About Our Company
Access began in 2005 with an inventive approach to hotel management. Each of our founding members already had 25+ years of experience working with numerous hotel management companies, so we already knew what worked and what didn’t. We remain uniquely qualified to present our ideas on revenue generation and cost reduction to those who desire true change.
meet the team
Mark Lahood
Founder
& President
Mark Lahood
Founder
& President
Mark is one of the co-founders of Access Hotels & Resorts and specializes in hotel operations, accounting, and renovations for the hotel management team. Mark has also been a principal with The Melrose Hotel Corporation and the Senior Vice President of Operations. In this capacity Mark was responsible for defining the brand, acquisitions, repositioning of new hotels, capital improvements, technology, daily operations, and strategic planning.
He began his career with Marriott, where he held various positions in accounting. As a leader with Westin, Mark led his Westin franchise to achieve a AAA Four Diamond rating. The hotel was then awarded the 1997 Westin Leadership Award for quality and the Elite Hotel Award for outstanding meetings and conventions.
Barry Caplan
Founder
& COO
Barry Caplan
Founder
& COO
Serving as the co-founder and Managing Principal of Access Hotel and Resorts since 2005, Mr. Caplan has more than 33 years of Hospitality Industry experience, with extensive expertise in hotel operations, sales, and asset management.
Mr. Caplan has cultivated strong partners throughout his career advising and managing assets for pension and private equity funds, banks, brands, and servicing companies. During his tenure in the industry, Mr. Caplan has opened, repositioned, managed, renovated, disposed and acquired more than $650 million of hotel real estate.
Mr. Caplan is also the founder and President of Access Residential Management, a hospitality-focused Community Association Management Company. He is a Licensed Community Association Manager in the State of Florida and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University.
Mr. Caplan has held various key executive positions as Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Sales, Regional Director of Operations for several hotel management companies. He has Union labor hotel management experience in major Cities including New York, Washington DC, Detroit, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Dayton.
Mr. Caplan has held the position of Director of National Sales for Hilton Hotels Corporation and was honored as Hilton’s National Salesperson of the Year, the youngest in the Company’s history.
Thomas Baker
Founder
& CEO
Thomas Baker
Founder
& CEO
Tom Baker brings more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and hotel operations experience to the Access management team. Prior to forming Access, Mr. Baker served in various leadership roles, including Vice President of Marketing and General Manager for the Westin Great Southern Hotel and the Melrose Hotel in Dallas, where he utilized his expertise to build corporate brand awareness and drive revenue through e-commerce, direct mail, social media, and print media strategies.
Tom has held various positions throughout the industry including Resident Manager for the Four Star/Four Diamond Enchantment Resort and Spa in Sedona, AZ, Director of Sales for the world-renowned 680-room historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, CA and Director of Sales and Marketing for the Washington Court Hotel on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Cathy Brand
Chief Financial Officer
Cathy Brand
Chief Financial Officer
Cathy brings over 27 years of experience to Access Hotels & Resorts, where she is responsible for all aspects of accounting and finance. Prior to co-founding Access, Cathy was the Corporate Controller for GF Management, the Corporate Director of Accounting & Financial Reporting for The Melrose Hotel Corporation, and a key player at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where she worked at Westins and Sheraton’s.
Fran Taloricoo
Chief Development Officer
Fran Taloricoo
Chief Development Officer
Fran Taloricco is a hotel industry veteran with 29 years experience concentrated on the development side. Fran was most recently Managing Director of North American Development with Best Western for the last 5 years. Prior to joining Best Western, Fran spent nearly 15 years with Choice Hotels International as their Northeast Regional Vice President of Franchise Sales. A graduate of Penn State University, Fran enjoys family time with his wife Mary and their 3 children. He resides in Doylestown, PA.
Tomo Kakegawa
Corporate Director of
Revenue & Digital Marketing
Kumar Anne
Vice President
of Operations–Transitions
Devesh Singh
Regional Director
of Operations
Diane Young
Regional Director
of Sales
Karyn Walter
Corporate People
Services Director
Shannon Green
Regional Director
of Sales
Chris Smith
Corporate Chef
Teri Serrano
Vice President of
People Services