LEXINGTON, Ky. — Whitney Franklin has been named director of catering & events at the Lexington Marriott City Center and Residence Inn Lexington City Center.
“Whitney brings her knowledge of planning and creating notable events to our team,” said Courtney Jones, director of sales and marketing. “Her drive for excellence will contribute to the amazing atmosphere our hotels will illustrate each day by producing events to remember.”
Franklin brings over 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry to her new role. Franklin, who grew up in Greenup, Ky., is a hospitality management and tourism graduate of the University of Kentucky. She spent nearly seven years in Atlanta working in off-premise catering, primarily with Proof of the Pudding. This venture allowed her the opportunity to work in a variety of environments with clientele ranging from corporate executives to blushing brides.
As Happy Chandler said, “I’ve never met a Kentuckian who wasn’t either thinking about going home or actually going home.”
Whitney moved back to her home state in 2013 and worked in both the association and nonprofit sectors, most recently as the director of event sales at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill where she founded the organization’s events team.
“Our city is ready for this: the quality and standards of the Marriott brand coupled with the local, boutique atmosphere our ownership envisioned from the start,” said Franklin. “It’s an exciting time to be living in Lexington, to be in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lexington, and to be a part of the team who is going to bring such an experience to the heart of downtown.”
Whitney and her husband, Jason, spend their free time with their four rescue dogs: Nash, Milly, Lilly, and Ripley.
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