Wendy Magnuson Named Senior Director of Strategic Sales for John Q. Hammons Hotels

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts (JQH) today announced that Wendy Magnuson has been promoted to senior director of strategic sales for the Springfield, Missouri-based company, which is a leading private, independent owner and manager of hotels in the United States. With 25 years of hospitality experience, Magnuson will be responsible for strategically leading the JQH sales team that generates new national account business for the company’s 35 hotels. Award-winning JQH also operates more than 1 million square feet of superb meeting space.

“Wendy is a strong strategic thinker with an excellent track record for building accounts at the regional and national levels,” said Phill Burgess, JQH’s vice president of sales and revenue optimization. “We look forward to leveraging her account development talents and leadership abilities across our national hotel portfolio.”

Most recently, Magnuson served as a regional director of sales for JQH, where she directed sales and revenue optimization initiatives for nine JQH hotels spanning the Courtyard by Marriott, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Renaissance, and Residence Inn by Marriott brands. During her 10 years in this role, she successfully helped to drive total revenue through well-aligned deployment of staff, mix of business, revenue management strategy, and market analysis. Prior to joining JQH, Magnuson was with Shaner Hotel Group as vice president of sales and revenue management. She was responsible for providing strategic leadership and guiding professional development in support of the company’s sales/revenue management team for 26 properties representing a range of well-known hotel brands. She also directed top account management and developed marketing and brand initiatives. While at Shaner Hotel Group, she also had the opportunity to serve as vice president of operations, district director, general manager, and director of sales and marketing. Magnuson attended Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and a member of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Magnuson is a volunteer at a local food bank in her community.

“I am excited about the opportunity to grow and maximize JQH’s direct sales efforts nationally through an already solid foundation,” Magnuson said. “I am confident we are strongly positioned to deliver new business opportunities to our properties by combining my talent for customer relationship development with our exceptional sales and revenue teams.”