karen johnson
President – Pinnacle Advisory Group-West
Karen Johnson MAI, CRE, ISHC
President – Pinnacle Advisory Group-West
As President of Pinnacle Advisory Group West based in Newport Beach, California, Karen Johnson supervises all consulting activities for that office. She has been active as a hospitality consultant since 1981, and has extensive experience across all hospitality property types, providing solutions for a wide range of consulting questions.
She was a founding Board Member of the Castell Project, a non-profit formed to advance more women into C-Suite positions. She has extensive San Diego experience as well. From 1985 to 1988, she ran the San Diego office of Pannell Kerr Forster and was involved in the opening on the feasibility of many of the hotels that are San Diego landmarks today.
Prior to opening the West Coast office of Pinnacle in 2011, Ms. Johnson was employed by Warnick + Co as a hotel asset manager and consultant, and at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels where she directed Hotel Advisory Services Group for the Americas. In the late 1990's she headed up Horwath Landauer Associates' West Coast hospitality consulting practice. Earlier experience includes PKF Consulting in Los Angeles, Marriott's Market Feasibility Department, and Pannell Kerr Forster.
Karen has authored articles for the Cornell Quarterly, Hotel On-Line, and Hotel News Now, as well as the chapter on hotel management contracts for the Urban Land Institute's publication "Hotel Development Handbook." She received a Bachelor of Science from the School of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management, Michigan State University, and is an MAI and a member of the Urban Land Institute, sitting on the Entertainment Council. She was also admitted to the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-johnson-8a33609/kjohnson@pinnacle-advisory.com
Niveesha Hill
General Manager at Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel
Niveesha Hill moved from Illinois to California to take on her role as General Manager for the independent property, Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel in the Carlsbad Beach area of San Diego. Hill previously worked as a General Manager of the Hyatt Place in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. Hill has progressive leadership experience in operations, sales, marketing and team development. She also has a wide variety of hotel and management company experience with Hyatt Place/Corner Clean Hospitality, Wyndham/Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard/TMI Hospitality and Hilton/Pinnacle Limited. Hill obtained a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield and a Master's Degree from Benedictine University Lisle.