Leadership

Ashraf (Ash) Lakhany

CEO / Founder

Ashraf Lakhany is a visionary leader with over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry. As the founder of Superhost Enterprise, he has grown the company into a respected entity, specializing in management, development, acquisitions, and financing. Known for identifying high-potential opportunities while optimizing costs, Ashraf has led groundbreaking projects, such as the revitalization of Embassy Suites, introducing innovations that set new industry standards. His ideas have even been adopted by major hotel brands, including those at Homewood Indiana.
Before venturing into hospitality, Ashraf’s engineering background and experience with major construction companies provided the foundation for his success. His leadership extends across residential, commercial, and industrial real estate, focusing on creating value by converting farmland into high-value properties. Ashraf is committed to fostering economic opportunities for minority communities, emphasizing mentorship and social impact alongside business growth.

Ashraf thrives in market adversity, seizing opportunities during crashes like 1987, 2001, and 2008, turning distressed portfolios into valuable assets. His strategic foresight has made him one of the most recognized figures in real estate and hospitality today.

Education:
·  Associates Degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management
·  BA - Indiana Institute of Technology
·  MBA - Indiana University
·  Executive MBA - Dartmouth College

Samir Lakhany

President Superhost Hospitality

Samir has over 18 years of experience in the commercial real estate and hospitality industry with extensive knowledge and experience in development, investments, and operations. Starting at a very young age, his long-time passion grew Superhost to new levels, bringing great talent into the organization and taking Superhost to one of the top development and management companies. 

Prior to joining Superhost, Samir was an Investment Banking Analyst at BMO Capital Markets Bank, where he focused on Capital Markets and Asset Management platforms for the United States. Before his time as an Investment Banker at BMO, Samir worked at a Mezzanine fund that would help raise capital for companies in distressed situations. 

After his time in investment banking, Samir joined Paramount Lodging Advisors, reviewing financials of hotels, asset management overview, and capital structure for hotels under development. 

Samir went to Business School at Indiana University at the Kelly School of Business.

Education
·  MBA in Finance - Indiana University
·  BA in Real Estate
·  BA in Economics

Tim Foley

Chief Operating Officer

Tim is an industry veteran with over 40 years of hospitality experience. Recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer (COO) from his previous role as Senior Vice President of Operations, he brings a wealth of knowledge to Superhost Hospitality. Before joining Superhost, Tim served as Vice President of Operations at Spire Hospitality, overseeing daily operations across a diverse portfolio, from limited-service hotels to full-service destination resorts. Additionally, Tim was an award-winning hotel leader during his tenure at Virgin Hotels Chicago, where he further demonstrated his ability to drive operational excellence and innovation.

His expertise spans brand repositioning, asset management, hotel acquisitions, and food and beverage operations, delivering consistent, proven results. Tim began his hospitality journey with Hyatt Hotels, where he advanced through multiple transfers and promotions in Food and Beverage. His career has taken him across the country—from Texas with the Worthington Operating Company, to South Florida with Carnival/Continental Companies (Registry Hotels), New Jersey with Meristar (Doral Hotels), and finally to Chicago with Interstate Hotels (Doral Hotels), before transitioning to an Asset Manager role with Tiburon Capital.

Laura Lotz

Vice President of Sales and Revenue

Laura joined Superhost Hospitality in November after working  for12 years with Moody National Companies.  The last 7 years of her time with Moody National Companies was as the Corporate Director of Sales and Revenue, based in Houston, Texas. Before she was promoted to the corporate position she was the Area Director of Sales in the Philadelphia region for 4 years. Laura was responsible for the top-line revenue and sales effort for all of Moody's managed hotels in her corporate position , which grew to a portfolio of 30 properties. Having more than 20 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing Laura has held such positions as Director of Business Transient Sales, Director of Sales, and Director of Catering. Prior to joining Moody National, she worked for hotels within  The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Wyndham International, Interstate Hotels and Hilton Hotels. Before beginning her hotel career with the Ritz-Carlton, Laura was a meeting planner for The American Diabetes Association.

Kori Eller

Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Counsel

Kori brings over a decade of hospitality HR, risk and legal leadership expertise to Superhost Hospitality, having served in diverse roles at both the corporate and hotel level. Her extensive experience spans across branded and independent hotels, as well as luxury, lifestyle, select, extended stay, and boutique properties. Kori's accomplishments encompass the management of full-service and select-service hotels across multiple states and brands, reflecting her dedication to delivering exceptional hospitality experiences.

Kori's academic achievements are equally noteworthy. A proud alumna of Purdue University, Kori holds an undergraduate degree that provided a solid foundation for her outstanding career in the hospitality industry. She further fortified her professional credentials by pursuing a law degree at Western Michigan University and is currently a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois. Kori's exceptional educational background and diverse professional experiences make her a valuable addition to the Superhost Hospitality Executive team.

Kori's extensive experience, exceptional leadership skills, and unique perspective will enable her to contribute significantly to our organization's continued success.

Jill Uceny

Director of Systems and Analytics

Jill joined Superhost Hospitality in January 2015 after spending 7 years managing IHG branded properties. She has worked with many brands over her 18 years within  IHG, Hilton, Marriott and Choice Hotels. Jill has, worked a wide range of positions with key focus on improving operations and increasing profitability. Her passion is supporting the operations teams at limited-service properties. Her team in Fort Wayne, Indiana was recognized as hotel of the year in 2015 and 2016. She was named General Manager of the year in 2018.


