Hotel Cosmo Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia appointed Azrule Aziz general manager. Previously, Aziz served as executive assistant manager for Malaysia’s Dorsett Putrajaya.
SBE has announced that Matt Balcik is joining the company as GM of Mondrian Doha and area managing director Middle East. Prior, he was vice president operations and brand development at Jumeirah Group.
The Saunders Hotel Group appointed Daniel G. Donahue president. Donahue most recently served as vice president and general manager at the Lenox Hotel in Boston. Prior to joining Saunders, Donahue was with Starwood Hotels and held senior managerial roles with Washington, D.C.-area hotels.
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts named Peter L.J. Finamore regional vice president, Pacific Northwest and general manager of Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. Finamore previously worked for hotel groups in the United Kingdom, Philippines, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Macau and locations across the United States.
Monique Frankfort was promoted to director of group sales at The Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California. Previously, Frankfort served for three years as an account executive for Marriott Orange County market sales.
Aimbridge Hospitality promoted Brad Frazier to senior vice president of sales-premium select service and channel point.
Stonebridge Companies has made several new appointments. Anne Frye was named regional director of sales and marketing, Michael De Stefano was named IT project manager, Ninfa Chavez was named director of talent acquisition in Denver, Colorado, and Michaela Johnson was named HRIS/payroll administrator.
The Holiday Inn Charlotte Center City in Charlotte, North Carolina, promoted Jami Horton Hill to director of sales and marketing. Previously, she worked in catering and business travel sales.
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas appointed Tamir Kobrin general manager of Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort, due to open in April as Anantara’s first property in Portugal and the brand’s debut in Europe.
Dean Lane, general manager of the Palmer House, A Hilton Hotel and 30-year veteran of the hotel and resort industry, was named Hilton’s area general manager, Chicago. He will oversee operations of four additional Hilton branded hotels including The Drake; Embassy Suites by Hilton-Chicago-Downtown Magnificent Mile; Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare and the President Abraham Lincoln Springfield, a DoubleTree by Hilton.
Pacific Hospitality Group appointed Paul Maddison as general manager of AC Hotel Irvine – the first AC Hotels by Marriott property in southern California. The hotel is expected to open this spring.
Luxury golf resort Rosewood CordeValle in San Martin, California, appointed two new members: Lloyd Martindale as director of golf and Brett Thornsbury as golf course superintendent.
George Nichols was named assistant vice president of information technology for Honolulu-based Aqua-Aston Hospitality.
Mantra Group has made multiple staff appointments. Chris Northam will become area general manager Port Douglas following a 12-month placement in Indonesia with Mantra Group. Katrina Brown was appointed general manager at BreakFree Cosmopolitan, Surfers Paradise. Craig Smith, currently area manager Gold Coast, will soon relocate to Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu following his appointment as area manager Hawaii. Chris McIntosh, currently general manager of Peppers Kings Square Hotel in Perth, Australia, will replace Smith as area manager Broadbeach. Tracey Beresford has been appointed general manager of Mantra’s resort addition, Mantra the Observatory in New South Wales, Australia. Kristen Carville has been appointed general manager of BreakFree on George, Sydney.
Rosemont, Illinois-based First Hospitality Group promoted Sylwia Oak from director of operations to general manager at its Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis Airport Mall of America.
G6 Hospitality appointed Rob Palleschi chief development officer. Most recently, Palleschi served as the CEO of TGI Fridays.
Kimpton Shorebreak Hotel appointed Lizzie Raudenbush director of sales and marketing.
Omni Hotels & Resorts appointed top leadership positions for the Omni Hotel at The Battery Atlanta. Ramon Reyes was named general manager, and Jennifer Mayo was named director of sales and marketing.
Atlanta-based Hotel Equities recently named Juanita Stallworth vice president of human resources. Stallworth joined Hotel Equities from the Atlanta office of Samsung Electronics, where she was a manager of human resources.
Memphis, Tennessee-based Big Cypress Lodge appointed Nail Task general manager. Task previously worked as assistant general manager at the Titanic Deluxe Hotel in Bodrum, Turkey.
Chris Waite has been appointed director of communications Australasia and Japan at InterContinental Hotel Groups. Most recently, he led the Amadeus Asia Pacific communications team, headquartered in Bangkok.
Loews New Orleans Hotel announced Jason Walter as executive chef. Walter joins Loews New Orleans from the New Orleans Marriott, where he served as executive sous chef.
M&R Hotel Management appointed Monika Wojcik general manager of the 177-room Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West. Previously, Wojcik was at the Hampton Inn White Plains/Tarrytown in Elmsford, New York, where she was general manager.