TWO HOSPITALITY TRAILBLAZERS TAKE THEIR TALENTS TO HORWATH HTL

Date: January 24, 2023

Hospitality advisory firm Horwath HTL is gaining not one but two eminent hospitality leaders, HOTELS has learned. 

Dorothy Dowling, formerly of Best Western, where she spent the last 18 years as chief marketing officer, and Melissa Maher, who was with Expedia Group for the last 21 years in various positions, including chief marketing officer, are joining Horwath as managing directors, where they will lend their decades of knowledge and experience to help clients realize their profitability goals within the hospitality segment. 

For Horwath, gaining two luminaries of the hospitality industry is a huge get. For Dowling, it’s a bit bittersweet. When the former CEO of BWH Hotel Group David Kong announced his retirement in 2021, Dowling was in consideration to take over the top leadership role, but it ended up going to now-CEO Larry Cuculic. “I had accomplished everything that I had wanted to as a CMO,” Dowling told HOTELS, admitting she did depart Best Western with a heavy heart. Being in the same role with the same company for so long will have that effect.  

The upshot for Dowling is what she called a “new journey,” to support the hotelier community. After leaving Best Western, she took six months to reset before taking the opportunity at Horwath, enticed by John Fareed, the global chairman of Horwath HTL.  

EXITING EXPEDIA

After two decades at Expedia Group in various senior positions, Maher needed a break, leaving last February to focus on overall wellness, personal and professional development and, plainly, to spend more time with friends and family. “During the past year, I’ve traveled to many new places without being completely tied to my laptop,” she said, even getting to play a round of golf at the famed St. Andrews in Scotland.  

After a year off, she felt the itch to jump back into work, pairing with Horwath to help nurture careers and take on strategic and practical problem-solving initiatives. “Advisory is a great way to build additional leadership experience, widen my network in hospitality and other sectors, and view challenges and opportunities from a new perspective,” Maher said, excited over the prospect of working on a wide range of projects and finding creative solutions. 

Read the full article on HOTELS here.