Management

Professional People, Quality Leadership

The leadership behind the successful growth of Southern Hospitality, Inc. can be attributed to the experience level and professional backgrounds of the company principals.  The principal officers of the company have more than 60 years of first-hand lodging experience.  Their professionalism, diversified experience, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence have produced an accomplished track record and an outstanding industry reputation.  The principals are aided by superior operations and management individuals with exceptional professional careers.  The principal management team for Southern Hospitality is comprised of the following industry professionals:

Robert (Bob) E. Slater, Jr., CPA, CHA, CRE is President and Chief Executive Officer.  Mr. Slater was employed for six years as a Tax Manager in the Houston office of the then "Big Eight" accounting firm of Price, Waterhouse & Company before moving to Oklahoma City to join GM Hospitality, Inc.  He served as the firm's Chief Operating Officer for approximately ten years.  In 1986, he formed Southern Hospitality, Inc.  Mr. Slater is certified by both the Oklahoma and Texas Boards of Public Accountancy and has attained the Counselor of Real Estate designation with membership in the American Society of Real Estate Counselors.

Mr. Slater is past president of the Oklahoma Hotel & Motel Association and past Chairman of the AH&MA Political Action Committee (AHMPAC).  He is a former member of the AH&MA Board of Directors and a past Chairman of the AH&MA Audit, Certification, and Credentials Committee.  He served on the Membership Development and Strategic Planning Task Forces and was Vice Chairman of the AH&MA Presidents' Council.  At the 1996 AH&MA Annual Convention & Show, Slater won the prestigious Lawson A Odde Award, given annually to the member of the AH&MA Board of Directors who contributes the most to strengthening the communication between AH&MA and its member state associations.  He has earned the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) accreditation, the highest professional designation tested and awarded by the AH&MA.  Robert Slater has attained industry and professional distinction while devoting many years to the hospitality industry on both local and national levels.  He was president of the American Hotel & Lodging Association AH&LA) in the year 2000.  The AH&LA is a federation of state and city lodging associations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, with more than 10,000 members, representing more than 1.4 million hotel rooms.  AH&LA provides operations, technical, educational, marketing, and communications services in addition to governmental affairs representation to the lodging industry.

Well know in the travel and tourism industry, Slater founded and chaired the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association.  He is on the advisory board of the Oklahoma State University School of Hotel & Restaurant Administration.  For over two decades, Mr. Slater has been directly involved in hotel operations with executive multi-unit responsibility.