According to the Oxford definition of the word, an expert is an individual who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. Del Ross is an expert.
More specifically, Ross is an expert in hotel profitability optimization. He serves as the CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) of Hotel Effectiveness, a role in which he has notably reduced labor costs for more than 754,000 hotels. His extensive experience in the hotel industry includes every aspect of the business and a number of branches, including management in distribution channels, sales, customer loyalty and lifecycles, digital marketing, operations and e-commerce.
Ross also holds multiple patents in the field of marketing technology, has served as conference chairman for Eye for Travel and serves on the board of directors of Lucena Research, a machine learning/artificial intelligence company.
To boot, he is also a musician who enjoys coaching youth sports as well as entrepreneurial mentoring. He and his wife Jamie, of more than 27 years, reside in Sandy Springs where they have four children, ranging in age from 15 to 25. Oh, and a golden retriever named Charlie.
When his children were young, they vacationed on Jekyll. They loved to bike all over the Island, play on the beach, enjoy [Summer Waves] water park, play miniature golf and croquet, and spent nearly the entire time laughing and smiling at each other. It was magical and peaceful and fun – exactly the kind of getaway their busy family needed. Today, they continue to return again and again, always discovering new things to love about this great treasure in our home state of Georgia.
Ross’ combined hotel and hospitality know-how, paired with his long-time love for Jekyll Island, came together to make the role of board member at the Jekyll Island Foundation a perfect fit.
Del joined the board in 2020. Prior to his appointment, his family had been regular visitors to the Island for many years and have come to love its beauty, attractions, and history. His father, Danny Ross, served on the [JIF] Board for 9 years and recommended Del to succeed him. They served together during Danny’s final year on the Board during which time he imparted much of his perspective and passion for the mission of JIF and its potential to expand its impact.
Del’s passion to serve also stems from the belief that Jekyll Island is a national treasure which has been carefully curated and nurtured by the State of Georgia via the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA), the managing entity. “Over the past 15 years, various state leaders have been wonderful supporters of Jekyll Island and the JIA and have helped prevent runaway development and exploitation even as they have encouraged the economic growth of the Island,” says Ross.
During his tenure, the Foundation has grown and has attracted many new donors, members, sponsors, and key board members. They have also built the groundwork for future efforts. For his part, Del would like to be instrumental in attracting significant donors and sponsors for the Foundation’s efforts and in particular, supporting the efforts to expand the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, a rare gem that serves a vital purpose.
“One of the things I love and respect about Jekyll Island [leadership] is the commitment to growth, while maintaining the authenticity and integrity of its history, simplicity, and natural beauty. [Previous JIA Executive Director Jones Hooks] was a remarkable leader who oversaw a dramatic growth in tourism to the island while at the same time avoiding the commercialization,” says Ross.
Going forward, he “… would love for more people to experience the magic of Jekyll and do so in a way that adds to our [Jekyll Island Foundation] mission of preserving and improving the historical and environmental assets which are unique to the Island,” he said.
