Hotelier John Murtha – Managing History

General Manager John Murtha is a lifelong veteran of the hospitality industry, including the past 18 years at Boston’s historic Omni Parker House, the longest continuously operating hotel in North America dating back to 1855. He is taking on a new assignment, as Task Force General Manager for Omni Hotels & Resorts. We caught up with John to find out more. 

Congratulations on your new role as Task Force General Manager. Tell us about the job, and are you staying in Boston? 

While I will remain living in Boston, I’ll be covering open general manager positions
at Omni Hotels & Resorts around the country, as they occur, typically for short periods of time while full-time GMs are identified. I’ll then help to “onboard” those individuals to set them up for success within our company. Additionally, from time to time, I may be asked to handle special projects for the brand. 

The new renovations at Omni Parker House have transformed it into a vibrant, contemporary centerpiece for Boston’s hospitality industry. How difficult is it to modernize a hotel these days while retaining its old-world charm? 

This can be difficult to do because older hotels like the Parker House normally don’t have standard room sizes, where a new design is easy to replicate throughout the hotel. In the case of the Parker House, the current building completed in 1927 had 800 rooms. Currently, we have 551 rooms, meaning many rooms were combined and/ or changed over time. The design team for this renovation was challenged, to say the least! But with our main lobby, the new design called for us to remove the carpet and replace it with gorgeous white marble, something we believe most people would expect to find in an historic hotel. 

What are some highlights you’ll most remember about your 18 years leading the Omni Parker House? 

I will always remember how great it was to lead our team of long-tenured professionals, many of whom have worked at the hotel for 30 or more years….a couple with over 50 years! On the flip side, I’m proud to say we hired and developed dozens and dozens of university hospitality management program graduates from schools such as UMass, Johnson & Wales, Endicott and my own alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. Most of these young people have had successful careers in hotels, with some reaching general management positions in our industry. 

Boston is fortunate to have two Omni hotels in our market, the Omni Parker House and the Omni at Seaport. What is it about Boston that makes the city so appealing? 

Boston’s history is unique. We are the home of “high culture” in the United States, a mecca for healthcare and education, plus a center for innovation and technology that’s unsurpassed. People from all over the world want to come here….after all, we are the “Hub of the Universe,” aren’t we? 

Tell us about Omni Parker House’s storied place in Boston’s rich political traditions, especially with President John F. Kennedy and his family. And what’s the story on your famous bar, the Last Hurrah? 

John F. Kennedy gave his first public speech in the Press Room of the Parker House when he was a boy….the occasion was his grandfather’s birthday, John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, a mayor of Boston at one time. JFK also announced his candidacy for Congress in the Press Room after World War II. He proposed to Jackie Bouvier at Table 40 in Parker’s Restaurant and later held his bachelor party in the Press Room. The Kennedy family had a long history with the Parker House! 

Our bar, Last Hurrah, was named for the Edwin O’Connor novel of the same name. The book was more-than-loosely based on the life of Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, whose office at City Hall was just across the street from the hotel. 

Thank you, John.