Lori H. Jenkins has joined Vision Hospitality Group as group sales manager of Doubletree Hotel Downtown. Next year her duties will increase as she takes responsibility of group sales for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown and the new Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown, scheduled to open in May.
Doubletree Chattanooga General Manager Bill Mish said, “With almost two decades in the hotel industry, Lori Jenkins is a consummate professional in the business, and we are delighted to have her accept this key position. Lori has proven her exceptional abilities in a wide range of hospitality functions, and we look forward to employing her energy, experience and creativity on behalf of the clients of Doubletree, Hilton Garden Inn, and Hampton Inn and Suites.”
Ms. Jenkins’ experience in the hotel industry includes serving as regional director of sales for Country Inns and Suites by Carlson in Chattanooga, as director of catering for The Chattanoogan Hotel and as catering and sales manager for the Sheraton Read House Hotel. At Country Inn & Suites, Ms. Jenkins helped transform one property from the lowest revenue producing hotel in the region to exceeding budget by 30 percent. In the process, she assisted in developing a sales staff and implementing standard operating procedures. Ms. Jenkins' assisted the Hixson Country Inn & Suites become the No. 1 ranked hotel on Tripadvisor.com in the Hixson area, and the company’s Hamilton Place hotel ranking #3 out of 93 on TripAdvisor.com.
Ms. Jenkins’ employment at the Read House included serving as food and beverage director, restaurant manager and banquet manager. She managed a banquet service area of over 19,500 square feet, as well as a staff of more than 40 in the 240-room historic downtown property. She solicited, planned, organized and executed conventions, social and corporate events, and special events at the Read House. For the fourth quarter of 2004 she exceeded booking goals by over 75 percent.
Ms. Jenkins is on the board of the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association. She holds Certified Tennessee Tourism Professional Certification and Certified Hotel Sales Professional Certification. Active in community affairs, Ms. Jenkins was named the Chattanooga Young Professional of the Year in 2008. She is a committee member for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation and is helping arrange a fund-raising event for the school in 2011. Ms. Jenkins has served as co-chair of the mentoring project for the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute. She is past president of the Chamber’s Downtown Council, a past member of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce board and a former chair of the Chamber Ambassadors.
A Chattanooga native, Ms. Jenkins attended UTC. She is a 2006 graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and has completed Foundations of Leadership Training, Radisson Guest Satisfaction Training and Radisson Service Standards Training.