A Milwaukee fashion designer lands a residency in a historic hotel, a global hotel management firm names a new chief development officer for North America while a hospitality holding corporation brings on a vice president of marketing and customer acquisition. Here are this week’s industry appointments and promotions.
Associated Luxury Hotels International expanded its global sales team with the addition of David Almond as regional vice president of sales – Midwest U.S. and Canada. Prior to this role, Almond served as the director of sales and marketing for the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
Americano Restaurant & Bar at Hotel Vitale in San Francisco named Chris Bahrke director of food and beverage and Eric Day head bartender. Bahrke most recently was assistant director of food and beverage at the Clift Hotel. Day, a Belgium native who joined the Americano team in 2005, previously held a bartending position at Murio’s Trophy Room, also in San Francisco.
Brent Bouldin joined Choice Hotels International as vice president of marketing and customer acquisition. He will lead the company’s marketing strategy and programs, focusing primarily on building brand awareness and utilizing the company’s digital channels. Bouldin formerly was senior vice president, enterprise digital marketing and media at Bank of America Corporation.
Regent Porto Montenegro in Porto Montenegro Village, Montenegro named Kai Dieckmann general manager. Dieckmann joined the hotel from the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados where he was resident manager.
Mauna Kea Resort in Hapuna Beach, Hawaii named Stephen Dowling director of property management and Brad Doell as director of sales and marking. Libby Child was promoted to associate director of leisure sales and Maylyn Caravalho was promoted to leisure sales manager. Dowling formerly was the general manager of Canyons Grad Summit Resort Hotel in Park City, Utah while Doell came from Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii where was director of sales and marketing. Child joined the resort in 2013 as a sales assistant while Caravalho joined Prince Resorts Hawaii in 2016 as a leisure sales account executive.
Benchmark named Tory Enriquez director of sales and marketing for Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, expected to open in fall 2018 in College Station, Texas. Enriquez most recently was area director, sales & marketing for Howard Hughes Hospitality, overseeing the sales and marketing operations for The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center, The Westin at The Woodlands and The Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands Hughes Landing, all located in The Woodlands, Texas.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts appointed Michael Feeley general manager of Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa on Mission Bay in San Diego. Before taking this role, Feeley was general manager at The McCormick Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers, North Carolina, opening for the season on April 23, named Tom Garcia vice president and general manager. Before joining High Hampton, Garcia held the same position at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Chicago.
Great Wolf Resorts named Murray Hennessy as its chief executive officer. Hennessy has served as advisor to Great Wolf Resorts’ senior management team during his tenure on the company’s board of directors. He has been acting as interim CEO following the departure of Rubén Rodriguez in December. Hennessy formerly was CEO for Avis Europe and CEO of the U.K.’s Trainline.
Hospitality Media Group appointed Dan Hogan brand director for HX: The Hotel Experience. Hogan will help transition HX from a two-day trade show to a year-round content and networking brand for hospitality professionals. Prior to joining the company, Hogan was business development manager with The Zoomba Group in Elmhurst, Illinois. Hogan also worked for 28 years at HOTELS magazine in sales and publishing roles.
Montage International appointed Patrick Huey corporate director, spa operations, responsible for working with all spa directors and managers at each property with Montage Hotels & Resorts and Pendry Hotels. Huey joins the company from Minor Hotels International and MSpa where he was the corporate director of spas – Asia.
Dr. Ahmad Jalili, MD, Ph.D. joined the Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence, part of the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, as head of the dermatology and venereology department. A specialist in the treatment of skin diseases, Dr. Jalili brings 16 years’ experience as a physician to the hotel.
The St. Regis Atlanta in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta appointed Daniella Lea to the role of pasty chef for the property. Lea has worked at five-star hotels and restaurants in Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. She most recently was pasty chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago in Santiago, Chile.
The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon, Vail Valley in Colorado made Allison Lomax spa director at Spa Anjali. Lomax formerly was spa director of the Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, Florida Keys appointed Philip Lowd executive chef of the property’s signature restaurants Atlantic’s Edge and Nikai Sushi Bar, as well as the new Neapolitan Italian bistro, Mia Cucina. With more than nine years’ experience at the property, formerly serving as banquet chef, Lowd will step into this new role with the property’s post-Hurricane Irma reopening later this month.
The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, operated by LaKota Hotels & Resorts, appointed Terrence Luther senior sales manager. Luther had been senior sales catering manager with Centerplate/NBSE at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Jim Mauer was appointed vice president and managing director at the newly renovated Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa on the Cayman Islands. Mauer had been managing director of the boutique Mayfair Hotel Spa in Coconut Grove, Miami.
Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida named Lisa Namour general manager, a promotion from her previous role as sales and marketing director. Namour helped the hotel recently complete a US$7 million renovation to its rooms, common spaces and meeting rooms.
Terri Nier is now the director of catering at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, North Carolina. Nier formerly was private events director at the City Club Raleigh, a ClubCorp Property in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach appointed Luz Orbaiz and Christine Sahakians to directors of national accounts, Nerissa Edwards to national sales manager and Jacqueline Gomez to executive meetings manager at the Miami Beach, Florida resort. Prior to joining the resort, Orbaiz was senior sales manager at Hyatt Regency Miami while Sahakians was group account director at the W Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Edwards previously served as national sales manager at Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six in Fort Lauderdale and Gomez was catering and conference services manager at Atton Brickell Hotel in Miami.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts named Greg O’Stean chief development officer – North America. O’Stean previously was chief investment officer at Loews Hotels, where he led the hotel acquisitions and development, asset management and owner relations platforms.
Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida hired Andy Philips as restaurant chef of the resort’s reimagined signature restaurant, The Catch of the Pelican. A graduate of the Art Institute of San Diego, Philips’s culinary expertise spans multiple genres, including new America, Asian fusion and farm-to-table.
The Sheraton New York Times Square in New York City appointed Achilles Poliviou executive chef. Poliviou hails from the JW Marriott Essex House in Manhattan, New York City where he was executive chef.
Christian Ruge assumed the role of general manager at Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He joined Kempinski in 2012 and most recently held the position of general manager at Kempinski Hotel Ajman in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, owned and managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts, named Stephanie Schultz as its next artist in residence. As the program celebrates its 10th anniversary, Schultz, a local fashion designer, will work in the hotel’s lobby-level artist studio for one year beginning in April. In 2005, Schultz launched her fashion label, Silversark.
The Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand appointed Maria Sitanggang director of sales and marketing and Wuthivet Vetchabutsakorn director of finance. Sitanggang joined the hotel after seven years at Hyatt Regency Hua Hin & The Barai in Hua Hin, Thailand as its director of sales and marketing. Vetchabutsakorn had been area director of finance – Asia for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.
Kimpton Canary Santa Barbara appointed Sherrin Thomas director of sales and marketing. Prior to joining the Canary, Thomas was associate director of sales at The James New York – NoMad in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii named Jon Ushijima director of Asia sales responsible for overseeing the resort’s Asia sales strategy and Huy Vo as director of public relations. Ushijima previously was director of resort sales – Asia for Irongate, developer of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach. Vo also comes from Irongate where he was director of marketing and also part of the resort’s pre-opening team.
Beauty and facial consultant Katrina Valente will practice at the Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort in Vommuli, Maldives throughout the month of March. Valente has spent the last two decades in Dubai providing holistic beauty treatments.
Conrad New York in New York City appointed Edward Zissel to director of banquets. Prior to this role, Zissel was the assistant director of banquets at Union Square Events at Conrad New York.