Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has announced that Nick Gregory – a 25-year company veteran who began his career as a Kimpton doorman before rising through the management ranks – has been named senior vice president of hotel operations.
In his new position, based out of San Francisco, Gregory will be responsible for developing and evolving operational strategies that focus on increasing profitability while maintaining Kimpton’s high guest-satisfaction scores. Most recently prior to this role, Gregory served as Kimpton’s regional vice president of operations for the Northeast and Florida, where he was directly responsible for the operations, sales and marketing initiatives, human resources and finance and revenue management for all 17 properties in the two regions.
Gregory initially joined Kimpton as a doorman for Kimpton’s Hotel Vintage in Portland in 1991 -a time when Kimpton was just beginning to expand beyond its home base of San Francisco – and began a geographic journey paralleling the company’s growth. Over the next three decades he moved across the country several times, filling various management roles in Chicago, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and California. Seven years after Gregory was first promoted to general manager in San Francisco he moved into the role of director of operations, which he held for five years before transitioning to the regional VP level.
“Nick is a longtime champion of our Fortune-awarded workplace culture and has built his career here from the ground up,” said Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino. “I’m lucky enough to call him a confidante and a friend; I can’t wait to see how we continue to flourish under his thoughtful leadership.”
According to Gregory, who recently relocated to San Francisco with his wife and three dogs, “I look forward to stepping into this new role at Kimpton and continue the partnership with a company so close to my heart. I’ve been fortunate to be able to grow my career under the guidance of amazing leadership, and I’m excited to be a part of the next evolution while helping to nurture the independent spirit and fantastic entrepreneurial culture we’re so well known for.”
