As Owner & President of PHD Hotels, Inc., Tom Hunt pursues new opportunities of development and takes an active role in ensuring the quality development, growth and profitability of each property.

Tom Hunt is a natural leader and entrepreneur, beginning with his family’s Memphis, TN pool supply company and later as owner and manager of a successful retail franchise business. Tom began his hotel career in 1992 as General Manager of the Hampton Inn – Auburn, AL, where under his management the hotel was awarded the Roy E. Winegardner Award in 1994, earning a number 8 ranking out of over 450 Hampton Inn hotels in the Total Quality Index ratings. In the four years following, he developed, managed and sold the Hampton Inn - Auburn and two other Hampton Inn properties in Mobile, AL and LaGrange, GA. In 1998, Tom and partner Howard Porter brought together their industry experience and formed PHD Hotels with the simultaneous development of two non-franchised extended stay hotels, Arbor Suites.

In his hotel career, Tom has been involved in more than a dozen hotel development and management projects of primarily Hilton-branded properties to include Hampton Inn®, Hilton Garden Inn® and Homewood Suites by Hilton® hotels. In January 2004, he was honored as the 2003 Hilton Garden Inn® Owner of the Year. According to Adrian Kurre, Senior Vice President of Brand Management, “Tom understands the importance of brand standards and product consistency, and his team champions our efforts to keep the Hilton Garden Inn brand moving forward with the times.” As a result, Tom served for four years as a member of the Hilton Garden Inn® Advisory Board, a strategic planning council dedicated to the brand’s continued growth and success. Tom was also distinguished as the 2005 Hilton® Focused Brands Developer of the Year.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University in Finance, where he was the 1981 recipient of the Outstanding Finance Student Award. In 1998 he was awarded the MBA Advisory Council Scholarship for Auburn University’s Masters of Business Administration program. Tom holds a current Real Estate license for the state of Alabama and is an active member of Auburn United Methodist Church.

Go Back