Meet The Team

Mr. Smith is a co-founder of Pennbridge companies. Since its inception, Pennbridge has purchased/developed over $300 Million in hospitality assets.  Pennbridge and its affiliates have owned multiple hotels in five states, of which seven are ground-up developments.  Pennbridge has a longstanding franchise relationship with Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group.  In addition, Smith and Lewis have affiliation with Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Corp. Pennbridge hotels are managed by Smith and Lewis’ management company, Pennbridge Lodging Corp, which received the prestigious Marriott Horizon Award in 2018. 

Prior to co-founding Pennbridge, Mr. Smith worked for various investment groups focusing on real estate acquisitions and development including Starwood Capital Group in Greenwich, CT, Brighton Corporation, Salomon Smith Barney's Real Estate Investment Banking Group in New York City, and Grosvenor International Limited in Washington D.C.

Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude, and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Lewis is a co-founder of Pennbridge companies. Since inception, Pennbridge has purchased/developed over $300 million in hospitality assets. Pennbridge and its affiliates have owned multiple hotels in five states, seven of which are ground-up developments. Pennbridge has a longstanding franchise affiliation with Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group and has relationships with Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Corp. Pennbridge hotels are managed by Pennbridge Lodging Corp, the hotel management company co-founded by Mr. Lewis, which received the prestigious Marriott Horizon Award in 2018.

Prior to co-founding Pennbridge, Mr. Lewis was a Vice President with W.P. Carey, a real estate investment firm headquartered in New York City, where he was responsible for one and a half billion dollars of assets under management. Prior to his experience with W.P. Carey, Mr. Lewis worked in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs. Mr. Lewis was educated at Brigham Young University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike Webster is the Vice President of Operations for Pennbridge Lodging.  Prior to starting with Pennbridge Capital in December 2013, Mr. Webster worked for various hotel management companies as an executive hotel leader.  Most recently, Mr. Webster served as Vice President of Operations for Ocean Park Hotels, Inc., in San Luis Obispo, CA.   In this role Mr. Webster was responsible for operations of eight hotels with annual revenues exceeding $33,000,000, which included Marriott hotels, Hilton hotels, IHG hotels and a Best Western hotel.   Many of the hotels in portfolio ranked as market leaders on online review sites, guest satisfaction, team member satisfaction, and Revpar. 

Mr. Webster has a strong foundation in hospitality management while working for notable management companies including Tharaldson Management Inc. as the General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Lubbock, TX and as the General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Las Vegas, NV, as well as Ocean Park Hotels, Inc.  Mr. Webster holds an Associate of Science degree from Dixie State College in St. George, UT and also attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

Mr. Webster loves living in Highland, UT with his wife and three children where he can pursue his passion for the outdoors.  Snow Skiing the greatest snow on earth in the winter and taking in the picturesque beauty of Lake Powell in the summer are two of his favorite outdoor activities. 

Tom Whitney is the Vice President for Pennbridge Lodging. Before joining the Pennbridge team, Tom brought over 13 years of Marriott experience to the company. Tom worked in a variety of above-property roles throughout his Marriott International tenure including Global Design, Marriott Bonvoy, Feasibility, and Asset Management. During Tom’s tenure at Marriott, he helped support Marriott’s growth strategies by underwriting over 400 Marriott-branded hotels throughout the US and Canada. Prior to his Feasibility role at Marriott, he worked with many franchisees on the design and construction of their hotels and oversaw the development and design approval of more than 1,500 Marriott Select Branded hotels during his tenure at Marriott.

Tom studied Architecture at the University of Utah and his passion for hotels pushed him more recently to complete a Master’s Degree in Hotel Management from Georgetown University while employed by Marriott. When not working on hotels, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife and three young daughters traveling and doing anything outdoors. Tom loves to spend time outdoors and enjoys watching his daughters enjoy their hobbies. When not engaged with hotels, he particularly enjoys hiking, biking, camping, tennis, and looking for grizzly bears when spending time out in the Yellowstone region.

Jonathan Love is the Operations Manager for Pennbridge Lodging. Jonathan retired from the US Army in 2021 after 23 years and four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as multiple other assignments across the globe including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, South Korea, Okinawa, Malaysia, and Germany. He served the entirety of his career as an enabler (support) to Army Special Forces serving in Signals Intelligence and Human Intelligence roles. He also served three years as a First Sergeant for two different companies and finished his career running the unit's Human Performance and Wellness program. Jonathan learned Arabic (99-01) and Persian Farsi (08-09) at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California and completed his BA at Thomas Edison State University. During his free time, Jonathan (who also answers to Jon, Jonny, and "hey you!"), coaches youth sports for Baseball, Softball, Flag Football, and runs a Kids CrossFit class out of his garage during the summer. Jonny married his best friend Michelle in 2008 and together they have four kids: Scarlett (12), Anson (9), Piper (8), and Oliver (5). They live in Cedar Valley and aspire to travel the world where Michelle shops and Jonny writes an epic science-fiction novel.

Prior to Pennbridge, Mr. Bentz oversaw the accounting for a portfolio of multi-family properties for Pacific Urban Residential, a subsidiary of the private equity firm, Marcus & Millichap Company in Palo Alto, CA. While at Pacific Urban, Michael performed accounting and financial analysis for the acquisitions, sales and refinancing of properties across the West Coast valued at over $500mn.

Mr. Bentz began his career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the semiconductor industry of Silicon Valley. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University and is a licensed CPA.

Taylor Massey is the Property Support Manager for Pennbridge Lodging and is responsible for overseeing the smooth operations of various properties under the company’s portfolio. With 6 years’ experience working for various Marriott Hotels, Taylor has gained extensive knowledge and expertise in the field. His journey with Marriott began during his time as a student at Utah Valley University, where Taylor pursued and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Minor in Business Management. Balancing his studies and work, Taylor started working part-time for the Courtyard by Marriott in Provo Utah, that served as the launching pad for his career.

Taylor enjoys spending his time traveling the world with his wife, snowboarding, enjoying the outdoors, and getting together with family and friends.

After finding interest in his older brother’s career, Tanner started in the hospitality industry as a front desk clerk for the Fairfield Inn & Suites Provo Orem. In early 2022 Tanner transferred to its sister hotel, the TownePlace Suites Provo Orem, to be the Front Desk Supervisor. In October of that same year he returned to the Fairfield Inn & Suites to be the Assistant General Manager.

Tanner has lived in Utah his whole life and enjoys spending time outdoors with his friends and family, as well as, traveling. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, skiing, playing cards and, board games with his friends.

As assistant controller, Mr. Payne is responsible for accounts payable, bank reconciliations, financial statement review and other accounting responsibilities for the hotels managed by Pennbridge Lodging. He has been in the accounting field for over ten years and received his Bachelors of Accounting from Boise State University in May 2013. Prior to joining Pennbridge Lodging Mr. Payne worked for Jitasa, an accounting firm working exclusively with non-profit clients throughout the United States. Jason has a passion for the outdoors and everything sports related, especially football and baseball.

Ms. Elliott handles Accounts Payable responsibilities and credit card reconciliation for Pennbridge Lodging as well as the hotels managed by Pennbridge Lodging.  Her prior work experience includes plywood and glu-lam beam sales for Boise Cascade where she was instrumental in moving millions of board feet from eight mills across the country.  She also worked for Cardinal Logistics as a transportation coordinator.  There, Denise handled payroll for up to 30 drivers, customer invoicing, claim reconciliation, daily piece tracking, and daily driver tracking with routing across five states.   Most recently Denise worked for Bodybuilding.com where she was an accounts payable specialist.  Her duties included analyzing, prioritizing and coding internal and external multi-entity corporate payables.

Denise received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Boise State University in 1993.  She enjoys boating, waterskiing, golf, and any other sports.  She even loves to watch sports, specifically football and baseball.

Kylee Harkness is the Administrative Assistant in the Utah Corporate Office for Pennbridge. Among her responsibilities are: Answering and directing phone calls; Organizing and scheduling appointments; Distribution of emails, correspondence memos, letters, faxes and forms; Assistance in the preparation of regularly scheduled reports; Filing System Development and Maintenance; Maintenance/Distribution of revenue, audit, and expense reports. Kylee recently graduated from Utah Valley University with a degree in Behavioral Science. Aside from her position at Pennbridge, she teaches various styles of dance and loves it. Kylee also enjoys boating and spending time with friends and family.

Brandy Washington is the General Manager for the SpringHill Suites by Marriott St. George Washington. She has grown up in the hospitality industry with her family owning and operating a resort in Southern Utah. She attended beauty school in Utah which is where she started working for Marriott as a Night Auditor working her way through each department to become a General Manager. Brandy has been a General Manager for all three major Hotel Brands Marriott, Hilton, and IHG with experience in the majority of Marriott’s Select Brands.  

Brandy enjoys free time with her husband and two kids, supporting their sporting events and lots of time spent at the pool.

Pattrik Wyatt has joined the Pennbridge Lodging team at the SpringHill Suites St. George/Washington as the Director of Sales. He began his hospitality career in 2013 and has contributed to the success of three other properties. As Director of Sales he is responsible for corporate accounts, group sales, event space, and is committed to the providing outstanding customer service and guest satisfaction.

Prior to joining Pennbridge he worked in the restaurant industry, opening several restaurants in the Southern Utah area while going to school. Pattrik graduated from Dixie State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration in 2013. He enjoys travelling and visiting new places with his wife and four daughters.

Brian Larsen is the Dual General Manager of the Fairfield Inn and TownePlace Suites in Orem. He has been in the Hospitality business for over 25 years and has been a General Manager for all three major Hotel Brands (Marriott, IHG & Hilton). Mr. Larsen previously was an opening General Manager for Pennbridge Lodging at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Murray in 2014. He was also named the Pennbridge Lodging 2016 General Manager of the Year.

Mr. Larsen studied Hotel Restaurant Management at Lake Tahoe Community College and Cuesta College in California. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and being outdoors.

Abby Carter has worked in hospitality sales since 2014, when she joined the Pennbridge family. Since 2014, she has assisted in the opening of two Pennbridge properties, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Murray and the Fairfield Inn & Suites of Orem. She is currently the Director of Sales over both the TownePlace Suites by Marriott and the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott of Orem, Utah.  As the Director of Sales, she oversees all corporate accounts, group sales and event space. 

Prior to joining Pennbridge Lodging, Abby worked in Minor League Baseball for 4 years. Starting out as a media relations intern, Abby transitioned into management positions, eventually becoming the general manager for the Seattle Mariners Single-A team in Pulaski, Virginia.

Abby graduated from Brigham Young University in 2010 with a degree in Public Relations. She is an avid tennis and baseball enthusiast. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her nephews, reading and traveling to her favorite vacation spot, New York City.

Curtis Hansen is a Regional Manager for Pennbridge Lodging and the Dual General Manager of the Fairfield Inn and TownePlace Suites in Twin Falls. Mr. Hansen was the Opening General Manager for both of the award-winning properties in Twin Falls. During his tenure as General Manager, the hotels have received both the Gold and Silver Circle awards from Marriott, the Community Ignitor Award 2015, 2014 Rookie Business of the Year, and 4 Year running top hotel, Readers’ Choice for the Magic Valley. Mr. Hansen was also named the Pennbridge Lodging 2015 General Manager of the Year. Curtis has also been very active in the community having served as Chairman of the Board for the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves as a commissioner on the Twin Falls Planning and Zoning.

Prior to starting with Pennbridge Lodging in February 2014, Mr. Hansen worked for various hotel management companies as General Manager and Area Manager. Most recently, Mr. Hansen worked for White Lodging, managing the Courtyard Marriott Grand Junction Colorado and previously the Springhill Suites Salt Lake City Airport.

Mr. Hansen has over 20 years working in hospitality management and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality Management from Utah Valley University in 2005. He has worked under many flags most notably, Hilton, Choice Hotels, Hampton, Best Western and Marriott.

Tyler Byron is currently the General Manager of the TownePlace Suites in Twin Falls, Idaho and started working with the Pennbridge in July of 2020.

He began his hospitality career in 2015 working a front desk position during college at the Courtyard in Provo, Utah and has since contributed to the success of four other properties while advancing through management. His greatest hospitality achievement was placing Top 15 in the world for the STR Student Market Study Competition, a prestigious global competition for University student teams to showcase their understanding and analytical expertise in the hospitality industry.

Tyler graduated from Western Governors University with a Bachelor of Science in Business - Healthcare Administration, emphasis in HR values and ethics in 2020. He enjoys travelling, sports, and hiking with his wife and daughter

Ben Weston joined Pennbridge Lodging in December of 2021 as a Dual-Property Director of Sales at the Fairfield Inn & TownePlace Suites in Twin Falls Idaho. Being a dual-property Director of Sales he is in charge of Corporate Account Sales and Event & Group Bookings. His position with Marriott at the Fairfield Inn & TownePlace Suites gets him out into the community to build relationships and represent our beautiful Hotels.

Ben attended Ricks College for 2 years with a focus on Business Management. He has had a career in the banking industry  for the last 20 years here in the Magic Valley working with Business owners and Individuals building their dream homes. Because of this he is a lifetime member of the Magic Valley Builders Association. Ben has helped his family run and operate their hotels in Idaho, and Utah for the last 20 years under the Choice, Best Western, and Weston Inn Brand names. Along with these accomplishments he is also a Twin Falls Chamber Member Ambassador.

Ben has lived in Twin Falls, Idaho for 20 years and enjoys spending time with his wife and his four beautiful daughters. In his free time he loves to camp, travel the world, and support his girls in all of their sporting events.

Doug Russo is the General Manager of the Residence Inn Boise by Marriott in Boise, Idaho.  He has been in the Hospitality business for over 25 years.  He is General Manager certified for all three of the major Hotel Brands (Marriott, IHG & Hilton). 

Prior to starting with Pennbridge in July 2020.  He worked for Stonebridge Hospitality Company for 6 years.  He was the General Manager of the Doubletree by Hilton in Grand Junction Colorado after receiving a promotion from being the General Manager at the Courtyard by Marriott in Glenwood Springs.  His biggest achievement was winning the Hospitality Award for Doubletree by Hilton for Hotels with 225 rooms or more in 2019. He also won the Hilton Pride Award for Doubletree by Hilton and was nominated for the Care Cup three consecutive years. 

Mr. Russo graduated with honors from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island with his Associate Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management.  He enjoys traveling with his family and playing anything that is competitive. 

Alexander Tranter is the Assistant General Manager of the Residence Inn Boise by Marriott in Boise, Idaho. Alexander brings over a decade of Hospitality experience including over 8 years at Marriott properties.

Alexander started his career in 2010 as a Front Desk Agent and Room Service attendant at the Radisson Hotel San Francisco Airport Bayfront. Once graduating from San Francisco State University with his Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management, Alexander transferred his career to San Diego where he pursed his hospitality career at the Full Service La Jolla Marriott as an Operations Supervisor. Alexander’s career then proceeded to Dual Supervisor overseeing operations at the Carlsbad Residence Inn and Courtyard Carlsbad before being promoted as the Operations Manager of the Courtyard San Diego Central.

Alexander has experience in all facets of the hotel operations and has spearheaded departments in Housekeeping, Front Desk, and Food Beverage.

Alexander strives to provide a sterling guest experience and aligns the team’s goals with expectation of the company. Alexander excels in team building, employee retention, and is passionate about the intangible asset of the human element in hospitality.

