Kara Lundgren
Title: General Manager
Organization: Courtyard Miami Coconut Grove
Committee Position: Chair of Industry Services Committee
Kara Lundgren possesses over twenty years of hospitality experience with boutique and national hotel and resort properties. Kara is currently the General Manager of Cambria Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach where she launched the 97-room boutique hotel with two food and beverage outlets in 2021. Her tenacity to re-think and re-imagine the norm allowed her to achieve market share penetration with 90 days of operating during a global crisis.
With deep roots in Southeast Florida, Kara began her tenure with Economos Properties in Miami Florida where she held a key position as Assistant General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Miami Beach Oceanfront. She was quickly promoted to General Manager of Hampton Inn and Suites/Outback Steakhouse, Islamorada, Florida where she simultaneously served as an adjunct professor at Florida Keys Community College developing and teaching Hospitality to curriculum.
Her proven track record, high standards of professionalism and her precise way of getting things done, landed her increasing roles of responsibility with Trust Hospitality Group where she served as General Manager of Amara Cay Resort in 2014 presiding over a $20 million dollar renovation project. There she served as brand ambassador for Amara Cay Resort and during her tenure the property was profiled in major publications that included Travel Leisure Conde Nast, Miami Herald, The Telegraph UK, Montreal Gazette, Urban Daddy, Haute Living and Deco Drive. The hotel maintained strong guest loyalty ranking in the Top 5 of Islamorada Resorts and it also opened the first restaurant in the Florida Keys to be recognized from the Florida Department of Agriculture as a “Fresh from Florida restaurant” and Wine Spectator Award recipient for 2016 as a new launch restaurant. Her success presented a unique opportunity to travel to Anguilla and Texas to implement Trust Hospitality Standard Operating Procedures taking on a plethora of management roles at these properties. Following her Task Force tenure, she then took the realms of General Manager at Circ Hotel, opening the 111-room boutique hotel in Hollywood, Florida where she implemented operational strategies and effectively built customer and employee loyalty. Kara possesses an amazing amount of talent, energy and experience, her broad range of knowledge, her relationships and “can do” attitude are truly priceless in navigating the liaison between ownership and management companies.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University and her Master of Business Administration from Florida International University. Her professional and personal relationships are instrumental in her overall success and accomplishments. Complementing her business sensibilities is a background of awards and recognitions.
As an active member of the community she has held previous leadership roles such as President of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association-Broward County, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, President of Islamorada Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trustee Member for Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, and member of The Charity Guild of Fort Lauderdale.
Kara lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she loves nothing more than to live, work and play in South Florida. Kara lives by the notion that it’s not a career, but a lifestyle!