Jacob Van Winkle

Originally from Richmond, KY, Jacob graduated from the University of Kentucky. While attending the UK he worked for several hotels in the Lexington market including the Hilton Lexington Downtown, The Campbell House, and the Marriott Griffin Gate. Upon graduation from the Hospitality Management and Tourism program, he was hired as a Task Force General Manager to work with distressed assets across the country with GF Management based in Philadelphia. Jacob joined Schulte Hospitality Group in 2014 as the General Manager for the Hilton Auburn Hills. There he was awarded Top 30 under 30 status for Hospitality Management magazine and won General Manager of the year for his management company which at the time managed 108 hotels nationwide. He was promoted to Regional Vice President of Operations shortly after to oversee a portfolio of hotels including the wholly-owned assets, the Apple REIT portfolio, and several other independent owners.

Due to the success of his region, Jacob was elevated to Senior Regional Vice President of Operations where he managed multiple regions of assets for the company. In this role, his hotels varied from 95 key urban hotels with residential space to 600 key hotels with 200,000+ square feet of meeting space. During this time period, he converted the Troubadour Hotel in New Orleans, LA to a Tapestry by Hilton, winning Hilton’s Best Tapestry Conversion of the Year award. In addition to his accelerated career track, he also serves on the Retailing and Tourism Management Advisory Board for the University of Kentucky.