Sycuan Casino appoints new director of sales and director of operational strategy

Sycuan Casino has appointed James Decker as the director of sales and Patrick Daugherty as the director of operational strategy. Decker comes to Sycuan with over 20 years of hotel and sales experience. Prior to joining Sycuan, he was the director of sales, marketing and events at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina.

Decker began his career as a sales manager at Hyatt Hotels in Washington, DC, which led to his position as the sales manager for the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel, followed by the Resort Sales Manager at Universal Orlando Resort. He later returned to Hyatt Hotels in Orlando while earning his MBA at Rollins College, and shortly after was promoted to the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, and later to Mission Bay.

As the director of sales at Sycuan Casino, Decker will be responsible for leading all aspects related to the development and operations of the hotel sales department. The sales team will be responsible for identifying group business opportunities that will be able to enjoy Sycuan’s existing and new resort offerings.

Daugherty brings a industry expertise to the Sycuan team. Most recently, Daugherty was the director of financial planning at The Mirage in Las Vegas. During his tenure in that role, he was instrumental in leading numerous improvement projects throughout the resort with a heavy focus in hotel departments that led to increases in revenue generation and diligent management of expenses.

Daugherty’s previous roles include the assistant operations controller at Treasure Island Casino and financial analyst at The Mirage. In addition to earning the degree of bachelor in business administration at James Madison University, he has recently earned the distinction as a certified management accountant (CMA).

As the director of operational strategy, Daugherty will be responsible for leading and supporting all hotel departments in the development of operational processes and procedures that maximize efficiency. Additionally, he will ensure strong financial performance within each department by guiding department managers and maintaining effective operations through detailed analysis, development of operations reporting, creation of productivity standards, development of scheduling practices and other projects as needed.

“The addition of Patrick and James makes for an exciting time and signals the next step in the process of bringing life to the resort through the addition of energetic and service-oriented people,” said Andrew Kerzmann, vice president of hotel operations at Sycuan Casino. “Both bring a unique background and expertise that will complement our growing team and contribute to the development of a luxurious guest experience as we open our expanded doors in early 2019.”

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