CLEVELAND (July 12, 2019) –
Destination Cleveland, the destination marketing and management organization for Northeast Ohio, will welcome Gordon Taylor III as vice president of convention sales and services beginning Aug. 1.
Taylor brings more than 20 years of sales experience in the hotel and hospitality industry to Destination Cleveland. Most recently, he served as the Complex Director of Sales & Marketing at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago and Conrad Chicago, where he oversaw the teams responsible for selling and marketing a portfolio of two luxury hotels and four restaurants within those hotels.
At Destination Cleveland, Taylor will lead the team responsible for selling Cleveland as a meetings, conventions and events host city and then providing meeting planners and attendees a first-class experience before and while they are in Cleveland. As a member of the organization’s leadership team, he will focus on citywide group business optimization and long-range sales of the area’s major convention facilities, work in tandem with area hotel community leadership to effectively respond to and proactively solicit new business and ensure customer satisfaction.
“Gordon stood out to our selection team as a risk taker who has a strong ability to motivate and elevate teams; we’re excited to add his energy, ideas, and attention to detail to the Destination Cleveland team,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO, Destination Cleveland. “Now that Cleveland is established and regularly recognized as a host location for meetings, conventions and events, Gordon brings the approach we need to exponentially grow that momentum. I’m confident that the combination of his hotel and hospitality experience and his work with destination marketing organizations in Chicago and Austin will advance Cleveland as a meetings and conventions destination.”
“The opportunity to lead the Sales & Services team at Destination Cleveland is an incredible opportunity and an honor. I could not be more excited to move to an amazing city like Cleveland and join a community that has a tremendous passion for bringing conventions to the city,” said Taylor. “I’m looking forward to working with the team to increase Cleveland’s meetings and convention success through a focused and intentional approach to convention sales and service.”
Taylor has also served as director of sales and marketing at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago; the director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency Austin Hotel; and the associate director of sales at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Chicago. He is a native of Macomb, Illinois.
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland’s destination marketing and management organization. This private, non-profit organization’s mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes 18.5 million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.