Hotel management company Aimbridge Hospitality appointed Michael J. Deitemeyerchief executive officer. He will succeed co-founder Dave Johnson effective January 1, 2021. Since October 2019, Deitemeyer has served as Dallas, Texas-based Aimbridge’s global president of Aimbridge Hospitality, overseeing the merger with Interstate Hotels & Resorts, where was CEO.
Johnson will assume the new role of executive chairman, where he will focus on transformational growth, including capital markets, M&A and new business opportunities. Since co-founding the company 17 years ago, Johnson has led Aimbridge from its original portfolio of eight properties to more than 1,500 branded and independent properties in 20 countries and over 60,000 employees.
“With the successful merger of Interstate behind us and Mike’s partnership in running the business over the past year, this is the ideal time to transition the role of CEO,” said Johnson.
Deitemeyer will focus on streamlining operations and building new segments of business for the company, which has added 128 properties to its portfolio this year and is on track to add another 120 properties in the next 120 days. He will continue to have a seat on the board of directors.
Previously, Deitemeyer was president and CEO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts for nearly three years prior to Interstate’s merger with Aimbridge in October 2019. He joined Interstate from Omni Hotels & Resorts including 13 years as president. He holds board memberships with AHLA and its executive committee, AHLEF and MINA, representing the company as an at-large board member of Marriott International’s franchise advisory board.
Florida International University’s (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management named Brian Connors director of the Bacardi Center of Excellence, an educational partnership between the FUI hospitality school and Bacardi USA offering a spirits management curriculum for students interested in a career in the spirits industry. Connors has served as the center’s interim director since its creation and is a teaching assistant professor at the Chaplin School. He also served as a wine and beverage consultant for Celebrity Cruises, a professor with Johnson & Wales University and as a consultant to independent and multi-unit restaurant groups, hotels, resorts, entertainment venues, private city and country clubs, natural and organic goods retailers, hospitality REITs and the mega yacht industry.
The Kimpton Sawyer in Sacramento, California, appointed Brian Crawford general manager of food and beverage. Crawford joined the property from Kimpton Hotel Vintage and Kimpton Hotel Monaco, both in Portland, Oregon, where he was area general manager of restaurants and bars.
Dermot De Loughry is general manager of Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica. De Loughry most recently was general manager and project manager at The Mooring Yacht Charters in the British Virgin Islands. He has held executive management positions across Great Britain, Ireland, Barbados, Turks and Caicos, and the British Virgin Islands. He also has a background in food and beverage and served as director of F&B for luxury brands in London and Hong Kong.
The Glenmark, Glendale, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Glendale, California, appointed Shant Hallajian executive chef. Prior to The Glenmark Hotel, Hallajian held roles at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California, as well as Glendale’s Carousel Restaurant, where he drew from his Armenian heritage to execute the restaurant’s Middle Eastern dishes.
Mainsail Lodging & Development appointed Dornelle Hazel assistant general manager, and Michael Schoonewagen general manager of the recently reopened Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands. Hazel spent the past five years working as Scrub Island Resort’s senior resort host, front of house manager and director of rooms operations and acting general manager. He helped reopen the resort in 2018, following the area’s 2017 hurricanes. Prior to joining Scrub Island, Schoonewagen was general manager of Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski in Dominica. He has worked at properties in Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, The Comores, Russia, Portugal and Mauritius. Before his time in Dominica, he spent five years as general manager of The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort in French Polynesia, and four years at the helm of Belmond La Samanna in St. Martin.
Singapore-based GHM hotel group appointed Ilkin Ilyaszade vice president of operations and pre-opening services, Pissawan Srisakul director of technical services in charge of design, and Jackson Sim director of marketing overseeing digital and branding initiatives. Over the past 15 years, Ilyaszade has opened 10 hotels and resorts across Asia and the Middle East for Banyan Tree and Pan Pacific. As resort manager, he led the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay in Bali, Indonesia. He spent 11 years with Banyan Tree in the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore. Srisakul, who is based in Bangkok, Thailand, spent the past seven years as an interior designer for Soho Hospitality in Bangkok. She has worked with Banyan Tree, Jumeirah and Sheraton, and she’s won acclaim for numerous dining venues. For the past seven years, Jackson headed the cluster digital marketing team at the St. Regis, W and JW Marriott in Singapore. He worked for several years as a feature writer at Cuisine & Wine Asia, a Singapore-based trade publication.