 

Jennifer Kruk

Regional Director of Operations

Jennifer joined Superhost Hospitality in 2015, bringing with her 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Her journey began as a PM Front Desk Agent at a 500-room resort, where she discovered her true passion for hospitality—a realization that would shape her career path. Throughout the years, Jennifer has experience across a range of premium brands, including Hilton, Marriott, and IHG, in both full-service and select-service settings. Her commitment to excellence and deep understanding of the industry continue to drive her success.

Mark Gammill

Regional Director of Operations.

Mark brings 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked with renowned brands like Hilton, LQ, IHG, Choice, Wyndham, and Marriott. His journey began as a PM Front Desk Agent at an IHG extended stay brand, where he quickly discovered his passion for the industry. Throughout his career, Mark has contributed to the successful opening of over 50 hotels across the country, managed contact centers in Canada for brand central reservations, and led IT project management for new hotel builds and upgrades.

Jerry White

Vice President of Construction & Project Development

Prior to Jerry joining Superhost Hospitality in 2007 he had been an owner of an engineering design firm for 45 years. He is a professional engineer and architect who has designed projects worldwide. Jerry has also been involved in International Lighting Design judging and has held many offices in the Illuminating Engineering Society all over the world including Japan and Russia.

Christian Kranicki

Corporate Director of Engineering

Christian brings 20 years of Hospitality Engineering Management at such properties as the Westin Chicago Northwest, Hilton Suites Mag Mile, Public Chicago Hotel (an Ian Schrager Hotel), Chicago Marriott O'Hare and for the past 3 years, he was the Corporate Director of Engineering for Columbia Sussex Corporation overseeing 50 full-service Marriott and Hilton Properties from Anchorage Alaska to Southern Florida.
 
 

Nate Taylor

Corporate Director Of Sales


Nate has more than 11 years of hospitality, sales and marketing experience. In 2018 Nate was awarded Director of Sales of the year and twice was a key member of the team that was awarded Hotel of the Year.
 
He has worked with several major hospitality brands including Hyatt, Hilton, Choice, Marriott, and IHG. Nate has been successful at driving revenue through strategic approaches.
 
Nate obtained his associate’s degree in business from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2020, and is continuing to work towards his bachelor’s degree in marketing and branding.

Rafiq Sabir

Vice President of Accounting and Finance


Rafiq has over 20 years’ experience in the industry. He spent the first 10 years with Hilton Hotels Corporation in Memphis. While in Memphis at the Hilton corporate office, he worked his way through the Focused Service Division in the Hotel Finance Department. During that time in Hotel Finance, he led a team that centralized the accounting operation for focused service hotels located in Latin America.
 
Rafiq then moved to the Brand Finance team, which managed the financial operations of the Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Hampton Inn brands. Rafiq holds a Bachelor of Finance degree from Howard University and MBA Intl Business from Fogelman Business School, University of Memphis.  

Bruk Hanson

Corporate Director of Accounting

Bruk is the Senior Director of Hotel Accounting and Finance at Superhost Hospitality and has been making invaluable contributions to our financial operations. With an impressive educational background, Bruk attended the highly regarded Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, a school with a reputation for a rigorous curriculum and discipline. Bruk credits this formative experience for instilling in him the virtues of diligence, tenacity, and dedication that have served him so well throughout his career. Bruk's extensive knowledge and expertise makes him an invaluable asset to any organization. His commitment to excellence, combined with his experience and accomplishments, make him an outstanding team member for Superhost Hospitality.

Charles Burke

Corporate Controller

Charles joined SuperHost Hospitality in October 2018 after spending 20 years at F & F Realty, Ltd. as the Corporate Controller. He spent his earlier years in large residential communities accounting before choosing to move over to hospitality accounting where he specializes in development, construction, and acquisition accounting with focus on annual corporate and partnership tax returns. His role at Superhost allows him to continue his focus on the areas he has specialized in and utilize his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting that he received from Roosevelt University.

Candy Perez

Senior Regional Controller

Candy joined Superhost Hospitality after gaining 14 years exposure to the hospitality industry through front office operational positions where she showcased her talents at the DoubleTree by Hilton Arlington Heights. At this property she gained her GM Certification and leadership skills. Her experience with both accounts payable and receivable as well as managing team members ensures she will strike the perfect tone with our company’s accounting and finance team. She brings the leadership skills and wicked sharp insight to generate winning strategies for Superhost’s hotels.

Candy received her Revenue Management Certification through Cornell University.

Josue Esparza

Regional Controller

Josue comes to Superhost after most recently holding a Regional Controller position with a large publicly traded company.  It was in this role that he oversaw capital expenditures and monitored fixed assets while assessing new business growth opportunities.  Further, his time was spent completing month-end processes, dealing with Sales and Use Tax, reconciling bank accounts, and performing routine quarterly audits.  Josue has also had the distinction of working for one of the largest privately held transportation companies. 
 
Josue graduated from Aurora University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and has recently earned his MBA. He is committed to continual learning and firmly believes that there is always room for self-improvement and growth.

Missy Froehlke

Regional Controller

Melissa "Missy" Froehlke joins the team as a Regional Controller, bringing a wealth of hospitality experience. She began her career as a front desk agent, where her passion for the industry and interest in accounting led her to pursue formal studies in the field. Over the years, Missy has gained extensive experience with prominent hospitality brands such as Starwood, Marriott, and Interstate Hotels & Resorts, excelling in both operations and financial management. Her deep industry knowledge and hands-on experience make her a valuable asset to the team.

Syed Maghrebi

Regional Controller