DBT40 Honoree: Benjamin Gray

Title: Area General Manager

Workplace: EOS Hospitality

Age: 34

By his mid-30s, Benjamin Gray has not only received awards and national media attention for his hospitality leadership, but also became a local voice for the industry during one of the most difficult times in recent history.

The area general manager for EOS Hospitality oversees the daily operations of three Delaware resorts, the Bellmoor, Bethany Ocean Suites and the Holiday Inn, with over 180 employees and $100 million in assets.

But tragedy hit close to home with COVID-19 for Gray. After losing a team member to the virus, his hotel family was hit extremely hard. Gray stepped up and went straight to the top, ultimately serving as a hotel advisory director on a small team for the Governor’s State Reopening Task Force. With a focus on safety, Gray played a role in drafting operational safety standards that were ultimately adopted by the state.

Gray’s leadership didn’t end there. He also serves on the boards of the Delaware Hotel & Lodging Association, Southern Delaware Tourism, and Rehoboth-Dewey Chamber of Commerce. He’s also chairman of Sussex County’s hotel committee, where he represents over 90 hospitality businesses in the area.

His dedication to teamwork has not only earned him awards, but those he’s mentored as well. It took only four months with the right approach to training and employee development, guided by Gray, for one of his associates to win the “Front Office Employee of the Year” award from Wyndham Hotel Group from a pool of more than 600,000 employees. His management skills also led to the first time in 30 years that a Microtel earned a Hotel of the Year award, and being listed as one of the top 30 “GMs to Watch” in 2020 by Hotel Management magazine.

This father of three also takes time to coach his oldest son’s soccer team and help him with theater practices, and enjoys yearly family vacations at the Outer Banks with his wife, Sydney, and their children.