Search

×

People on the move: Terrapin, Pendry, Ritz-Carlton

Sarah Garcia joined Terrapin Hospitality as senior vice president of sales and marketing. Garcia has more than 20 years of hospitality experience in sales, marketing and revenue management. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing top-line revenue efforts for all assets and will strive to drive revenue to the top line and all the way down to NOI. Garcia will run the company’s sales organization, including full-service, select-service and economy properties.

Prior to joining Terrapin, Garcia was corporate vice president, sales and marketing, for Aimbridge Hospitality. She also served as vice president, sales, marketing and revenue management at Shamin Hotels, and held positions with Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Noble Investment Group and Columbia Sussex Corps.

From left, clockwise: Sarah Garcia (Terrapin Hospitality), Ash Bhasin (Pendry Manhattan West), Kenneth Washington (The Hamilton) and Nora Harris (Courtyard by Marriott St. Peters)
From left, clockwise: Sarah Garcia (Terrapin Hospitality), Ash Bhasin (Pendry Manhattan West), Kenneth Washington (The Hamilton) and Nora Harris (Courtyard by Marriott St. Peters)

Chad Bates is general manager of the Inn at SentryWorld, a boutique hotel opening next summer in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Bates previously worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, with a stint in between at The Lodge & Club Ponte Vedra Beach in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Prior his appointment at the Inn at SentryWorld, he was assistant general manager for Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California.

Pendry Hotels & Resorts appointed Ash Bhasin general manager of Pendry Manhattan West, the brand’s first New York City property, scheduled to open next year as part of the mixed-use Manhattan West development. He recently served as general manager of Hotel Indigo Lower East Side in New York City. He also held the roles of general manager at Cachet Boutique Hotel and Sixty SoHo, hotel manager at Trump SoHo Hotel & Condominium, director of rooms at Four Seasons New York and director of rooms and tower operations at Trump International Hotel & Tower Condominium, all in New York City. He has also worked in Los Angeles, Miami and Mumbai, India.

Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, named Richard Bias executive chef. Prior to joining the property, Bias was executive chef at Amankora in Bhutan for two years. In 2017, Bias joined the W Bali in Bali, Indonesia, as director of culinary. He has worked at a number of luxury properties across the Middle East and Asia, including The Chedi in Muscat, Oman; Atlantis The Palm in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he spent two years as executive chef.

San Manuel Casino in Highland, California, named Afsaneh Bird vice president of hotel operations for the resort’s expansion project. Bird has more than 30 years’ experience in the hotel industry and is tasked with acquiring new talent for the property. She previously served as resort manager at Montage Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.

Arjun Channa is general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Channa speaks six languages and has worked in 12 countries, most recently serving as general manager of the Westin Calgary in Alberta, Canada. His first general manager role was at Le Méridien Port Vila Resort & Casino in Vanuatu, followed by another general manager assignment at Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa in Udaipur, India. He then served as task force general manager for Starwood’s brand assurance team and the acquisition and development team, both in South Asia. He then took the role of hotel manager at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, Canada, and also gained experience in the Caribbean as the task force general manager at the Westin Aruba Resort & Casino in Noord, Aruba, and at the W Vieques Resort in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, named Thad Geoffrey Crennen executive chef. Crennen formerly was executive chef at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. He also spent time as director of food and beverage at the Omni Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with a 12-year stint as director of F&B, and executive chef at the Omni Colonnade Hotel in San Antonio.

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon, Vail Valley in Avon, Colorado, named Kris Furniss managing food and beverage director. Furniss brings more than 26 years of hospitality experience to the property. In 2008, he co-founded and served as CEO of Caviar & Bananas, a gourmet market concept in Charleston, South Carolina. He also previously served as a senior operations manager for Dean & Deluca. In 2018, he started the Furniss Group, which consulted on franchise startups and resort F&B outlets, including for the Kiawah Island Club in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Islas Secas, Panama, appointed Andrey Gomez managing director. Throughout his career, Gomez has worked with a collection of hotels in Central America, most recently as general manager of Morgan’s Rock Ecolodge in Nicaragua. Prior to that, he was general manager of El Silencio Lodge & Spa in Toro Amarillo, Costa Rica, and general manager of Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. He has held management assessment positions at other boutique properties in Costa Rica.

Midas Hospitality promoted Nora Harris to director of sales at Courtyard by Marriott St. Peters in St. Peters, Missouri. Harris previously served as the hotel’s senior sales manager, and before that was central group sales manager for four Midas Hospitality properties in Missouri. Her career began as a front desk associate for the company, and she later served as a sales coordinator.

Tanner Marino is executive chef at Hotel Hartness, a hotel managed by Hay Creek Hotels, opening in Greenville, South Carolina, in early 2022. Marino began his career at Devereaux’s in Greenville, working his way up to chef de cuisine. He continued his career at Hyatt Regency in Greenville and The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina. He comes to Hotel Hartness from the Westin Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was executive chef.

