Don DeSpain Leaves Embassy Suites

Don DeSpain, the well-known director of sales at Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas, has left the company. But Embassy Suites employees said they can’t comment on personnel issues, and we had no luck finding DeSpain at his home or elsewhere.

They said it would take three to six months to find a replacement. The job search comes on the eve of the Hammons Center opening, which is expected to be ready for business in late 2006.

We placed several calls to local hotel sales staffs and the consensus was shock. All of the sales people contacted had heard about his departure, but none of them knew of any immediate plans or any reasons for him leaving.

The vast majority of local job changes are routine, but DeSpain was a hotel industry institution.