Colwen Hotels
Careers at Colwen Hotels
Mission
High-quality service for guests and good value for owners.
History
Since its founding in 1998, Colwen Hotels has steadily grown over the last twenty years to become one of the largest hotel management companies in the Northeast of the United States. The company has its origins in Colwen Lodging, LLC, founded in 1996. Its first client was the Marriot Residence Inn in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The company name is a portmanteau of the Co-founders, Colin Nadeau’s and Wendell Butcher’s first names. Prior to founding Colwen, Wendell had been a 23-year veteran of the hotel management business. He served as Regional Director for Marriot Hotels in the Northeast before resigning from his position in 1995. He had also worked as the General Manager of the Boston-Peabody Marriot and Director of Operations at the JW Marriot in Washington DC.
The Marriot in Foxborough was awarded Hotel of the Year in 1999. Its VP of Operations was selected as GM of the year in 2002 by the Residence Inn company. Many of Colwen’s other properties have received awards over the years. In 2004, the Homewood Suites in New Hampshire was awarded National Hotel of the Year and received the Highest Guest Satisfaction score.
In 2008 Leo Xarras joined the company as a partner, managing several Colwen-owned and operated properties. He would later be appointed Chairman of the Board at Colwen Management, Inc. in 2011. Another high-profile person to come on board was Karl Grover, who was appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company in 2013. Wendell Butcher retired from his position that same year.
Colwen has chosen to maintain their geographic focus on the New England region of the North-eastern United States. The company has steadily grown its portfolio to 13 hotels and six brands in the region. It also opened its first full-service hotel, the Renaissance Hotel, in 2009.
