RED ROOF HAS undergone a widescale personnel shift in its development and franchise development team. It starts with Matthew Hostetler’s promotion to chief development officer and Fouad Malouf’s promotion to senior vice president of franchise operations.
Other changes include:
- Alex Shamsuddin has been promoted to regional vice president, franchise development, West Coast.
- Rick Schaeffer has been promoted to regional vice president, franchise development, East Coast.
- Glenn Galbraith has been promoted to vice president of franchise operations.
- Jane Palumbo has been promoted to vice president of franchise operations.
Hostetler succeeds Phil Hugh who left Red Roof in July and is now chief development officer for the Americas for Radisson Hotel Group. Previously, he served as the com Senior Vice President Franchise Development since 2014.
“We always build upon the past but we’re going into a different environment – we have seen the demand for our product, even throughout the pandemic, because we are positioned so well as the leader in economy lodging,” Hostetler said. “We will continue expansion with our core development team, add seasoned members and implement more aggressive strategy for development west of the Mississippi and in the extended stay market. HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof has done extremely well, the demand remains high, and this will be a key focus. Our relationships are strong and we will continue to build on our heritage of genuine relationships.”
Malouf has been with Red Roof since 1982 and most recently served as vice president for franchise operations, directly supporting franchisees and the franchise operations team in their day-to-day business. He also serves on the Red Roof Brand Standards Committee and plays an active role with the Red Roof Franchise Advisory Council.
Like Hostetler, Malouf also stressed the importance of having genuine relationships with franchisees. That is especially important now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are leaders in pivoting during the pandemic and providing franchisees with everything they needed to adjust to the new normal,” he said. “This is about compassion and empathy. It became increasingly important to just talk to our franchisees individually and understand where they are, what they need. We were then able to develop programs that didn’t just make sense to us but make sense to all of us.”
Malouf pointed to Red Roof’s “RediClean” package of cleaning protocols as one of the most important services the company provided to franchisees during the crisis.
“Red Roof is also extending its COVID Support and Franchise Fee Relief initiatives implemented in March through the end of September,” he said.
Red Roof makes it a point to promote from within, said Andrew Alexander, Red Roof president.
“Red Roof has no shortage of experienced hospitality executives and we have pulled from our deep bench of franchise leaders to promote from within. These leaders have been invaluable to the growth of the Red Roof brand,” Alexander said. “Their forward-looking vision of brand development and expansion and their focus on franchisee satisfaction remains crucial in continuing to drive demand for the brand. They are integral and vital members of the Red Roof team and family.”
