The Executive Team

Candela Hotels, Inc. was founded by President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Pigott, an experienced entrepreneur, venture capitalist and specialist in international business development.

As a world traveler, Tom has witnessed and personally experienced travel that has been too often marked by turmoil and stress even for the most frequent and experienced travelers. "Travelers are not only away from their home or office, they are away from their familiar routines, practiced support systems and networks, and are forced to move through hectic airports, hurried transfers, and unfamiliar places, often in a sea of anonymity and indifference," explains Tom. "While travelers naturally seek and appreciate such familiar offerings as luxury, style and convenience, what they need most on business or leisure trips is a place to stay that provides 'the natural balance of things' - a sense of personal order and harmony that can only be delivered through the utmost in personalized, empathetic and discreet service. This is where I saw an opportunity!"

Tom and his team have worked with leading experts in the hospitality industry, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, and spent over three years in the research and development of the Candela Hotels concept. The data shows that the Candela approach to luxury hotels is long overdue, and that the market is ready for the first truly traveler-centric hotel.

With a proven track record for identifying new business models and market opportunities, his many achievements include leading Burke Dale Victor, LLC in its investment in Relion, Inc., the leading developer in modular PEM fuel cells, establishing parts operations and business development for Caterpillar, Inc. in Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing, and building the primary database used in analyzing the cell site locations for Nextel in Brazil.

Tom has an innate ability to apply technology and innovation to meet market demand, and is probably most well known as the entrepreneur behind Soma.com, the world's first Internet pharmacy. Founded in 1997, he quickly grew Soma.com to 120 employees within two years, establishing it as the leading online pharmacy. In June 1999, he sold Soma.com to CVS Corporation, the largest retail provider of prescriptions nationwide.

Tom is a LEED® Accredited Professional.

Alphy Johnson is an accomplished international luxury hotelier with a career spanning over 30 years. He spent 15 years with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts as a Managing Director and later as Vice President of Operations, where he opened and/or managed many of their most iconic properties, including the Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles), Dharmawangsa (Jakarta), Caneel Bay (US Virgin Islands), Badrutt’s Palace (St. Moritz), Seiyo-Ginza (Tokyo), Bristol (Panama), Al-Faisaliah (Riyadh)and Rosewood's first hotel, the 5-star / 5-diamond Mansion on Turtle Creek. As a consultant with Laventhol & Horwath CPA, Alphy specialized in market, financial and operational studies for the hotel industry and has held senior executive positions with Nikko Hotels and International Westin Hotels and Resorts.

His achievements in the luxury hotel industry are numerous and include doubling hotel revenues and profits, transitioning/re-branding hotels, capital improvement planning, building and stabilizing hotel management teams, creation and implementation of a multi-hotel butler program, restaurant concepting and operations, and the development and implementation of five star hotel operating standards and procedures.

In addition to his expertise in operating luxury hotels, Alphy is one of the first hoteliers to become a LEED® Accredited Professional,CHA and has also developed a comprehensive hotel greening program for luxury hotels.

A frequent speaker at hospitality industry conferences and universities, Alphy is an active member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, is a Six Sigma green belt and is fluent in three languages, English, French and Dutch.

As Candela Hotels’ Marketing Advisor, Audra Poole provides strategic direction for the Candela Hotels' Brand and its independent hotel management clients. With more than 18 years of experiences Audra has successfully executed hotel brand development, launches, marketing and sales strategies, and generated thousands of media clips for hotels in target print and broadcast outlets. She has worked internationally, produced city wide events, been a corporate spokesperson, a published writer and promoted numerous luxury products.

Audra has extensive experience in print and broadcast marketing including quantitative and qualitative research studies, brand development, media buying, advertising collateral and video production. Quick to embrace new media and technology, she led an innovative digital marketing team specializing in hotels that was responsible for developing e-strategies, website design and optimization, online public relations, social marketing and revenue-generating digital marketing programs including pay-per-click, pay-per action, affiliate marketing, and e-mail campaigns.

In addition, her previous experience working in the newspaper industry provides her with keen insight on how to successfully generate media coverage for her clients and has a track record for generating coverage in top outlets, including: Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Departures, Food & Wine and The Travel Channel. In addition to working with Candela Hotels, she has works with numerous luxury properties including several Orient-Express Hotels.

Andy Stein provides support for Candela Hotels in locating and analyzing potential hotel sites worldwide. In addition, in his role as Finance Advisor, Andy brings his 21 years of banking experience in working to attract equity and debt finance for these properties. Andy Stein is the Chairman and Founder of Makopastreet Partners, which provides access to equity, mezzanine and senior debt financing for ultra-luxury and mixed-use developments, as well as infrastructure projects worldwide.

Prior to joining Candela Hotels, Andy was the Managing Director in WestLB’s Investment Banking Division in New York where he was responsible for all hospitality lending and advisory activities. He completed numerous transactions for many of the top high-end hotel companies worldwide including Mandarin Oriental, Orient Express, St. Regis, Loew’s, Auberge, GHM and several high-end boutique hotels. Andy also spent 12 years with Chase Securities as Vice President in the Global Project Finance and Advisory Group where he specialized in infrastructure projects in the emerging markets worldwide.

Andy is the founder and Chairman of The Orphaned Starfish Foundation, an organization dedicated to building and funding computer centers in orphanages and homes for battered and street children in Latin America. He also sits on the International Advisory Board for Counterpart International, working closely with the sustainable tourism sector.