Denver, CO (April 4, 2023)- Hay Creek Hotels and Restaurants and Victory Hotels Partners have added two new members to their team of hospitality veterans. Rick Blackburn joins Hay Creek Hotels as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Tommy Pho joins Victory Hotels Partners as the Vice President of Development.

Rick Blackburn’s career in hospitality started at an early age washing dishes in a local hometown
restaurant and by age 15 he had learned how to cook in a commercial kitchen. Thirty five years later,
with his career shifting from the kitchen to corporate, Rick has demonstrated an innate ability to
uncover the greatest opportunities within a business to ensure optimization of revenue, profitability and
market share. Rick Blackburn held previous leadership roles with preeminent companies including
Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company where
he developed and executed highly-successful sales and marketing strategies. Mr. Blackburn has served as guest speaker for numerous organizations, including the College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and The Hospitality College of Johnson & Wales, as well as, certified speaker for the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

Rick Blackburn 

“Rick has built a reputation as someone who knows how to establish process, procedures and top-line
sales necessary for sustainable, profitable growth,” said Gary Sims, CEO of Hay Creek Hotels and
Restaurants. “In this new role, Rick will support our property level sales efforts, corporate account
management as well as revenue management. I’m thankful to be able to work alongside a true
professional and someone I’ve had the pleasure of working with before for many years. The company
will benefit immensely from his expertise.”

Tommy comes to Victory Hotel Partners with over 12-years of hotel advisory experience representing
over $4 billion in hospitality assets though all phases of hotel real estate across a wide range of property types, brands, and markets.  Tommy brings expertise in development, investment underwriting,
operational assessments, property and portfolio valuations, contract negotiation, and value creation
through asset management for all product types and brands to develop strategies for achieving
investment objectives.  Prior to joining the industry, Tommy earned a business degree at Cornell
University with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Real Estate.  He also has an economics degree from UCLA and a culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America.

Tommy Pho 

“Tommy Pho brings complex financial modeling and a valuable hospitality real estate background to the
team,” said Greg Mount, Founder and CEO of Victory Hotel Partners. “As Vice President, Tommy will handle operations assessments, development advisory, and due diligence for various asset acquisitions. We’re fortunate to have such a talented and experienced leader as part of our development team.”

ABOUT HAY CREEK HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS
Based in New York, NY, Denver, CO, and Medellin, Columbia, Hay Creek Hotels and Restaurants is a leader in upscale independent full-service lodging and dining. Guided by international hospitality industry veterans, the company prides itself on a unique combination of award-winning dining experiences, exceptional guest service, and contemporary accommodations. The company offers a full spectrum of technical and third-party management services to boutique hotel owners and developers. Hay Creek Hotels combines decades of industry expertise with fully integrated management systems specifically designed for full-service upscale and luxury-oriented hotels and resorts. For more information please visit: www.haycreekhotels.com.

ABOUT VICTORY HOTEL PARTNERS
VICTORY Hotel Partners is a premiere Real Estate Investment and Hospitality Management Company
based out of Denver, Colorado.  VICTORY  participates in third party management, asset management, and renovation project management.  VICTORY also provides fee-based consultancy, including
development, asset reviews, market studies, franchise negotiations and system aggregation for
independent hotels.  The company is experienced with the world’s leading hotel brands and distribution
systems.  For more information, please visit victoryhotelpartners.com.