Philadelphia – August 28, 2013?- Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT), owner of upscale hotels in urban gateway markets, announced today that Sandra Cardona was named Vice President of Development & Capital Planning. Cardona is responsible for overseeing development, construction and complex renovation projects for the Hersha Trust portfolio.
“Sandra has truly been integral in the growth of Hersha over the past 11 years. She was involved in our first high rise hotel in New York City, then our first boutique properties, and now she heads up the company’s capital planning team,” said HT President and COO Neil H. Shah. “Her superior fundamental skills in architecture and construction management combined with keen emotional intelligence make her a role model on all levels – Sandra is just as effective leading senior executives through challenging projects, as she is with managing her internal and external teams.”
Ms. Cardona has over 15 years of experience in architecture and project management, specializing in hospitality. Most recently she was Senior Director of Development and Capital Planning at Hersha, playing a pivotal role in projects such as the construction of a new 93-room tower at the Courtyard Miami Beach Oceanfront and post-Hurricane Sandy reconstruction of the Holiday Inn Express Wall Street. Before that, she spent five years as the New York City field-based client representative and project manager for the company, on projects including the Hampton Inn Manhattan / Chelsea and NU Hotel Brooklyn. Previously, Ms. Cardona worked at Gene Kaufman Architect, Richardson Sadeki Design Group and Datumzero Design Office.
She received a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and began her training at William B. Tabler Architect, where she had critical roles in the gut renovation of The Hotel Roosevelt as well as the downtown Brooklyn Marriott.