James Dimonekas is the executive vice president, group publisher at Sandow Media, publisher of several high-end consumer publications including: Worth, NewBeauty, Luxe Interiors + Design and Watch Journal. In addition, Sandow Media recently acquired Interior Design, 944, GenArt and the Furniture Today Group. Mr. Dimonekas joined Marquis Jet in June 2007 as president of MGX Lab, a Web development company that specializes in incubating, innovating and developing brand experiences and whose clients include Tom Brady, The Jonas Brothers, American Idol and Muhammad Ali. He also served as senior vice president for Marquis Jet and executive vice president for Suite-Access, in addition to holding several other executive positions in publishing.
Richard Dusseau is the president and CEO of Spa Strategy, Inc., one of the largest consultancies focused on spa, lifestyle and wellness brands in countries around the globe. His clients include Host Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, The Walt Disney Company, Jumierah, Fairmont and Marriott. Before founding Spa Strategy, Mr. Dusseau headed Spatality Holdings, a pioneer in the wellness industry offering a full spectrum of branded and transparent spa solutions available for licensing, franchising and management. A noted industry thought-leader, author, and public speaker, Mr. Dusseau is a member of several prestigious academic and business advisory boards.
Jan Freitag is the vice president, global development at Smith Travel Research (STR), a recognized leader in lodging industry benchmarking services. In his capacity Mr. Freitag is a frequent public speaker and is quoted in trade publications and the general news media such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, Forbes and others. He also writes a monthly column for Lodging Magazine, the official magazine of the AH&LA. At STR, he oversees a variety of projects, all charged with the accumulation and interpretation of global lodging data. Prior to joining STR, Mr. Freitag was the director of content integrity at hotelreports.com in upstate New York and a hospitality consultant with Ernst & Young in Phoenix.
Prescott Stewart is the managing director of development at the Harvard Business School. In this role, he leads a team of development professionals who are responsible for all aspects of external fundraising for the school. Prior to HBS, Mr. Stewart was the assistant headmaster at Salisbury School, executive assistant to the president of the University of Hawaii and director of alumni relations at Trinity College, where he received his BA.
According to SuiteLinq's CEO, Joseph Mustilli, the creation of the board of strategic advisors is the next step in the evolution of the company. "The hospitality industry is highly competitive and dynamic," he said. "The need to continually innovate in order to deliver value to our clients, today and tomorrow, means that ideas need to come frequently and from a variety of perspectives. The four gentlemen that we welcome to our board have experience across a variety of business verticals, all of which influence our current model to some degree. As we focus on expanding the potential of SuiteLinq's multiplatform content, connectivity and commerce services, their input is sure to open new opportunities and markets for us. I am honored and excited to have them join our team." Additional board member appointments are expected shortly, with each member serving a two-year term initially.