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People on the move: KSL, Sonesta, Meliá

KSL Resorts, Irvine, California, announced the appointment of Kristie Goshow as its new chief commercial officer to take charge of driving and maximizing revenue performance of the company’s growing portfolio of resort properties.

According to James Struthers, president of KSL Resorts, Goshow will be instrumental in accelerating the company’s growth strategy with a focus on defining, implementing and establishing accountability for key performance indicators. “A thought leader and hospitality innovator, Kristie is ideally suited for this key position and joins us at a time as we prepare to expand our portfolio,” he said. “Her decades of hospitality industry experience and inherent understanding of brand development, revenue optimization, sales and marketing strategy and e-commerce will be instrumental to our forward-thinking growth strategy. We are thrilled to have her join our executive team.”

“I am thrilled to join the talented leadership driving KSL Resorts at such an exciting point in its evolution,” Goshow said. “With such an incredibly diverse portfolio, the opportunities for incremental business innovation and value creation are very exciting.”

Goshow was most recently chief marketing officer for Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Newport Beach, California, where she oversaw brand strategy, strategic partnerships, global merchandising and digital marketing. Prior to that, she was senior vice president – commercial for Viceroy Hotel Group, West Hollywood, California, a position she held for five years. 

From left, clockwise: Kristie Goshow (KSL), Geraldine Dobey (Mandarin Oriental Paris), Lanakila Graves (Sheraton Maui) and Mishaal Eid (The Franklin London)
From left, clockwise: Kristie Goshow (KSL), Geraldine Dobey (Mandarin Oriental Paris), Lanakila Graves (Sheraton Maui) and Mishaal Eid (The Franklin London)

Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, California, announced the appointment of Ajit Acharya as general manager. Acharya most recently served as club manager for the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach, California.

JLL, a real estate and investment management firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, has announced the promotion of Jessica Bourdet as senior vice president and Northern California project and development services market lead. Bourdet most recently served as JLL’s vice president and lead for hospitality in Northern California, as well as the west relocation project management lead.

Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, Massachusetts, announced a new culinary leadership team. It includes the appointment of Daniel Burger as executive sous chef; Julia Casale as assistant director of food and beverage; Jay Havey as food and beverage manager; and Troy Ali and Willmer Avila as bartenders in Trifecta, the new cocktail lounge. Burger previously held roles at Encore Boston Harbor and the Mandarin Oriental in Boston. Casale has been part of Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, since joining the pre-opening team in early 2019. Ali joined the One Dalton team in October 2019, and has previously spent time working in 50/50, the private lounge for residents on the 50th floor of the Hotel and Residential Tower. Avila joined the hotel in April.

The JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and Marriott Cancun Resort, Mexico, appointed Glaucia Canil to serve as director of sales and marketing. Canil previously served as sales manager with the Marriott Cancun Collection.

Sonesta International Hotels Corp., Newton, Massachusetts, announced five new franchise and development leaders: Mike Castro joins as a senior vice president of Select Service Brands. Castro comes to Sonesta having spent much of his career at RLH Corp., Denver, Colorado. Keith Biumi joins as a senior vice president of Upscale Brands (USB). Biumi has worked at IHG, UK; Choice Hotels, Rockville, Maryland; and Marriott International, Bethesda, Maryland. Chris Leiser joins as a regional vice president of USB. Leiser worked with full-service, upper scale brands previously at Wyndham Hotels Group, Parsippany, New Jersey, and Choice Hotels International. Ahmer Naushad joins as a vice president of Analytics and Administration. Naushad has held positions at Gencom, Miami, Florida; Miral Asset Management, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Dubai, UAE. Mike Higgins joins as a regional vice president of USB. Higgins has experience at his prior positions at IHG, Choice, and Domio, New York. 

Geraldine Dobey has been appointed as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Paris, France. The appointment marks Dobey’s return to the Group as she was previously part of the leadership team at the Group’s Geneva property. Dobey will also oversee the operations of Mandarin Oriental, Geneva, Switzerland and Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech, Morocco.

The Franklin London, England, has appointed Mishaal Eid as hotel manager. Eid joins The Franklin from the Flemings Mayfair Hotel, London, where he was rooms division manager.

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, California, announced the appointment of Gordon Fischmann as general manager of its alfresco dining hotspot, The Rooftop by JG. Most recently, Fischmann held positions at properties throughout Southern California, including restaurant managerial roles at The Beverly Hilton, The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club & Spa, and Balboa Bay Resort.

Yedla Management Co., Huntsville, Alabama, announced two key leadership hires at its AC Hotel Nashville Brentwood, Tennessee. Michael Hickerson joins as general manager and Michael Owenby will serve as director of sales. Previously, Hickerson was the GM of the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina. Owenby recently served as the director of sales for AC Hotel Huntsville Downtown, Huntsville, Alabama.

Elli Jafari has been promoted to managing director of The Standard, London, England. Jafari joined the hotel as general manager in August 2018. 

Richard Langonne has been appointed as general manager of Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, China. Langonne was most recently hotel manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. 

Oakwood, Singapore, announced the appointment of Marcel Lindt as vice president of development, Oakwood, Europe. Prior to joining Oakwood, Lindt served as Accor’s vice president of development for residential and extended stay in Europe.

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, Maui, Hawaii, has appointed two new team members to its food and beverage department – Mark Majewski as executive chef and Lanakila Graves as director of restaurants and bars. Majewski most recently worked for Marriott International’s Operation Support Resources team as executive sous chef, deployed to temporary assignments across the country. Graves previously served as director of services at Sheraton Maui.

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Boston – Cambridge, Boston, Massachusetts, announced the appointment of Stephen Nass as director of sales and marketing. Most recently, Nass acted as interim director of sales and marketing for the brand transition of the Royal Sonesta San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Royal Sonesta Washington DC.

Sage Hotel Management, Denver, Colorado, announced that Patrick Pahlke has been appointed as executive vice president and chief commercial officer for the company. Pahlke joins Sage from Santa Monica, California-based PROPER Hospitality. 

Weylan Rhame has been announced as general manager of Unscripted Durham in North Carolina. Rhame most recently served as area general manager in San Antonio, Texas, overseeing both the Doubletree San Antonio Downtown and the Bevy Hotel, a Doubletree by Hilton, in Boerne, Texas.

Grand View Lodge, Spa and Golf Resort, Nisswa, Minnesota, announced the appointment of Denise Schultz as senior director of sales and marketing. Prior to this, Schultz was the director of group sales for HEI Hotels and Resorts, Norwalk, Connecticut.

Naples Grande Beach Resort, Naples, Florida, announced the appointment of Marcos Seville as the new executive chef. Seville’s previous experience includes time at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Edward Shapard has been named the new managing director of The Langham, Chicago, Illinois. Shapard joins from New York where he was general manager for The Dominick Hotel.

Edward Snoeks will take charge as general manager of the new hotel Meliá Chiang Mai in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Snoeks joins Meliá Chiang Mai after managing the pre-opening of Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok & The Residences and working as both Thailand’s regional general manager and general manager of The Okura Prestige Bangkok.

Kimberly Straube has been appointed director of operations at Fairmont San Francisco, California. Straube most recently served as director of food & beverage at Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Francisco.

Lauren Strickland has been appointed group sales manager for Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown. She joins Fairmont from Volt Energy where she was consultant of business development. 

The Mandarin Oriental, Boston, Massachusetts, announced the appointment of Alper Toydemir to the position of director of commerce. Toydemir joins Mandarin Oriental, Boston from Maybourne Hotel Group in London and Beverly Hills where he served as director of sales for North America and the Eastern Region.

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