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
Barry Caplan
Founder
& Principal
Barry Caplan
Founder
& Principal
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.
Benjamin Hur
Chief Financial Officer
Benjamin Hur
Chief Financial Officer
Serving as the Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Hur has been an accounting executive in the hospitality industry for nearly 20 years with some of the top management companies as well as private equity in the country: Pyramid Hotel Group, HEI Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants.
Mr. Hur’s experience includes overseeing portfolio of hotels as VP Finance, Corporate and Regional Controller where he was responsible for providing operational support and financial leadership. His experience also includes leading various hotel acquisition, and transition projects where he was fully responsible for the implementation of standard operating procedures and financial systems. During his tenure in the industry, Mr. Hur has oversight of $1 Billion+ hotel real estate and reported to numerous privately held and publicly traded ownership groups; this attribute allows him to fully understand investor’s return on investment goals and the operational model that adheres maximum efficiency and productivity.
Mr. Hur holds Masters in Accounting from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and also is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
Jaavid Bharucha
VP of Revenue Generation
Devesh Singh
Corporate Director
of Operations
Gerard Folly
Corporate Director
of Operations - Transitions
Diane Young
Corporate Director
of Sales
Karyn Walter
Corporate People
Services Director
Shannon Green
Corporate Director
of HR
Dave Walter
Food and Beverage
Operations
Kenneth Adams
Corporate
Accounting Manager
meet the founders
Mark Lahood
Founder
and President
Mark Lahood
Founder
and 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.
Thomas Baker
Founder
and CEO
Thomas Baker
Founder
and 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.