Cayuga Hospitality Advisors | CFO Assistance

CFO Consultation Cayuga’s CFO Assistance Group is staffed by executives who have held senior level financial and IT positions with pre-IPO and public companies. The Group specifically targets hospitality and casino gaming companies with the most to gain from engaging our consultants, such as:

Successful start-ups needing strategic guidance on a national roll-out or preparing for an IPO, or other investor exit.
Mature companies having lost a key financial executive and needing: interim, high-level assistance to close the books; interface with auditors on technical accounting matters; prepare, review and file SEC reports; or perform other critical, time-sensitive functions.
Mature companies seeking competitive advantage through implementation of state-of-the-art Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Supply Chain Management systems to assist in attracting and retaining loyal customers and improving financial results.
Sophisticated hotel owners recognizing the advantages a seasoned hospitality financial executive can provide in reviewing financial reports prepared by management companies, attending monthly financial review meetings and asking questions of the operator to ensure maximization of long term asset profitability.
Foreign private issuers considering switching to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and U.S. domestic issuers exploring the costs and benefits of switching from US GAAP to IFRS.
Any large, international hospitality company needing IFRS training.

Cayuga’s CFO Assistance Group Services

Enterprise applications (improving performance of business focusing on strategy, operations and technology)
Strategy and operations (creating value in all aspects of business, CRM, ERP)
Process improvement and re-engineering (six sigma, PMO)
Business valuation (ROI, M&A, ROE) • IFRS training and conversion
SEC reporting and pre-IPO planning (SOX, policies and risk management)
Interim controller/CFO
Interim CIO and Technology Assurance
Independent compliance audits
Budget and organizational staffing review for potential cost savings
Contracts review for potential cost savings
Technical accounting research and policy papers
Hotel, resort, foodservice, club, casino, etc., asset management

Advisory Members

The following members are available through Cayuga to provide a full range of consulting services.

Blair Vago (New York City)
Group Leader for Cayuga’s CFO Assistance Group. CPA with 20+ years in hotel operations and operations finance with Hilton and Marriott, and in public accounting performing audit, tax and consulting work for hospitality companies. Directed the external financial reporting function for a large, public company whose shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange, instrumental in the company’s adoption of and conversion to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Rick Antosh (Edgewater, NJ)
Highly qualified financial executive and CPA with broad experience in varied hospitality industry environments. VP-Finance for Compass Group's entrance into the North American market for Airport F&B concessions, opening 50+ units in five airports in 18 months. Director of Development - Finance for Ian Schrager Hotels in New York City, established a new section of the Finance division to handle the company's $500 million simultaneous developmental endeavors. Director of Finance for the Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Casino, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Vice President Finance for the Grand Traverse Resort, Michigan.

Jim Burr (Chicago)
President of Burr Company, offering services in hotel asset management, strategy development, due diligence and troubled hotel workouts. Jim has more than 40 years of industry experience, including asset management of more than $900 million of hotels, single and multi-unit hotel management, franchise operations and strategies, organizational development, planning and control systems development and installation, and consulting at the Principal level. Cayuga’s Group Leader for Asset Management and Distressed Properties Assistance.

George Carmona (Collingswood, NJ)
Forty plus years in executive and senior positions in hotels and casinos. Consultant to casino developers and operators. Broad operational, financial, budget, organizational and audit responsibilities with hotels and casinos in the U.S. and in the Caribbean. Extensive experience and broad responsibilities in development of hotel and casino polices and procedures including internal control systems through regulatory approval as well as the implementation of systems subsequent to approval. Director of Internal Audit at large hotel/casino in New Jersey, reporting directly to Audit Committee of the Board. Responsible for developing risk assessment for audit plans, audit programs, audit reports and testing for compliance with procedures. Consultant to casinos in the former Yugoslavia, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and to Indian tribal casino operations in the Western U. S.

Charles Ilvento (Miami, FL)
CPA, CHA, CHAE, Real Estate Broker and member of the AH&LA’s Committee on Financial Management; Founding Professor of Florida International University’s School of Hotel Management; owner of a CPA practice specializing in the hospitality industry; and third-generation hospitality industry professional. Charles is a court-qualified expert, mediator, arbitrator and hospitality industry consultant offering broad expertise as a CPA and/or economist either individually or as part of an expert team.

