Meet Our Expert Team
Elevating Your Hospitality Experience With Waterford Hotels & Inns
Waterford Hotels & Inns is a full service hotel consulting firm that typically operates on the West Coast of the United States. We can help you with entitlements and permitting, technical services and pre-opening planning, design and development, as well as post-opening and ongoing management of operations, including hotel, spa, restaurant, and more (we’re very proud of our chef’s garden, as well!).
If you’re doing your due diligence in looking for hotel management or hotel consulting firms, it helps to know the players and people you will be working with. The below is a brief list of some of the talent we are fortunate to offer. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us and we’ll start the process of helping your hotel, resort, or inn.
Kristen Hraba Phillips
Owner / Partner / Operations / Financial
Kristen Hraba Phillips was introduced to the hotel industry at an early age and has continued to build upon this foundation in her 30 years working in the industry. Prior to joining Waterford Hotels and Inns, her experience included operational responsibilities with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Westin Hotels, as well as hotel consulting with PKF Consulting (now CBRE). Kristen’s current areas of responsibility include financials, accounting, budgets, forecasting, human resources and hotel operations.
Michael J. Hraba
Owner / Partner / Project Manager / Ops / F&B / Communication
Following family tradition, Michael entered the hospitality industry in 1995 and has remained dedicated to the field ever since. Joining Waterford Hotels & Inns in 2008, Michael brings nearly 30 years of hotel industry experience with him. His experience with both independent and boutique hotels has provided him with extensive operational and management experience.
At Waterford, Michael specializes in design, project management, rooms and food and beverage operations, guest experience and communication, PR and marketing. His goal is to help clients develop a community-involved, ethical, and sustainable brand that will establish itself in the market, drive revenue to owners, foster a fulfilling, positive work environment and culture, enhance the neighborhood it is located in, and cultivate loyal guests by fulfilling the promise of hospitality.
Bruce C. Hraba
Founder
Bruce Hraba began his Hotel career over 50 years ago, immediately following his graduation from college. He spent 14 successful years in various managerial positions with the young Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Bruce was one of the original group of managers responsible for the dynamic growth and development of this hospitality leader. He was later recruited by West Coast based Amfac Hotel Corporation in 1981, serving as its President from 1983 to 1987. Bruce brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of hotel development, finance, ownership, management and marketing to Waterford Hotels & Inns, which he and his wife started in 1985.
Patricia E. Hraba
Founder
Patricia Hraba co-founded Waterford Hotels and Inns in 1985. As a partner in Waterford Hotels and Inns, Inc., she has been involved in the management of several award-winning hotels on the West Coast, and has served as a general partner and owner in several properties.
Cindy Hill
Sales & Brand Marketing Expert, Founder of Grace Marketing Agency
Cindy Hill is an accomplished sales and brand marketing expert with over 20 years of progressive experience in the hospitality industry. As one of the first hires to launch W Hotels Worldwide, she is credited with leading the opening marketing efforts for more than twenty W hotels in North America, Europe, and Asia. Cindy was the Director of Brand Management for North America Openings for Starwood’s Luxury and Design brands including W, St. Regis, Le Meridien, and The Luxury Collection. With her innovative approach to marketing, she concepted a woman’s speaker series, “What She Said” which is now a global initiative for W Hotels.
Cindy was recognized by the California Hotel and Lodging Association as Woman Leader of the year in 2017 and the recipient of the Powerful Women of the Bay award in 2016. She is a founding member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, East Bay Area Chapter, and leads a formal mentorship program, personally mentoring more than 10 millennials around the country.
As the founder of Grace Marketing Agency, Cindy’s mission is to work with businesses’ to develop strategic and compelling narratives about their brands, dynamic marketing plans that deliver results, and ultimately contribute to the financial success of the business.
Mary Macleod
Controller
Mary MacLeod has been involved in accounting, reporting and financial management for over 35 years with experience in hotel and restaurant, real estate and banking industries. Her responsibilities have included accounting systems, auditing, budgeting and financial reporting.Connected Hospitality
Hospitality Digital Marketing & Media
Connected Hospitality optimizes customer engagement and conversion through the use of a well-defined and elegant publishing process. Our process focuses on the design, creation, organization, distribution, marketing, and tracking of content. From photographs to video the content is designed to tell a compelling story of the business, its location, and its services.
