ABOUT

Commonwealth Lodging Management, LLC is a Mid-Atlantic based hospitality management and consulting firm. The Virginia hotel management company has significant experience in management of nationally franchised hotel assets with a strong background in hotel operations, franchise relations, development and hotel finance.

Duane Gauthier

Managing Director

As Managing Director, Duane Gauthier oversees all aspects of the company’s hospitality investment activities, development services as well as providing the leadership to the hospitality management teams for the company’s managed assets to include P&L accountability, excellence in guest service, brand relations, revenue generation, strategic direction and overall property performance.

Mr. Gauthier has extensive hospitality experience in a career spanning over 19 years, operating and providing property leadership for full-service and select service hotels for Marriott, Starwood, Hilton and Choice. His experience includes new hotel openings and renovations while working for both regional and national hotel management companies. He has been able to consistently improve financial results while building strong operation teams, leading to a number of honors and awards for the hotels under his leadership.

Mr. Gauthier holds an Associate degree in Business Administration. He serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the Virginia Beach Hotel Association. Additionally, he sits on the Hospitality Advisory Board for Tidewater Community College and Bryant and Stratton College.

Robin A. Ransom

Chief Financial Officer, CPA

Ms. Ransom currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for Commonwealth and has over 20 years of accounting and finance experience in the areas of public accounting, manufacturing, investor relations and accounting information system implementations.

Ms. Ransom collaborates with senior and executive management in the areas of strategic planning, treasury management, merger & acquisition due diligence and integration, tax planning, budgeting & analysis, benefit offering analytics, inventory management, quality control, internal control measurements and accounting and finance process and system improvement projects.

Ms. Ransom is a past president of the Richmond Chapter of the Virginia Society of CPA’s and currently serves on the Virginia Society of CPA’s Educational Foundation Board on the scholarship committee. Ms. Ransom is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Global Management Accountant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from West Virginia University Institute of Technology and an MBA from The College of William & Mary.

Kimberly Craft

Area Director of Sales

Kimberly Craft is Area Director of Sales, providing high-level support and accountability to the South East Portfolio sales teams and is responsible for the above property management, development, implementation of company strategy, staffing, resource development as well as sales deployment, sales activities and sales and marketing strategies.

Mrs. Craft has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and has held executive leadership positions in Sales and Marketing as well as Operations for such brands as Omni Hotels, Starwood, Marriott, Hilton and Intercontinental Hotel Group. She has earned numerous accolades to include Director of Sales of the year for the Luxury Chain of IHG’s Indigo Hotels. Mrs. Craft is highly experienced in developing and maintaining relationships with a vast portfolio of Corporate Accounts to increase year over year account production.

Mrs. Craft has participated in many local and national organizations throughout her career and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

Brooke Bicksler

Corporate Director of Revenue Management

Brooke Bicksler joins the company as the Corporate Director of Revenue Management, providing purposeful direction to future growth opportunities. She is focused on creating profitability throughout the portfolio by collaborating top line sales, marketing and revenue strategies to create bottom line growth.

Since stepping into the revenue management field in 2007, Ms. Bicksler has lead strategy at the hotel level, and also within both regional and corporate director capacities in primary, secondary and tertiary markets across multiple brands for both limited and full service properties. Prior to pursuing a career in revenue management, she served on the operations and sales team within the hotel industry. Ms. Bicksler holds a BS in Hospitality & Tourism Management from Virginia Tech.