Shelly La Motte (Frederick, MD)
Over 20 years diverse hospitality experience, including positions with two international CPA firms, expertise includes: development and acquisition-related market and financial analysis; valuation; strategic planning; operations analysis; impact analysis; quality assurance evaluation; litigation support; hotel operator selection; management contract/franchise negotiations; financial analysis including market repositioning and other value enhancement strategies; acquisitions and dispositions; financing; and asset management. Shelly’s experience includes assignments in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Australia, as well as throughout the U.S. She has provided expert testimony with regard to major lodging and mixed-use projects.

Tom Lattin (Houston)
CPA and Managing Director of his consultancy, Lattin & Associates, and a Professor at the Conrad N. Hilton College in Houston, teaching finance and advanced lodging management courses. Background includes launching the Patriot American Hospitality IPO as its president and COO; serving as Sr. VP in Paine Webber’s REIT group; partner positions with: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Coopers & Lybrand and Laventhol & Horwath. Specializing in: mergers, acquisitions and corporate preparation for an IPO; hotel asset management involving the major brands and management companies; litigation support and expert witness testimony dealing with hospitality industry financial issues and management contracts; procurement of debt and equity and other investment banking services; operational studies and reviews, management audits and profit improvement services. Cayuga Regional Director for South Central U.S.

Rob Leahy (Lake Worth, FL)
Executive Vice President-Finance, Myriad Entertainment & Resorts, with 20 years experience in senior accounting, finance and operational analyses positions. Ten years with Kerzner International Resorts, Atlantis Resort and Casino, serving as Director of Accounting; Director of Operational Analysis; VP Finance; and VP & Director of Process Improvement and Reengineering. Led corporate improvement projects including Sarbannes-Oxley compliance for IT, business infrastructure process improvement, and the Customer Relationship Management selection process.

Steve Murphy (Las Vegas)
Over 25 years experience in the technology and operational arena. Steve's background includes software development experience with both GTE and Lotus/IBM. Senior level operational positions with Hyatt Hotels, MGM Mirage, Wynn Resorts, and the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino. Steve has managed over two hundred different applications required to run operations for a $10 Billion publicly held company. In doing so he was responsible for successfully negotiating all contracts and support agreements for the organization. He has both Six Sigma and PMI background experience with property opening experience at Bellagio, Beau Rivage, Fallsview, and the Cosmopolitan Resort. Steve serves on the Board of Directors for Hospitality and Gaming Magazine and the Gaming Summit Group. He has also served on the Hospitality and Technology advisory board.

Steve Sherf (Minneapolis)
With over 30 years of operational and consulting experience, Steve is President of the Hospitality Consulting Group, providing analysis, valuation and brokerage services to the hospitality industry. He has prepared market studies and financial projections for all types of hotels in both large and small markets throughout the U.S. He has also worked on more than 150 gaming projects located in 27 states and three Canadian provinces. These projects include feasibility studies for both new and expanding casinos and racinos, market studies for casino amenities, business diversification studies, market share analysis under different competitive scenarios, and new market development potential assessments. Steve has particular expertise in lodging assessment, gaming demand modeling, financial projection modeling, and financial statement analysis. His broad background of consulting assignments for income producing real estate developments include market studies, valuations, appraisals, acquisitions and sales. A Certified Public Accountant (inactive), he has provided expert witness testimony relating to the valuation of hotels and restaurants as well as business interruption damages for casinos.

Jules Sieburgh (Bethesda, MD)
Cayuga’s Hospitality Technology Consulting Services Group Leader and a visionary of creative technology applications for the hospitality industry. Visionary of creative technology applications for the hospitality industry. Served as senior information technology executive for Sonesta Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Host Marriott Corporation and Kerzner International. Jules’ responsibilities for these international chains covered all aspects of technology as it relates to the hospitality industry. Responsible for improvement projects including Sarbanes-Oxley compliance for IT and business intelligence improvement. In addition Jules spend a couple of years with priceline.com expanding their hotel product line. Jules is a member of the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professional’s International Hall of Fame.

Jim Tennyson (Atlantic City)
Owner and Principal Consultant for XCEL Business Technologies, LLC, with 25+ years experience as a Senior IT Executive which includes: five years as top IT Executive at the Trump Organization; 10 years as Director of IT with Harrah’s Atlantic City; and 10+ years as a senior executive with CSC (Computer Science Corporation), AIG and IBM. Specializing in aligning Information Technology Department goals and objectives with company Business Strategy.