Frank Passanante is a senior hospitality leader who is passionate about building winning sales teams through intentional development of a coaching culture that places the highest premium on strong customer partnerships that drive mutual success. Purpose-led and committed to sales excellence, Hilton sales professionals thrive on expertly guiding business-to-business customers towards making important purchasing decisions that best meet their meeting, travel, or corporate objectives.
In his current role as Senior Vice President, Hilton Worldwide Sales Americas, Frank leads a team of over 275 sales professionals who are based in the Americas and represent Hilton’s global portfolio of 17 brands and over 5,800 hotels. He promotes collaboration across disciplines and world regions, working closely with diverse commercial leaders in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific on global strategies.
Frank built and refined his hospitality sales and marketing expertise over three decades, with the vast majority of those years devoted to Hilton in various roles of progressive responsibility. His on-property experience spans multiple property types and geographies, but most memorable was his sales and marketing leadership at the iconic Washington Hilton, known for notable events such as annual dinners of the White House Correspondents Association, the National Prayer Breakfast, and inauguration balls. His regional roles included oversight of the company’s largest owned assets, from Honolulu to New York.
Frank’s greatest professional pride is the people with whom he works, whom he describes as caring, committed to their clients, and always striving to be the very best in the business.
Actively engaged in industry organizations across all segments of travel, Frank is currently serving a three-year term on the Professional Convention Management Association Board of Directors and is an active voice on the U.S. Travel Association Meetings Mean Business Coalition.