J. Jon Fels, CHA
225-761-1234
fhg@felshotelgroup.com

As a licensed real estate and certified hotel professional, Fels has served the hospitality industry internationally for over 35 years. He has brokered, developed, managed and/or consulted hotel assets valued in excess of $650 Million Dollars throughout the United States, Europe, the Pacific Rim and Caribbean Basin. 

A native of Germany, Fels escaped after numerous attempts over the Berlin Wall during the early 60's. After he graduated from the Lewis Hotel School in New York 3 years later, Fels accepted a management trainee’s position at the former Statler Hilton Hotel (now Capitol Hilton) in Washington D.C. Only three years thereafter, he was appointed as General Manager to the 360 room Kennedy Airport Hilton and in 1970, to Leona Helmsley’s Sheraton Sand Castle in Sarasota, Florida. 

In 1971, Fels accepted an assignment by Kemmens Wilson, founder of Holiday Inns, to open a 365 room Convention Hotel prior to the Olympics in Munich, Germany. After a very successful opening, other assignments followed: from a 740 room Twin Tower Resort Hotel Development in Las Palmas, Grand Canary Islands (Spain), as V.P. of Special Projects with corporate headquarters located in Munich, to a $225 Million Dollar Mega-Resort Development at Germany’s Baltic Sea as Managing Director. This project received media attention throughout Europe, not only for its size of 2,000 hotel rooms/7,000 beds including 150 townhouses, but for its unique concept, facilities and amenities. They included: a Medical Center with 500 beds for Sports Rehabilitation and Preventive Medicine, an Olympic Hall, a Marina with 250 slips for Boats & Yachts, a Heliport, Championship Golf Course, an Equestrian Court, a Language School, Convention Center, 6 Restaurants, and more. Fels received full credit for conceptual planning, coordination and positive financial results.

In the late 70's, Fels returned to the United States and formed Fels Hotel Group. Since, his company has managed, consulted and/or brokered independent boutique, historic landmark, convention and resort hotels, franchised properties, such as Hiltons, Sheratons, Raddison, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inns, Best Westerns, Quality Inns, Days Inns, Sleep Inns, Travelodge, Howard Johnsons and more. 

For over 20 years, Fels has lived in Baton Rouge, LA and is 100% stockholder of three corporations held under Fels Hotel Group’s umbrella and owns one Boutique Hotel and an Office Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fels Hotel Group’s services have been provided to investors, developers, lenders and the FDIC. His firm has been retained for management and brokerage contracts, including specialized services such as Expert Witness, Court-Appointed Special Receiver/Trustee, Valuations, Repositionings and Conversions.

Since 1990, Fels Hotel Group’s management included the Thunderbird Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and a 4,000-acre resort development in West Virginia. He has consulted hotel investors in Florida, i.e. Miami’s upscale Grove Isle Club & Resort; five resort hotels in the Caribbean Islands (Honduras, Curacao, Belize and the Cayman Islands); including the Princess Beach Resort Hotel & Casino in Curacao; as well as a 600-room Convention Hotel Development in Bangkok, Thailand. Having served as hotelier on three Continents qualified Mr. Fels to join the prestigious Global Hoteliers Club.

In Louisiana alone, his company has brokered, consulted, or managed eight hotels in New Orleans, including the famous Bourbon Orleans and Maison DeVille in the French Quarter; the Avenue Plaza Suite Hotel (timeshare) on St. Charles Avenue; and the Landmark Hotel in Metairie; six hotels in Baton Rouge, including the Hilton and the historic Capitol House; five hotels in Alexandria, including the historic Hotel Bentley; three hotels in Lafayette, including the former Sheraton Hotel, as well as the historic Natchez Eola in Mississippi, and others.

Fels’ management style, communication and marketing skills, combined with his innovative and aggressive approach to performance and results, has earned him the Holiday Inn’s European Innkeeper of the Year Award, Dale Carnegie Leadership Award, and six of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s prestigious annual Gold Key Achievement Awards. He has also been a Board Member of the Baton Rouge Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Baton Rouge Hotel Association, Baton Rouge Symphony and Friends of the Centroplex Theatre.

As Publisher and Editor of the FELS HOTEL REPORT, a quarterly newsletter that reports hospitality insights and trends, Mr. Fels reaches over 1,200 hotel owners, investors, lenders, appraisers, developers and co-brokers nationwide.