A general manager has been appointed at a new hotel under construction near The Villages.
McKibbon Hospitality has announced the appointment of James House as general manager of the Home2 Suites by Hilton Wildwood-The Villages.
Upon completion, House will be responsible for overseeing all operations of the 96-room hotel under construction on County Road 466A across from Pinellas Plaza in The Villages. The hotel will be an anchor for the 154-acre Beaumont development next to Trailwinds Village. The Wildwood Commission approved a site plan for the hotel in 2019.
“James is a long-time McKibbon leader with a passion for hospitality and an extensive background in all areas of hotel operations,” said Carrie Duncan, McKibbon Hospitality regional vice president of Operations. “We are confident that with James at the helm, the hotel, its guests and our associates will all be in great hands. We greatly look forward to opening our doors and officially joining the Wildwood and Villages community in just a few short months.”
During his 10-year career with McKibbon Hospitality, House has held a variety of operational leadership roles across several notable brands, most recently serving as dual assistant general manager of the dual-branded AC Hotel and Residence Inn Charlotte City Center. Prior to his stint in Charlotte, House oversaw day-to-day operations of the Residence Inn Tallahassee North/I-10 Capital Circle as general manager, where he was responsible for staffing, labor, expense controls, forecasting, inventories and more.
House joined McKibbon in 2013 as operations manager of Aloft Tallahassee Downtown, making the transition from White Lodging, where he served as operations supervisor and then operations manager for two of their Tampa properties over a five-year period. From 2016-2018, he held the role of assistant general manager of McKibbon’s Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Airport Avion Park Westshore, helping the property achieve #1 ranking on TripAdvisor during its first nine months in operation.
Home2 Suites by Hilton Wildwood/The Villages, which is owned and being developed by Tampa-based commercial real estate firm, Liberty Group and managed by McKibbon Hospitality, boasts 96 guest rooms across four floors. The area’s first extended-stay hotel is primed to host friends and families of The Villages residents in the coming months, offering spacious and modern accommodations with in-room kitchenettes and additional amenities aimed at providing guests with a home-away-from-home experience, including complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi.