TKo Hospitality launches new hospitality management company
Three distinguished entrepreneurs have collaborated to form a full-service hospitality firm, TKo Hospitality. As an affiliate of Harvey, Hanna & Associates Inc., TKo Hospitality specializes in hotel and restaurant operations, third-party management, sales, marketing, food and beverage, and franchise relationship management.
Business partners E. Thomas Harvey III, chairman; Kostas Kalogeropoulos, president/CEO; and Vince DiFonzo, COO possess over 100 years of combined industry experience and will comprise the senior leadership team for TKo Hospitality.
TKo currently operates and manages the Lighthouse Cove Resort in Dewey Beach, which consists of the Hyatt Place Hotel, The Residences at Lighthouse Cove Condominiums, The Lighthouse Restaurant, Que Pasa Mexican Restaurant, Crabbers Cove Restaurant and the on-site large events venue, The Baycenter.
TKo has aggressive plans for growth with three new development projects in the pipeline and plans to acquire existing third-party management contracts. “Our goal is to have 1,000 rooms in our portfolio within the next two years,” said Harvey.
TKo has extensive brand management experience with Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Choice International, among the many internationally known hotel brands.
“We are a boutique hospitality management company that is very hands-on, focused and will customize our services to the owner’s needs,” said Kalogeropoulos.
Harvey also serves as president and owner of Harvey, Hanna & Associates Inc. and president of Dewey Beach Enterprises Inc. HHA manages and operates over 3 million square feet of commercial real estate properties throughout Delaware. DBE is the developer and owner of the Lighthouse Cove Redevelopment Project in Dewey Beach. Prior to establishing HHA in 1998, Harvey built, owned and managed multiple waste management, recycling and transportation companies over 25 years.
Prior to joining TKo Hospitality as president and CEO, Kalogeropoulos worked with Meyer Jabara Hotels for 35 years, serving as executive vice president. Kalogeropoulos played an integral role in growing Meyer Jabara Hotels during his tenure. His hospitality career spans over 40 years, originating in Europe with Hilton International where he held several key positions in various European cities. There he developed his expertise in setting strategic partnerships, accomplishing long-range business goals, energizing work teams and achieving high levels of service.
Joining Harvey and Kalogeropoulos is DiFonzo as TKo’s chief operating officer. Prior to TKo, DiFonzo worked with Meyer Jabara Hotels for 23 years and most recently served as vice president of operations. During his tenure at Meyer Jabara Hotels, DiFonzo served as general manager of several award-winning hotels, regional director of operations, and most recently, vice president of operations. DiFonzo is an accomplished leader and has extensive experience in operations, sales and marketing, union negotiations, property acquisitions, hotel openings, brand relationships and third-party management.
“Between the business acumen and vast experience of our executive team, we will bring tremendous value to any hotel ownership group we partner with. We are small enough to offer personalized service, which allows us to be engaged and individually focused in every property we manage, while large enough to deliver strong results,” said DiFonzo.
TKo Hospitality is based out of Newport, with a southern office location in Dewey Beach. To learn more about TKo Hospitality, go to www.TKoHospitalityMgt.com To learn more about the Lighthouse Cove Resort in Dewey Beach, go to www.lighthousecovedewey.com.
