New Executive Appointments at Chicago’s SOPHY® Hyde Park
3/6/2024
New Executive Appointments at Chicago’s SOPHY® Hyde Park
March 6, 2024. Chicago, IL. SOPHY® Hyde Park announces two senior executive appointments for the award-winning hotel, a 98-room boutique property on the south side that has garnered numerous awards and accolades since opening in 2018. Developed by The Olympia Companies and SMART Hotels, SOPHY Hyde Park is managed by Olympia Hospitality.
Michael Falkenstein Named General Manager
Michael Falkenstein has been appointed General Manager. An accomplished hotel executive, Falkenstein has spent twenty years in the luxury and lifestyle hotel space.
He began his career on the West Coast at the iconic Westin St. Francis in San Francisco and went on to open the first new-build W Hotel, the W San Francisco. His subsequent leadership positions have taken him to hotels in some of the top city centers, including W Lakeshore Chicago the W New Orleans – French Quarter, The Joule, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Dallas, The Westin Buckhead, and most recently The Iron Horse Hotel, located in Milwaukee’s trendy warehouse district.
Under his tenure, two hotels were awarded Travel + Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels in the World. Falkenstein has worked closely with the Cornerstone Restaurant Group, the Gerber Group, and Chef Charlie Palmer. He currently resides in Hyde Park.
Sandi Robinson Named Director of Sales & Marketing
Sandi Robinson has been named Director of Sales & Marketing, overseeing SOPHY Hyde Park's sales and marketing team and day-to-day operations. She comes to the hotel with over twenty years in Chicago’s hospitality industry.
Prior to SOPHY, she served as Director of Sales & Marketing at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago for 10 years. Joining the team as the senior events manager, she was promoted to Director of Sales & Marketing after two years. Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association recognized Robinson as the “Department Head of the Year in Chicago” as a part of the 2019 Stars of the Industry awards. Robinson was named by Michigan Avenue magazine to “The List” of local influencers in the Fall of 2019. In 2018, The Chicago Defender recognized her as one of the city’s “Women of Excellence”. The year prior, Robinson was awarded HSMAI’s Director of Sales and Marketing of the Year, which recognizes excellence, creativity, and leadership in hotel sales. Earlier career experience included several other leading Chicago brands, including the Four Points by Sheraton Chicago, Holiday Inn Hillside, and Spirit of Chicago.
Robinson is co-founder of the Chicago non-profit ChiGivesBack, an organization started in 2017 with a mission to inspire, empower, and influence people to give back to their communities. An ambassador for Choose Chicago, Robinson previously served as a board member for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.
Press images available upon request.
SOPHY® Hyde Park is a 98-room hotel in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood named one of “The Best New Hotels in the World” by the editors of Travel + Leisure. Developed by The Olympia Companies and SMART Hotels and managed by Olympia Hospitality, SOPHY features Mesler Chicago restaurant, a fitness center, and a private dining room. The hotel is near the University of Chicago, the new David Rubenstein Forum, the Museum of Science & Industry, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, and the future Obama Presidential Center. SOPHY® is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Lifestyle Collection. SOPHY® Hyde Park 1411 East 53rd Street Chicago, IL 60615 https://Sophyhotel.com/
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Gayle Conran
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