Anna Marie Presutti, VP and General Manager of Nikko Hotels International and MSU Alumna, presented at this year’s HRA Board of Advisors’ Speaker Series on MSU campus. Ms. Presutti was joined by her management team from the Nikko Hotels property in San Francisco. Prior to her presentation, her and her team held a panel session in Hospitality Strategic Management (HRA 480). This gave the students a great opportunity ask career and industry questions to a group of individuals in high-level management positions. Ms. Presutti completed her visit with a very energetic presentation on the successes of Nikko Hotels International! The presentation was attended by students, faculty, staff and friends of HRA.

When she was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Hotel Nikko San Francisco in 2006, Ms. Presutti made history as the first female vice president of Nikko Hotels International, a Japanese company that operates 79 properties worldwide. The Nikko Hotel was selected by the SF Business Times as a Best Place to Work in the Bay Area for the past four years; and congruently this year overall Employee Satisfaction Scores reached a record 97%. Ms. Presutti’s passion for consistent excellence has also driven the Nikko San Francisco to gain its Forbes’ Four Star Award in 2013 – no small feat, as there are only five 4-star, 4-diamond hotels in the City of San Francisco. Consistently named one of “The Most Influential Women in the Bay Area” by the San Francisco Business Times, Presutti is a past President for NCC – PCMA and has been a member of the Board of the Hotel Council of San Francisco for several years, serving as the President of that organization in 2012. She began her hospitality career at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. During this formative period, she realized that pixy dust, smoke and mirrors, and fireworks may go a long way in creating a “wow” but the true magic comes through being genuine about customer service, truly listening to co-workers and guests alike, and serving both entities with compassion and dignity. Before joining Hotel Nikko San Francisco as Vice President of Sales & Marketing in 2004, she served as Area Director of Sales & Marketing for Kimpton Hotels in San Francisco. Her experience also includes leadership positions with ITT Sheraton, Hilton Hotels and Sunstone Hotel Properties. Presutti grew up in Kansas City and studied Communication Disorders at Missouri State University.