HospitalityMaine CEO leaves business group

The leader of Maine’s largest hotel group will be leaving the organization at the end of the year.

Steve Hewins oversaw the merger of the Maine food and accommodation groups and helped guide the merged organization’s response to the pandemic during his four-and-a-half-year tenure.

“It has been an honor to lead such a vital and dynamic organization,” Hewins said in a statement. “I have learned so much working alongside the incredibly resilient and innovative hospitality leaders of Maine. Now is the time for a new direction of the organization.

Hewins became President and CEO of the now defunct Maine Innkeepers Association and Maine Restaurant Association in 2016. The two groups merged into one organization, HospitalityMaine, the following year.

Restaurants, hotels, inns and other hotel businesses enjoyed 11 years of record growth and were heading for another strong year when the pandemic struck. Hewins helped lead HospitalityMaine’s lobbying efforts to open up the state to more foreign tourists and provide relief funds for the industry this spring.

“Steve Hewins has done a great job leading our ever-changing industry during these difficult times,” said Steve DiMillo, Chairman of the Board of HospitalityMaine. “His vision and leadership will be missed, but we are confident that we will have a successor to build on all that has been accomplished during Steve’s tenure. “

Hewins is a former executive director of Portland Downtown and executive of AAA Northern New England. He plans to continue working with the HospitalityMaine Education Foundation, aiming to support a new generation of hospitality professionals.

The trade group said it had started looking for Hewins’ replacement.

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