Inn at Laurel Point in Victoria, Canada, welcomed Ken Nakano as executive chef. An advocate for sustainability, Nakano plans to focus on local and seasonal ingredients. He was instrumental in launching the Vancouver Aquarium’s OceanWise program on Vancouver Island, Canada. Prior to joining the Inn at Laurel Point, Nakano led the kitchens at properties including Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver and Hotel Fairmont Empress in Victoria.

Senate Hospitality named Kimberly Jordan Murray general manager for Westin Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to joining Senate, she held hospitality roles including: GM of Embassy Suites Memphis; national sales manager for MGM Resorts; senior sales manager for Caesar’s Entertainment; and area sales and operations for Extended Stay America.

Colin Perry is general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in North Lake Tahoe, California. Prior to this appointment, Perry was general manager of Hotel Saskatchewan, Autograph Collection, where he led the Regina, Canada, property through a full rebranding and repositioning from an independently managed hotel to a Marriott-managed Autograph Collection hotel. Perry’s career began at Delta London Armouries in London, Canada, followed by a promotion to director of operations at Delta Lodge at Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada. He went on to hold general manager positions at Delta Whistler Village Suites in Whistler, Canada, and then at Delta Edmonton South Hotel & Conference Centre in Edmonton, Canada.

Commonwealth Hotels named Jennifer Porter vice president of operations. Prior to joining the company, Porter spent 25 years in the hospitality industry in many roles, most recently as vice president of operations at Winegardner and Hammons/Pyramid Hotels, where she had regional responsibility for multiple full-service hotels as well as opening and transitioning hotels for the company. Before this, Porter was general manager of multiple full-service hotels with Marriott, Hilton, IHG and independent boutique hotels.

The We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort in Fort McDowell, Arizona, introduced a roster of chefs. Graham Quayle is executive chef. He previously spent 19 years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where he held executive chef positions at six properties in the U.S. and Canada. After that, he was executive sous chef at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and executive chef at The Mirage, both in Las Vegas. Alex Robinson is executive sous chef. Robinson most recently was executive chef at Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, and also served as executive sous chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. Richard Pelz is chef de cuisine at Ember. Pelz has worked at Restaurante Martin Berasategui in Lasarte, Spain, and with Dimitri Roedoe in Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as at Citrine in West Hollywood, California, and Tintol in New York City. He launched his own restaurant, Goblin Market, with a partner in New York City, then went on to work at notable restaurants in the U.S. Roy Pell is pastry chef and has spent the past 35 years working at Ritz-Carlton properties in San Francisco, St. Louis and Phoenix, as well as at Harveys and The Savoy in London; Amway Grand Plaza, Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Peter Island Resort and Spa, British Virgin Islands. He most recently was executive pastry chef at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona. Finally, Dennis Payne is sommelier. Payne is an advanced certified sommelier with more than 30 years’ experience and has overseen the wine and beverage programs for groups including Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Hilton Hotels, Fox Restaurant Concepts, The Iconic Collection and Different Pointe of View Restaurant and Mancuso’s in Phoenix.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, appointed Brady Riggs Hualalai Golf Hale’s director of instruction. Riggs arrived at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai from Hansen Dam Golf Course in Pacoima, California, where he created a new training facility and established practice plans. Prior to that, he was director of instruction at Woodley Lakes Golf Course in Van Nuys, California.

Verhonda Sercey joined Frontier Development & Hospitality Group as vice president of asset management. Sercey is a longtime hospitality professional with experience in hotel operations, sales, marketing and revenue management for both branded and independent hotels. She will lead all the asset management and operations-related functions for Frontier’s current and future portfolio. Sercey served in various directorial and regional management roles within Hilton Hotels Corporation and independent hotels, including the Georgian Terrace in Atlanta, and the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Montage Healdsburg in Healdsburg, California, named Carrie Sotebeer director of spa ahead of the property’s late-fall opening. Sotebeer joined Montage from The West Hollywood Edition in Los Angeles. She has led past teams to success including a Forbes Five-Star rating for The Phoenician Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group appointed Marcel Thoma general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech, Morocco. Thoma began his career in Zurich, Switzerland, at the boutique Widder Hotel followed by time with The Ritz-Carlton in Mexico and Spain. He then moved on to management roles with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in New York City, The Upper House in Hong Kong and then to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group corporate headquarters in the same city. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group named Anthony Tyler general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand. He previously worked at the property in 1998 as assistant director of food and beverage. From there, he held senior positions at properties across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North and Central America, gaining experience in operations and management. Prior to his new role, he was general manager of the Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou, China, and before that was hotel manager at Mandarin Oriental, Shanghai, China.

Kenneth Washington is general manager of The Hamilton, a forthcoming boutique hotel from Mayfair Street Partners and Hotel Equities in Alpharetta, Georgia. Washington has been with Hotel Equities for years.

Senate Hospitality Group named Ray Waters senior vice president. Waters brings more than 40 years’ experience to the role. Prior to joining Senate, he held numerous executive hospitality leadership positions, including vice president of Castlerock Asset Management, president of Turnberry Associates hospitality group, and general manager of its Hilton Nashville Downtown in Nashville, Tennessee, and 25 years of executive roles at Gaylord Entertainment’s Opryland Hotel & Resort in Nashville.

Comment