Colleen McCollum
Age: 40
Place of birth: Philadelphia, PA.
First job: The Jigger Shop, Mt. Gretna, PA.
First job out of College: The Ritz-Carlton New York, NYC.
What it taught me: That we are all “ladies and gentleman serving ladies and gentleman,” no matter what your background. And we can all succeed in life with hard work and dedication.
Where you live: New York City.
city you work in: New York City.
Irish roots: Paternal great-grandparents John and Hannah (O’Doherty) McCollum from Donegal. Maternal great-grandmother, Sarah Crawford (Donahue) of Famine Irish, who settled in West Philadelphia.
Best advice anyone ever gave me: “Just make it happen!”
Best advice I could give someone starting out: Do what you love for a living as it will take you places that you have never thought you would have been. Plus, your passion for what you do will influence the people around you to make this world a better place.
Biography: Colleen McCollum was recently promoted to the role of Vice President, sales for Carino Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, a sales and customer information company dedicated to assisting luxury hotels. A charter employee of the company, McCollum joined the organization as Director of Sales in 2002 and her immediate contributions to the Carino Collection consisted of building a global sales team and overseeing sales/revenue to member hotels. Additionally, McCollum is responsible for the process of data mining the revenue stream and is responsible for direct selling (B2B) to the corporate transient market.
McCollum has a strong background in the hospitality industry. Working at global hotel chains such as Ritz-Carlton, Loews Hotels, and Preferred Hotels/IndeCorp has given her the foundation to build upon. After achieving year-over-year growth, it is quite clear why the Carino Collection, now Carino Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, was compelled to promote her to Executive Director of Sales in just three short years and to Vice President, Sales two years later.
McCollum is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel & Restaurant Recreational Management. She has served as a member of Hospitality Sales and Marketing International (HSMAI); Chairman of Special Events and is serving as the President of New York City Business Travel Association (NYCBTA). Additional posts include Director of Membership and Vice President of NYCBTA. McCollum continues to hold membership positions in NBTA, NJBTA and ACTE.
A native of Central Pennsylvania, she regards her roots as a central part of her upbringing. McCollum still has family in Ireland, which she visits often. She currently resides in New York City, however, she considers Florida her home where her parents, brother, sister-in-law and two nephews reside.