City Lodge Hotel Group promoted Stefan Janse van Rensburg to general manager, operations. He’s been serving as GM of the group’s three hotels in Nairobi, Kenya — Fairview Hotel, Town Lodge Upper Hill and City Lodge Hotel at Two Rivers Mall. Janse van Rensburg has been with the group since 1996, starting as a receptionist and night auditor at City Lodge Hotel Bloemfontein, South Africa. He worked in several of the group’s hotels before being promoted to the central office. City Lodge Hotel Group also named Brendan Luttig opening general manager of Courtyard Hotel Waterfall City, opening the first quarter of 2021 in Midrand, South Africa. Luttig joined the company in 1993, also starting at City Lodge Hotel Bloemfontein, where he moved from receptionist to food and beverage supervisor and head receptionist. He left the group to work for several other hotels in Johannesburg, South Africa, before rejoining the company in 2004 as assistant general manager at City Lodge Hotel Durban, South Africa. He’s worked at several other properties within the group as general manager, and for the past five years, has been general manager at the City Lodge Hotel Fourways in Johannesburg, where Elzabe de Jager is now general manager. She began her career with the group 19 years ago as a receptionist at City Lodge Hotel Johannesburg, Barbara Road. De Jager has worked in several of the group’s properties, including as general manager of Road Lodge Rivonia, Johannesburg, before her appointment as general manager of Courtyard Hotel Sandton, Johannesburg, in 2011. City Lodge Hotel Group also announced Patrick Tate’s retirement. He spent 32 years with the company, most recently as divisional director of operations.
Sunny Joseph is general manager of Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. Joseph has more than 30 years in the hospitality industry. He spent the past two and a half years as general manager of Fairmont Palliser, Calgary, Canada. He started his career managing restaurants and bars in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Melbourne, Australia, going on to hold director, operations and interim GM positions in Canada. In 2015 he joined Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Canada, as hotel manager and initiated the property’s extensive renovation and repositioning project.
Cote Family Destinations appointed Donald Lenahan general manager of Grand View Lodge, Spa and Golf Resort in Nisswa, Minnesota. Prior to joining Grand View Lodge, Lenahan was hotel manager of the Westin Kansas City and the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri, a multi-branded complex consisting of 1,444 guestrooms, event space and nine food and beverage outlets. He also held leadership roles at many properties within The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and private clubs. He was director of hotel operations for The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, California, and general manager of The Amelia Island Equity Club in Amelia Island, Florida. He served as a member of The Ritz-Carlton’s new hotel openings task force.
PM Hotel Group promoted Sage Patel to the newly created role of corporate director of capital strategies. Patel joined PM Hotel Group in 2018 as senior financial analyst – office of the president, partnering on business development, management initiatives and hotel underwriting including structuring, financing, closing and disposition for both acquisitions and transition projects. Before joining the company, he was an investment banking analyst at BMO Capital Markets specializing in mergers and acquisitions, and leveraged finance.
Marriott International appointed Parool Shah vice president of global brand public relations. Her appointment marks her return to Marriott, having previously worked as global director of public relations, Americas, for The Ritz-Carlton. In her new role, Shah leads media efforts for the company’s 30 hotel brands. She joined Marriott from Canyon Ranch, where she served as vice president of brand communications.
Ka’anapali Beach Hotel in Lahaina, Hawaii, appointed Julie Yoneyama sales and marketing manager for the resort’s forthcoming beachfront restaurant, Huihui, opening next February. Yoneyama recently was director of leisure sales for the Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau. Prior to that, she held various leadership positions with Na Hoalaha ?Ekolu restaurant group since, including director of employee and community relations and director of training. Ka’anapali Beach Hotel also promoted Yvonne Gu to revenue manager. Gu spent the past four years as online sales and marketing manager for the property.