Extended Stay America named lodging industry veteran Bruce Haase as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. He succeeds Jonathan Halkyard, who began his tenure on Jan. 1, 2018, and who will continue to advise the company through Feb. 25, 2020. Haase also will become a director of ESA and remain as a director of ESH Hospitality, ESA's paired-share REIT, a position he has held since 2018.
Haase served as CEO of the extended-stay brand WoodSpring Hotels from 2014 to 2016 and spent 12 years in various executive positions with Choice Hotels, including EVP of global brands, marketing and operations.
ESA also announced the appointments of Kelly Poling as EVP and chief commercial officer and Randy Fox as EVP of property operations. Poling most recently was CEO of Premier Worldwide Marketing, the representative for Karisma Hotels & Resorts, and was the company's EVP of marketing and consumer revenue from 2017 to 2019. Prior to that, she served as EVP and CMO for WoodSpring Hotels. Fox joins ESA from InTown Suites and Uptown Suites, where he was COO. He also served as EVP of operations for WoodSpring Hotels from 2012 to 2016.
The appointments follow a negative third-quarter earnings report for the company.