 2022, the building was beautiful. The relationship with its city was just beginning.
The Team: Gave the team ownership of the relaunch. Every department hosted their own ribbon cutting — spa, restaurant, rooftop bar. The team became the face of the property.
The Guest: Six weeks of community events turned opening weekend into opening season. We didn’t ask how do we get guests? We asked how do we become part of this place?
The Friction: Removed every barrier to community access. No gatekeeping, no VIP-only events. Open doors. Free tours. The hotel belonged to the city before it belonged to travelers.
The Asset: 2,000+ people walked through the property in six weeks. $200K in auxiliary F&B spend. Five local press stories. City council began hosting delegations. Community buy-in became the foundation for every dollar that came after — and the path to U.S. News #1 Hotel in Iowa within twelve months.
Hospitality’s retention crisis isn’t about pay. It’s about meaning. People leave because they don’t feel seen, don’t see a future, and don’t believe their work matters. At a property with 100+ associates returning from layoff — a parallel to many post-renovation reopenings — the work of rebuilding belief is the whole job.
The Team: Multi-layered recognition — monthly, weekly, daily. Career pathing infrastructure. High-potential identification. Mentorship tracks. An environment where people fall in love with the challenge of becoming who they’re capable of being.
The Guest: Stable teams mean consistent service. Consistency is what high-net-worth guests notice first — and it’s the thing that can’t be faked. AAA Four Diamond inspectors arrive unannounced.
The Friction: Removed the obstacles that make people leave — unclear expectations, invisible growth paths, leaders who don’t listen. Poured into the cup so the cup could pour into the guest.
The Asset: 40+ associates mentored into management. 24% leadership retention increase. Engagement scores up 27 points. The mentorship program continued running and producing promotions even after I moved properties.
How I Lead
I operationalize a culture of belonging through a process I call the 3Ts — Trajectory, Tools, Tangibles. They’re how every associate, every guest, and every community partner experiences the Dearborn Inn as something distinct.
Every associate I’ve led has known where the property is headed, what their role is in that direction, and our commitment to their personal elevation. That’s how line cooks become sous chefs and front desk agents become department heads. 40+ associates mentored into management. 24% leadership retention increase across 20 managers.
Real training. Real systems. Real authority. The teams I’ve built had what they needed to deliver consistently and the trust to make the call when a guest needed it. Hilton Tapestry properties opened 10 points above brand average from day one. NPS up 9 points at Hotel Julien in six months. AAA Four Diamond at The Warrior, 2023–2025.
To associates: real benefits, real recognition, real growth (engagement up 27 points at Hotel Julien). To guests: AAA Four Diamond service for three years running at The Warrior. To community: a 2,000-attendee community relaunch and a Chamber Business of the Year award in nine months at Hotel Julien. 2025 Chamber Business of the Year. AAA Four Diamond. #1 Hotel in Iowa, U.S. News & World Report.
Lead with Heart
Award-winning teams don’t happen by accident. They happen when leaders invest in the employee experience with the same bespoke intention they bring to the guest experience. People who feel genuinely developed, challenged, and valued don’t just deliver luxury — they embody it.
Every team member keeps a structured gratitude journal — a daily practice that shifts mindset from task completion to ownership and purpose. It sounds simple. It’s transformative. Teams that practice gratitude operate with more patience, more empathy, and more resilience under pressure. The guest feels the difference even if they can’t name it.
A structured mentorship program built on curriculum that mirrors high-end MBA programs — leadership development, financial literacy, strategic thinking, and communication. Every associate has a development pathway that extends beyond their current role. The message: we’re not just investing in your performance here. We’re investing in who you’re becoming.
No two team members get the same development plan because no two people have the same ambitions. Individualized growth tracks designed around each person’s goals, strengths, and areas of opportunity. The Dearborn Inn team coming back from layoff need a clear future to come back to. This is what gives them one.
