LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2013) – Veteran hospitality executive Roberta Rinker-Ludloff has been named Senior Vice President, Sales and Client Services of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LA Tourism), it was announced today by the organization’s President and CEO, Ernest Wooden Jr.

“Roberta is an accomplished hospitality and tourism industry executive, having spent her entire career in sales and marketing positions with top hotel brands and destination management organizations,” said Wooden. “She has a proven ability to build customer relationships and develop unique sales initiatives to drive sales both domestically and internationally. As we work to capitalize on all of the exciting new developments in Los Angeles and to capture more domestic and international sales opportunities, especially from Asia, Roberta’s expertise makes her ideal to lead LA Tourism’s selling efforts.”

Rinker-Ludloff has spent more than 30 years in executive-level sales and marketing roles with such well-known hotel brands as Hilton Hotels Corporation, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, and ITT Sheraton Corporation, along with destination management leadership at the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.  She began her career at the Sheraton Anaheim before eventually assuming the role of Regional Director of Sales for the group of prestigious Sheraton properties in Hawaii, where she gained significant experience in working with the Pacific Rim region.  At Starwood Hotels & Resorts, she led the global sales team based in White Plains, NY where she developed strategic market direction for the business-to-business sales segments. Following this, at Hilton Hotels her responsibilities included leading a regional sales and marketing team focused on domestic and international wholesaler co-op sales programs that resulted in double-digit percentage revenue growth for the organization’s three properties in Hawaii.   More recently, she was based in Hilton Hotel Corporation’s former headquarters in Beverly Hills, Calif., representing the Conrad brand as Vice President, Brand Performance, and previously Conrad’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing/North America.

As a tourism industry leader, Rinker-Ludloff has served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Travel Association and as Chairperson of the Oahu Visitors Bureau.  She was recognized by Travel Agent magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Travel” for three years. Her community involvement includes currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii chapter of JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 

Born and raised in Southern California, Rinker-Ludloff graduated from Sawyer Business College/Anaheim and attended California State University/Fullerton and the University of Geneva, Switzerland.  She will officially join LA Tourism on February 6, 2013.

Last year, Los Angeles welcomed a record 41.4 million visitors from around the globe, making it one of the most visited destinations in the U.S.   Hotel occupancy set a record at 75.4 percent, surpassing the previous 2006 record of 75.1%; and hotel rooms sold set a record at 26.64 million hotel room nights generating $180 million in tax revenue for the city.  Tourism is a leading industry in Los Angeles, supporting 386,200 jobs and contributing more than $16.5 billion in visitor spending.