Dennis Pearse
Dennis Pearse was born and raised in New Orleans. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology at Tulane University, later receiving his master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.
Twenty years ago, Dennis began his career at the Royal Sonesta and Chateau Sonesta hotels in the French Quarter, managing areas as diverse as human resources, housekeeping, and food and beverage. Dennis then became Front Office Manager at the Chateau Sonesta.
After leaving Sonesta, Dennis joined Wyndham International Hotels and Resorts. He rose through the ranks at Wyndham over the course of four years, eventually becoming General Manager of Wyndham’s Bourbon Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter.
In August 2006, Dennis joined the New Orleans-based Dimension Development Company. He was named Area General Manager (overseeing three local hotels), including the Hilton New Orleans/St. Charles Avenue. During Dennis’ tenure with Dimension Development, his hotel was named Hotel of the Year, and he was named General Manager of the Year.
In October 2013, Dennis proudly became the General Manager of the iconic Omni Royal Orleans hotel in the French Quarter. As it turns out, the Omni Royal is dear to Dennis’ heart — not only because of its role in the history of the city of New Orleans and its rich tradition of first-class hospitality, but also because his grandmother was employed for 22 years as the Omni Royal’s Food and Beverage Controller.
Dennis has been happily married for 16 years to Kendall Crane Pearse. He is the proud father of two girls — Danielle Ashlee Pearse and Caly Lyleana Pearse — and one son, Callan Dennis Pearse.
On the Biggest Challenge of Parenthood
“Time. It is very easy for us to become completely consumed in our work and in our careers. It is important to manage time at work, and to create efficiencies that allow us to spend time with family and the community. I have learned to grow the people that work with me, and to surround myself with individuals that have similar goals and that can help me achieve success. Empowerment and balance are mutually exclusive — in that empowering those around you allows more time for you to do other things, and thus creates balance. Balance, on the other hand, can only be achieved if you trust those around you and empower them to make decisions. Empowerment creates opportunities to spend time with family and to be an active member of the community. It is important to involve the family in community service so that they can learn to pay it back in the future or pay it forward in the present.”
On Being a Great Dad
“Looking into the eyes of my kids and seeing myself. Being able to re-live my life through their eyes, and see the enjoyment and the innocence that I once cherished when I was a kid. I understand that my kids are on loan, and time is of the essence. I believe in creating memories and capturing their innocent smiles.”