Fred Domenick, General Manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, has announced his retirement after a 40-year long career with Marriott. His retirement will be effective September 2023.
Domenick has played an integral part in developing The Woodlands as General Manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott & Convention Center and as a founding member of the Board of Directors for The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We were fortunate to have Fred Domenick’s leadership for so many years,” said Nick Wolda, President of Visit The Woodlands. “As a founding Director of The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mr. Domenick has played a key role in our development as a meetings and convention destination over the years. He is a leader in the hospitality industry and to have his volunteer time for so many years was truly a gift to Visit The Woodlands. We will miss him tremendously, but also wish him well in retirement."
Domenick has had an impressive career journey with Marriott, beginning with his role as a Banquet Houseman at the Providence Marriott Hotel while attending Johnson and Wales University. From there, he went on to become the Food and Beverage Director for Marriott’s Hotel Galvez, followed by Director of Restaurants for Downtown St. Louis Marriott Pavilion.
After winning several awards in his subsequent role as Director of Food and Beverage at the St. Louis Airport Marriott, Domenick was promoted to the Director of Operations at the South Bend Marriott, where he received the Mustang leadership award. He continued on to become the Director of Operations at Marriott's Lincolnshire Resort, where the hotel won Hotel of the Year in 2000. Domenick returned back to The South Bend Marriott as General Manager where he won the Leadership Excellence Award for the Midwest region.
In 2006, when The Waterway was still in its beginning stages, Domenick was promoted to General Manager of the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel. Shortly after, in 2007, he was named General Manager of the Year for the Americas.
As General Manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, Domenick has watched (and played a large part in) the development of The Woodlands as a must-visit destination. During his 16-year tenure, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott has become well-known as a top hotel in The Woodlands. In 2007 and 2011, it won Event Management awards for the Americas, and later on was named Hotel of the Year for Marriott in 2013 and 2022.
Fred Domenick with the Visit The Woodlands Board of Directors
Domenick has been an enthusiastic supporter of The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau (dba Visit The Woodlands) since it was created in 2006, and has remained on the Board of Directors since he first joined as one of the founding Board Members. Most recently, he served as Secretary in 2022 and Vice Chairman in 2023.
Post-retirement, Domenick will step down from his role on the Visit The Woodlands Board of Directors, and Jennifer Gohagan, Domenick's replacement as General Manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, will take his place on Visit The Woodlands Board as Vice Chairman.
"It has been an honor to work with Mr. Domenick on the Visit The Woodlands Board of Directors, and we are grateful for all of the work he has done to help make The Woodlands a must-visit destination," said Brad Bailey, Chairman of Visit The Woodlands. "We look forward to welcoming Jennifer Gohagan to the Board of Directors and continuing the work that was spearheaded by Mr. Domenick and Visit The Woodlands' founding Board of Directors."
To read a Q&A with Fred Domenick about his time as General Manager of The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, click here.
