The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) elected its 2024 Board of Directors during its annual meeting today at the Claremont Club & Spa in Berkeley, California.

Dhruv Patel (President and COO of Ridgemont Hospitality) is stepping in as the 2024 CHLA Board Chair, with Hee-Won Lim (Vice President and General Manager of Pacific Palms Resort) becoming the immediate Past Chair. Patel will be supported by Vice Chair Cormac O’Modhrain (Group Vice President Asset Management, Sunstone Hotel Investors) and Secretary/Treasurer, Daniel Kuperschmid (Area Vice President and General Manager, Manchester Grand Hyatt).

“This group of leaders represents the tremendous diversity and strength of our industry,” said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, CHLA President & CEO. “As we look ahead to 2024, CHLA’s leadership is committed to actively engaging in local communities to overcome challenges and ensure California’s lodging industry continues to grow and thrive.”

“I’m proud to serve as the next CHLA Chair for 2024 and will continue to work to increase our engagement with communities and remind our members to do the same,” Board Chair Dhruv Patel added. “To continue to prosper and grow our influence as an industry, we need every CHLA member to accept the challenge and engage on the issues that matter most to our hotel community.”

The board also voted to add Marina Dutton (General Manager, Irvine Marriott), Stacey Rivera (Vice President of Operations, Evolution Hospitality) and Tejal Sood (Managing Partner, Bayside Hotel Group) as new board members and renew the terms of five board members with expiring terms.

These members are:

  • Vipul Dayal, Hotel 1550 San Francisco Airport
  • Ross Gimpel, Encore
  • Tom Patton, Ramada by Wyndham, Santa Barbara
  • Joe Piantedosi, Park Hotels & Resorts
  • Bobby Walia, Marriott International