The Gates Hotel Key West, a new independent hotel set to open on the island of Key West, Florida, in early 2015, is pleased to announce two executive appointments to the hotel’s staff.
The 100-room boutique property managed by Highgate Hotels is a departure from traditional hospitality in the Keys, combining refined luxury, modern design, organic touches and Floridian flare to recreate the verve of Hemingway’s “old school Key West.” With its authentic island ambiance, residential-style interiors, Cuban-themed dining and drinking, and splashy pool deck scene, The Gates will bring the Key West lifestyle to life for guests and locals alike.
Eugenia Simons, Complex General Manager
Arriving in the Florida Keys after years of management experience earned with major hotel and leisure groups, Eugenia Simons oversees all hotel operations as Complex General Manager of The Gates Hotel Key West and sister properties Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites. Simons arrived in the Keys from New York, where she led the successful rebranding of On The Avenue, a Highgate Hotel property, into NYLO NYC. She also led a renovation of NYLO NYC, including the opening of LOCL Bar.
Previously, Simons was Hotel Manager of Eventi, a 292-room Kimpton Hotels property in New York. Over an 11-month period, she led Eventi to a Top 20 NYC Trip Advisor rating as well as a ranking of 153 out of all US hotels by Condé Nast Traveler while exceeding all budgetary targets. Simons also worked as Director of Operations at W Hoboken Hotel & Residences and as Director of Rooms at W Times Square, both Starwood Hotels & Resorts properties.
Simons earned an Advanced Professional Certificate in customer relationship management from New York University and a Bachelor of Technology in hospitality management with Magna Cum Laude honors from New York City College of Technology. Prominent among her many skills, Simons is a certified bartender and has a working knowledge of French.
Stephanie Happ, Complex Director of Sales & Marketing
With a decade of hospitality experience and keen focus on revenues, Stephanie Happ devises innovative and effective strategies to draw leisure, group and events clientele to The Gates and its sister properties as Complex Director of Sales & Marketing. Happ joined Highgate Hotels’ new Key West property from River Terrace Inn, a Noble House Hotels & Resorts property in Napa, California, where as Director of Sales & Marketing she twice reached the Presidents Circle for impressive sales productivity.
Previously, Happ was based in the Florida Keys, spending three years as Director of Sales for Ocean Key Resort and Spa, a Four-Diamond boutique hotel on Key West that is managed by Noble House Hotels & Resorts. She also spent five years consulting on destination weddings as Founder and CEO of Swept Away, a sole proprietorship she founded on Key West in 2004. Happ got her start in hospitality as Catering Sales Manager for Ocean Key Resort and Spa in 2003.
Happ earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from John Carroll University in Cleveland. She resides on Key West with her spouse, and son.