In Alexander’s spare time he enjoys hiking and fishing in the beautiful mountains of Idaho. And he is often found swimming laps that equate to miles in the pool. The biggest joy of Alexander’s life is his three-year-old son, James.

Kristina Tobin joined Pennbridge Lodging in August of 2021 as the Sales & Catering Manager at the Residence Inn Boise City Center.  She is responsible for event and group sales.

Kristina has 20 years of experience working in the hospitality industry with the first 7 years in Front Office and the latter 13 years in Catering Sales.  She started her career with the Summerfield Suites as a front desk agent in 2000 and that’s where her passion for hospitality began.  Upon graduating college in 2004, she joined the Ritz Carlton team in Half Moon Bay, California, where she quickly excelled over the next 3 years.  With a strong desire to expand her experience and service in hospitality, Kristina stepped into a Catering Sales Manager role with the Sheraton and Westin Hotels in Palo Alto, California in 2007.  Kristina’s accolades include being named Employee of the Year, being a part of the “Catering Sales Team of the Year” and receiving Catering Sales Manager of the Quarter awards for her excellence in service. 

Kristina strives to exceed customer expectations and the goals of the company.  She thrives on building relationships and being a partner to all of her clients.

Kristina graduated from Mills High School in Millbrae, California and obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Management from San Francisco State University.

In her free time, Kristina enjoys hiking, swimming and spending time with her family.

Emma began her journey in the hospitality industry in August 2016 after moving to Denver from California. After working her way up in different departments, she became the AGM at Towneplace Suites by Marriott Denver Airport at Gateway Park. Emma joined Pennbridge lodging in May 2021, she was promoted to General Manager in August 2021.

Before moving to Denver, she worked at a Group Home Facility as the House Manager for 15 years and as an administrative assistant for five years. Emma loves spending time with her family.

Abigail entered the hospitality industry in February 2019 working as a front desk clerk. She joined Pennbridge Lodging in May 2021 as the Sales Manager, becoming the Assistant General Manager in August 2021 at Towneplace Suites by Marriott Denver Airport at Gateway Park. She is responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of the concierge, housekeeping, and maintenance teams in conjunction with the GM to ensure all departments run smoothly and efficiently.

Abigail holds an Associate of Arts degree and is motivated to grow professionally. She’s excited to be part of the Pennbridge/Denver team. She enjoys traveling and movie nights with her family.

Mark Hayes is the General Manager of Element by Westin SkySong in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has been in Hospitality for over 9 years. Prior to starting with Element in July of 2020, he worked for Holiday Inn & Suites for 3 years and Graduate Hotels for 5 years.

Mark started as a night Auditor for Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North. He worked his way up to General Manager through the Rooms & Sales Departments. Mark championed high guest satisfaction scores by working to improve hotel culture and communication. Ultimately won Best Culture Award, and most Improved Loyalty Recognition from IHG.

As General Manager of Graduate Hotel’s first property to open, Mark worked to establish the brand both in his local community as well as college towns across the nation as Graduate grew to over 35 properties. Mark has been recognized by Graduate Hotels for Best in Marketing, Best in Guest Service, and recognized by the City of Tempe as a Community Campion for his work on the Tempe Town Car and his volunteer efforts to support Tempe Tourism by working to pass legislation to better financially support Tourism offices around Arizona.

Mark enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his three dogs. When not at home or work, Mark is traveling and trying new cuisine.

Rebecca Potter is the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Element by Westin SkySong in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rebecca is an enthusiastic hospitality sales & marketing leader with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding group and leisure revenue goals and even setting a few property records along the way! She has successfully repositioned hotels following significant capital investments and rebranding through brand messaging and implementation of new brand standards, social media and public relations. Rebecca brings with her an extensive hospitality background in operations and sales.

Rebecca’s passion projects include baking for the Arizona Chapter of For Goodness Cakes, which provides custom birthday caked for at-risk youth and foster kids and her 1966 VW bug. Rebecca enjoys time with her family including three teenagers, two rescue dogs and the coolest cat ever.