Gold Key | PHR Hotels & Resorts has announce that Kurt Krause has joined the company as the Managing Director of The Main in Norfolk, Virginia. The Main is a $126-million, mixed-use, entertainment, meeting, dining, hotel and conference center destination located in the heart of Downtown Norfolk at the corner of Main and Granby Streets.
In his new role as Managing Director of The Main, Mr. Krause will be responsible for supervision and direction of the day-to-day operations for the 294 room, 24-story Hilton hotel, The Exchange an IACC certified conference center with SCIF capabilities and a tiered classroom, as well as three food and beverage outlets. The restaurants will offer a variety of upscale dining and include: Catch on Granby, a seafood restaurant featuring an oyster and sushi bar, Varia, a fine dining Italian restaurant featuring a wine and piano bar, and Saluna, a rooftop bistro and lounge with panoramic views of the city and Elizabeth River. In addition to operations, Kurt will be responsible to lead the sales and marketing teams to achieve top-line revenues.
The Main is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017. Until then, Mr. Krause will be located in the Gold Key | PHR development offices in Norfolk, working directly with the design, architecture and development teams to provide operational insight and collaboration as the project goes through construction and act as a liaison to the local community. Mr. Krause will be working closely with his staff and Senior Management to lead the pre-opening sales efforts for the conference center.
Kurt Krause joins the Gold Key | PHR Hotels & Resorts team from his most recent position as the General Manager of the Aramark National Conference Center near Dulles Airport in the National Capital Region. While there, Kurt was responsible for the day-to-day operations of a 917 room hotel and 217,000 square feet of meeting space as well as the leadership of a team of over 60 managers and 325 hourly associates.
Kurt’s previous hospitality experience includes a 20-year tenure with Marriott International where he served as the Vice President of Brand Strategy for the Renaissance Hotels and as well as the role of General Manager for the full service Marriott at Westfields in Fairfax, Virginia. Mr. Krause also brings a wealth of government experience to Gold Key | PHR Hotels & Resorts, having served as the Senior Advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, specifically as the Senior Director for Consumer Advocacy in the Transportation Security Administration.
