JQH hires O’Reilly Hospitality exec for Tenn. job

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts hired fellow Springfield-based company O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC’s senior director of operations for a job in Tennessee.

Brian Sims transitioned into his most recent OHM role from chief operating officer after serving as the founding general manager for the company’s DoubleTree Hotel in Springfield. He spent 11 years prior with JQH as general manager and assistant manager at properties in Missouri, Arkansas and West Virginia, according to a news release.

In the March 2012 Springfield Business Journal article, “JQH vets join O'Reilly Hospitality,” O’Reilly Hospitality founder Tim O’Reilly said the selection of Sims as general manager of DoubleTree was the first key hire in a handful of executive moves from JQH Hotels.

For JQH, Sims is now working as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville South Cool Springs in Franklin, Tenn. He oversees daily operations for the 250-suite, nine-story hotel that includes a meeting room with space for 800 guests.

“Brian has an award-winning reputation as a hotel leader with an emphasis on quality assurance and guest satisfaction,” JQH Regional Vice President Bob Niehaus said in the release of Sims, who has 27 years of hospitality experience.

JQH Hotels operates 35 hotels with roughly 8,500 guest rooms and suites in 16 states.