Cathy Piekarski
Summary
Rooms Division and operations specialist with 15+ years of progressive leadership across luxury and multi-property hospitality environments. Expertise in guest service performance, operational analytics, cleanliness standards and process improvement.
Overview
2027
2027
years of professional experience
Work History
Performance Hospitality
Director of Operations Excellence
Fort Lauderdale, FL
2024 - Current
- Lead multi-property operations performance across portfolio, focusing on guest satisfaction, cleanliness standards, and operational efficiency
- Developed operational dashboards to drive a 21-point increase in guest satisfaction
- Implemented labor strategies resulting in $110K in cost savings
- Reduced employee turnover by 60% through training and engagement initiatives
- Led operational alignment across 80+ leaders to improve execution and accountability
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Director of Housekeeping
Orlando, FL
01.2018 - 01.2020
- Directed housekeeping operations including staffing, inspections, and inventory management
- Reduced labor costs by 11% and overtime by 42%
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Director of Guest Services
Orlando, FL
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Turned around underperforming department, increasing employee satisfaction by 14% and reducing expenses by 6%
- Drove $990K in incremental revenue and reduced overtime by 69%
- Received award for most improved guest service score YOY and to date for all properties in brand portfolio
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Club Lounge & VIP Manager
Orlando, FL
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Increased lounge occupancy by 55% and improved guest satisfaction through targeted service initiatives
Hilton Toronto
Assistant Director of Front Office
Toronto , ON
01.2011 - 01.2014
- Developed training materials for staff to improve service delivery skills, improving GSS overall by 34%
- Analyzed customer feedback data to identify areas of improvement within the front office.
Hilton Orlando
Rooms Management Internship
Orlando, FL
01.2010 - 01.2011
- Developed foundation in large-scale hotel operations across front office, housekeeping and engineering
Marriott International
Director of Rooms Operations- Ritz Carlton
Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL
2022 - 2024
- Oversaw full Rooms Division operations for 201-room luxury property including housekeeping, front office, concierge, spa, valet, and guest services
- Delivered most profitable year on record while improving guest metrics: Intent to Recommend (+12.9), Cleanliness (+8.5), Staff Service (+10.5)
- Maintained AAA Five-Diamond and Forbes Four-Star standards through structured inspections and operational controls
Marriott International
Director of Rooms Operations | Marriott Orlando
Orlando, FL
2020 - 2022
- Led Rooms Division operations for a large scale full-service hotel
- Achieved 100% audit compliance and improved service response from 46% to 98%
- Reduced overtime by 33% through labor and productivity improvements
Education
Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Human Resources -
Ryerson University
Toronto, ON01-2009
Skills
- Rooms Division Operations
- Multi-Property Performance
- Operational Analytics
- Inventory Management
- Cleanliness & Compliance
- Cost Optimization
- Guest Experience Leadership
- Qualtrics
- Revinate
- Medallia
- ProfitSword
- OPERA PMS
- HotSOS
- Excel
- Google Sheets
- SharePoint
- Teams
- FreedomPay
- Toast
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
- Spearheaded the development and portfolio-wide implementation of a QR-based guest request platform across multiple properties, driving a 21-point increase in overall guest satisfaction and a 30% improvement in service recovery scores
- Delivered $110K cost savings through labor optimization initiatives
- Improved service response execution from 46% to 98%
- Achieved 100% audit compliance in Rooms Division operations
- Awarded Manager of the Year in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2022 for generating $990K incremental room revenue and reduced overtime by up to 69%
Timeline
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Director of Housekeeping
01.2018 - 01.2020
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Director of Guest Services
01.2016 - 01.2018
Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando
Club Lounge & VIP Manager
01.2014 - 01.2016
Hilton Toronto
Assistant Director of Front Office
01.2011 - 01.2014
Hilton Orlando
Rooms Management Internship
01.2010 - 01.2011
Performance Hospitality
Director of Operations Excellence
2024 - Current
Marriott International
Director of Rooms Operations- Ritz Carlton
2022 - 2024
Marriott International
Director of Rooms Operations | Marriott Orlando
2020 - 2022
Bachelor of Hospitality Management, Human Resources -
Ryerson University