“When the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association decided to begin a new chapter in the Shenandoah Valley in 2019, we were seeking a dynamic hospitality leader to partner with. A person that was equally passionate about tourism, representing the interests of our industry and advancing educational opportunities for the Shenandoah Valley hospitality community. We are honored to have Paul Cooper, CEO of Retro Hospitality, serve as our first President of this very important chapter.”
- Eric Terry - Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA), President
Principal, Chief Executive Officer
VRLTAF - Chairman (2023 - Present)
VRLTA - Shenandoah Chapter, Chairman (2019-2023)
VRLTAF - Board of Directors (2020)
Paul’s roots are grounded in hotel operations – a 25+ year hospitality career that began as a resort bellman during his college years working to fund his education. Early roles working with hotel icons Kemmons Wilson and Mike Levin strengthened his passion for hospitality. Paul later served as the head of Development at Coakley and Williams. He began consulting for independent boutique hotels domestically and internationally, helping owners operate and grow their hotel portfolios through acquisitions, franchising, securing management contracts, CMBS loan workouts. In 2011, Paul founded Retro Hospitality - a hospitality consulting and management firm specializing in historic, boutique, and adaptive reuse projects.
Paul Cooper
Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Head of Partnerships
Katie elevates Retro Hospitality with her skills in destination marketing, partnerships, event planning and management, and sales. After two years as Retro's Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Katie recently shifted into a marketing and partnerships role, offering laser focus to our portfolio's marketing initiatives and strategic in-market partnerships. Before joining Retro, she worked with Visit Staunton, where she was instrumental in building the sales program, focusing on the group tour and meetings market. Katie also played a crucial role in developing regional tourism initiatives: Explore SAW and the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail. She earned a B.A. in Communication Studies, which led to her television and programming work with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Katie holds a master's degree in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Tech. She has spent the last 18 years assisting public and nonprofit organizations raise awareness and build audiences through strategy and collaboration.
Katie Campbell
Project Manager, Opening and Onboarding
Sarah graduated in 2020 from Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Sarah joined Retro as their first Corporate Intern in 2019 and began her full-time role as Director of Special Projects after graduation. In this role, she worked across Retro's portfolio with clients and team members, and industry partners. Sarah builds strong collaboration between Retro and clients, ensuring seamless operations, executing creative marketing campaigns, and she diversified into corporate projects with the accounting and human resources teams. As Retro Hospitality is quickly scaling, Sarah transitioned into Project Manager, Opening & Onboarding, a role designed to align with stakeholders and manage each property's critical paths as they come to market in 2024 and 2025.
