The hotel industry lost one of its own December 4th after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Robert J. "Bob" Crawford, was a "Southie kid" who grew up in Boston, attended Boston Latin School and Boston College. He rose through the ranks to become chief operating officer of Howard Johnson's overseeing 500 hotels and restaurants. He was the architect of a plan to turn around Stratton Mountain Resort an internationally recognized golf and ski destination in Vermont. In the early 90s he created and managed the Hospitality Group at Bank of New England and RECOLL Management Corp.
For the past 18 years, Crawford has been president of Hospitality Resolutions, Inc., a hospitality consulting group specializing in strategic planning for hotel assets around the country. Some of his higher profile assignments included the Hyatt Regency Waikoloa, Doral Arrowwood Conference Center, Chatham Bars Inn, Boston's Four Seasons and Copley Plaza, Omni International, Miami and Intercontinental Hotel, Chicago.
Bob authored articles published by American Hotel and Motel Association and was a frequent contributor to the New England Real Estate Journal. He was a featured speaker at the New York Hotel Investment Conference and the UCLA sponsored, West Coast Hotel Investment Conference as well as several regional hospitality related conferences and seminars.
Those who knew him professionally understood that he would provide his clients the unbiased objective view of a top hospitality strategist. Those who knew him personally, understood that they had an unselfish, caring, giving friend who lived his life by one creed; "At the end of the day, can I look back and say I did it the right way? If I can, I'll be a happy man." He left his family, friends and colleagues on Saturday, December 4th, a very happy and contented man.