Jerry Cataldo has been in his family’s hotel business for 32 years, and as much as business changes Hostmark Hospitality Group has stayed a family affair. In fact, the interview for this story was interrupted when patriarch C.A. “Bud” Cataldo called his son with a question. “One of the lessons I’ve learned is that you always have time for your father’s call,” Cataldo quipped.
What started as 50-50 partnership in Denver some 50 years ago — leading to a buyout in the early 1990s with a new partner — has evolved into a third-party management company based in suburban Chicago that has operated some 375 hotels over the years in locations ranging from the United States to Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
Jerry Cataldo, currently president and CEO, said one piece of advice he would offer starts with “remembering we are in the customer-service business. If you get wrapped up in development or the frothiness of the day, in the long term you slip.”
Another key, which he says comes from years of watching his father and partners, is treating people with respect. “We’ve always conducted ourselves that way, and it has helped us be successful for as long as we have,” he said.
Today Hostmark operates 27 hotels along with continued disciplined growth with development partners, including a recently announced deal to manage a new-build, dual-branded 210-room Hampton Inn and 126-room Homewood Suites with Jupiter Realty Co. and Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. Further management deals in Boston and Florida were under development at press time.
In fact, Hostmark and Jupiter have a partnership spanning 40 years and 35-plus hotels. “We’ve tended to work with groups of people on a repetitive basis because we certainly understand the needs, wants and objectives of our clients,” Cataldo said. “That’s how we start everything.”
Hostmark’s 50th-anniversary celebration will be true to its character, with a scholarship competition between the leading hospitality schools in the United States that will showcase leadership and the principals and values upon which Hostmark has been built.