CHICAGO, Ill.
The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago announced the appointment of Marcus Cornelious as director of sales and marketing.
Bringing a decade of hospitality experience to the position, Cornelious will oversee all aspects of sales, catering and marketing of the 311-room hotel on the Magnificent Mile, as well as its 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space, Circa restaurant and lounge and the hotel’s outdoor terrace, Upstairs at The Gwen. The role at The Gwen allows Cornelious to return to Chicago, where he launched his career, and continue his tenure with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which began in 2010.
Cornelious was most recently with the W New York–Union Square, serving as the director of sales and marketing since 2015. He led the hotel’s sales efforts, as well as managed all marketing, public relations, and promotional activities. Prior to that position, Cornelious was a senior sales manager for The Miami Beach EDITION, based out of New York City, where he also organized pre-opening sales efforts on behalf of The New York EDITION.
Before relocating to Manhattan, Cornelious was a national account director on the pre-opening sales team at The Langham, Chicago, as well as a Complex Group Sales Manager for W Chicago–Lakeshore and W Chicago–City Center. He also spent three years as a sales leader at Hiltons of Chicago, where he sold six properties in the Chicagoland area, including the Conrad Chicago, The Palmer House Hilton, and The Drake.
“Marcus’ history with both Starwood and Marriott hotels, as well as his familiarity with the Chicago market, will allow him to hit the ground running,” says Scott Stuckey, general manager at The Gwen. “His enthusiasm is contagious, and his success record speaks for itself.”
A graduate of Chicago’s Kendall College, Cornelious holds a B.A. in International Business Management with a concentration in Hotel Management. Not only was Cornelious a member of Alpha Chi National Honors Society, but was also valedictorian of his class and earned certification from Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Marbella, Spain.
