Northstar Travel Group, Travel Weekly's parent company, has named
Jeff Higley president of the BHN Group.
Jeff Higley
Currently senior vice president of communications strategy
for STR Global and content strategist for Hotel News Now, Higley will assume
the role on May 6, reporting to Alicia Evanko, Northstar's senior vice president,
events.
BHN co-founder Jim Burba will transition to the role of
strategic advisor.
BHN Group produces 10 hotel investment conferences worldwide,
including the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, the world's largest hotel
investment event. Northstar acquired BHN in May 2017.
"For the past nearly 35 years, I have had the privilege
of bringing the global hotel investment community together to network, learn
and conduct business," Burba said. "Working with our great partners
and the incredible team at BHN, we built an amazing portfolio of events around
the world. The first step in transitioning this portfolio to even greater
heights was the sale to Northstar two years ago. I am delighted that we have now found the
perfect successor for my role in Jeff Higley. I have known Jeff for nearly two
decades and have tremendous respect for his knowledge of the industry, his
leadership skills and vision. I look forward to my new role, assisting Jeff
with the transition and serving as a resource and advisor."
Higley has directed STR's Hotel Data Conference and has
covered the hotel industry for nearly 25 years, most recently for Hotel News
Now and prior to that for Hotel & Motel Management (now known as Hotel
Management). During that time, he interviewed and wrote about people at all
executive levels of hospitality, from CEOs to general managers, and covered
topics ranging from major industry transactions to property-level issues.
"It's exciting to be joining the exceptional BHN Group
and to build upon the rich legacy Jim and the team has developed," said
Higley. "I'm eager to help add value, depth and breadth to these premier
hotel investment events."
The first conferences with Higley at the helm will be the
Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) and Caribbean Hotel & Resort
Investment Summit (CHRIS), May 20 to 23 in Miami.