Soon-to-open AC Hotel Jacksonville introduces leadership team

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA and JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – The soon-to-open AC Hotel by Marriott in Jacksonville, Florida, has recruited an executive leadership team with a collective half-century of comprehensive industry experience. OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group, is developing the hotel in partnership with Simon, a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations.

Hope Jenkins is the General Manager of AC Hotel Jacksonville St. Johns Town Center and Quentin Jones is the Director of Sales. Terrance Kinman is the hotel’s Beverage & Food Manager. “What a privilege to bring this distinctive brand to Florida’s northeast coast,” Hope Jenkins says, noting this is the fourth AC Hotel by Marriott located at a Simon property and the 10th within OTO’s owned and managed portfolios. “Travelers appreciate the AC Hotel mantra to provide everything guests need -and nothing they don’t- with equal emphasis on sophisticated style and practical comforts.”

Jenkins fell in love with the hospitality industry at age 14, working as an attendant for a family entertainment center. She organized parties, painted faces, led arts and crafts, and sang the birthday song “a little off-key,” she admits, “and more times than I can count!”

After studying at Mississippi State and the University of Alabama, Jenkins worked in the nonprofit sector with a focus on senior citizens and students with disabilities. She then moved into hotel leadership roles at full-service and lifestyle properties managed by hospitality companies including Naples, McNeil, and Interstate.

“I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities,” Jenkins says, “but leading the opening process at AC Hotel Jacksonville is the shining highlight of my career.”

Jenkins played softball in school and now focuses her community voluntarism on sports, serving on the board at Hard Nose Sports Academy and coaching a girls’ travel softball team. Quentin Jones brings a background in luxury, full-service, and convention hotels to his director of sales role at AC Hotel Jacksonville. A graduate of Howard University with a degree in English literature, Jones got his start in hospitality as a turn-down attendant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. He went on to hold sales and operations roles of increasing responsibility at Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, W Hotels, and Hampton properties.

“I’ve always thrived working in fast-paced city centers,” Jones says, “and I know Jacksonville is ready for a brand that delivers a modern, discerning, and harmonious guest experience.”

AC Hotel Jacksonville will feature 118 sophisticated, modern guest rooms and a host of amenities. Its ideal location will connect guests to 90 market-exclusive retail brands and an array of dining options at St. Johns Town Center while offering easy proximity to the region’s best beaches and other recreation opportunities.

“I’m intrigued by the AC brand’s trademark balance of form and function,”Jones says. “One of the big differentiators here in Jacksonville will be our fresh-air patio that includes an outdoor pool, a water feature, and yard games to encourage camaraderie.”

Jones is a long-time volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida. His favorite hobby is traveling, especially internationally. Terrance Kinman got his first job as a 15-year-old busboy at a hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk – and he’s been working in hotels, restaurants, and country clubs ever since. He worked on New Jersey’s famed boardwalk for 10 years, gaining hotel experience in everything from convention planning to guest services to food and beverage operations. From there he moved to Florida to work in F&B and management roles at private venues such as Jacksonville Country Club and Queen’s Harbor Country Club before ultimately transitioning back to branded hotels. Kinman has earned a variety of accolades, including ClubCorp’s Rising Star Award and multiple Hilton Garden Inn Team Member of the Month awards.

“I love the hospitality business,” he says, “and it’s exciting to distill my varied experiences into this dream job at AC Hotel Jacksonville. Our AC Kitchen, AC Lounge, and catered meetings and events will feature all the brand favorites, plus a little local flavor and flair.”

Away from work, Kinman is an active community volunteer. He participates in a monthly beach sweep and, along with his daughter, he walks dogs at the Jacksonville Humane Society. Hobbies include fishing, golfing, and making his own whiskey and wine. Scheduled to open in March, AC Hotel Jacksonville St. Johns Town Center is under development by OTO with project partners DLR
Group, architect and interior designer; and Kellogg & Kimsey, general contractor.

The 4-story, 118-room hotel is located at 5323 Big Island Drive in Jacksonville, Florida.

The article Soon-to-open AC Hotel Jacksonville introduces leadership team first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.