Robert-Jan Woltering has been promoted to regional vice president of Mexico and Central America for Accor Luxury Brands. In his new role, he will oversee operations and hotel openings. In addition, he will continue in his current role as the general manager of Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico.
“I am proud yet humbled for my new role, and I am looking for opportunities to contribute to the growth of our luxury brands with new openings and strategic partnerships in the years to come,” Woltering said.
Woltering brings a wealth of hospitality experience amassed over 35 years, holding multiple executive positions across five continents. He started his journey with Accor in 1995 as food & beverage manager at the Sofitel Luxembourg. Since then, he has worked in various capacities at numerous properties, including regional vice president for Fairmont and Raffles Hotels in the United Arab Emirates, as well as general manager of hotels such as the Raffles Singapore, Fairmont Kea Lani, Fairmont Dubai, Sofitel Germany and Sofitel Legend in Amsterdam, to name a few. Most recently, he was the area general manager Accor Luxe Mexico and general manager of the Fairmont Mayakoba.
Hilton Grand Vacations, Orlando, Florida, announced that Andrea Agnew has joined the company as vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion . Agnew most recently served as vice president and chief diversity officer at Comcast Spectacor.
Gulph Creek Hotels, Wayne, Pennsylvania, has named Ronald Balle as vice president of sales and marketing. He previously worked at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West. In addition to his role with Gulph Creek, Balle is also currently the vice president of sales and marketing for Scholar Hotel Group, Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Montage Kapalua Bay in Hawaii appointed Riko Bartolome new in-residence chef. Bartolome originally joined Montage Kapalua Bay as opening executive chef.
The Pechanga Development Corp., Temecula, California, announced the promotion of Tjeerd Brink as the Pechanga Resort Casino’s new general manager. He formerly served as the resort’s vice president of finance and interim general manager.
Peter D’Souza has been appointed by Cora Cora Maldives as their new pre-opening resort manager. D’Souza was previously the operations manager for Anantara Resorts & Spa Cambodia, Coco Collection Resorts, Retreats & Hotels Maldives.
The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia, welcomed Jeff DeBoissiere as the hotel’s new director of food and beverage. DeBoissiere previously served as the director of restaurants and bars at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, Georgia.
The Fife Arms in the village of Braemar, Scotland, announced its new senior management team: Marc Denton joins as general manager and Rachael Henley as hotel manager. Denton has held various senior management positions, including at Kamalaya and The Oberoi Group. Henley was most recently food & beverage manager at Grantley Hall in Yorkshire.
Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square has appointed Jonathan De Paz executive chef. Previously, he was the chef de cuisine for Primrose in Washington, D.C.
HV Hospitality, the Malta-based hotel investments firm, has appointed Petra Deuter as its new chief executive officer. Deuter has previously worked in executive positions with Lufthansa Airlines, Accor Hotels and London & Regional properties / L+R Hotels, among others.
Midas Hospitality, Maryland Heights, Missouri, named Linda Emmenegger as president and Linda Eigelberger as senior vice president of operations and marketing. Emmenegger has spent the past seven years at Midas Hospitality and previously served as its vice president of operations. Eigelberger previously served as Midas Hospitality’s vice president of revenue and marketing.
The Doyle Collection, Dublin, Ireland, announced the appointment of Joel Freyberg as new VP of North America and managing director of The Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C. Freyberg has been leading the charge as general manager in the Dupont Circle for over two years. The Dupont Circle will also be welcoming Mark Payne as the new general manager. He is currently the general manager for The Bristol Hotel, Bristol, UK.
W Los Angeles, West Beverly Hills announced the appointment of Damien Hirsch to the role of general manager. Hirsch most recently served as the general manager of Le Merigot JW Marriott Hotel & Spa in Santa Monica, California.
Long-time Arizona hospitality leaders Patti Hunt and Ryan Kirby have been appointed as the general manager and the director of sales and marketing, respectively, of the new Westin Tempe, Arizona, that is expected to open in August. Hunt and Kirby bring more than four decades of combined hospitality experience to the executive team.
The Aloft Santa Clara in California announced the appointment of Tyler John to general manager and Khushnum Modi to director of sales. Most recently, John served as general manager of The Last Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Modi joins from the Marriott Fremont, California, where she served as the assistant director of sales and business development.
Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, California has announced David Morneau as the new general manager and Tara Johns as assistant general manager. Morneau was most recently director of rooms at the Ojai Valley Inn in California. Johns was previously the revenue manager at Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California.
David Pearson announced his intention to resign his position as managing director of Meadowood Estate, Napa Valley, California, effective date later this year. Pearson will continue in his role until a smooth and successful transition has been assured.
Springboard Hospitality, a Honolulu and Los Angeles-based hospitality management company, announced the hiring of four new key personnel at Kauai Beach Resort in Kauai, Hawaii. Jason Pilcher joins as director of finance, overseeing all financial operations, including financial planning for the hotel. Previously, Pilcher spent four years at Highgate Hotels in various financial positions, before joining Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort as director of finance. Philip Egan is the new director of revenue generation, where he is responsible for growing average daily rate and increasing occupancy year-over-year, in addition to maximizing revenue per available room. Previously, Egan worked as director of revenue management at Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu. Lisa Nakamasu joins as the new catering sales manager, where her primary responsibility is selling catering and event banquet services and assisting with overall sales. She previously served as director of sales with Kauai Visitors Bureau for 9-plus years, and was also in regional sales with Marriott International Hawaiian Islands, Hotels & Resorts. Alanna Le Sueur is the resort’s new marketing manager. She was previously an account manager at Kauai marketing and creative agency Jaxon Communications.
Belmond announced the appointment of Massimiliano Puglisi as general manager of Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina, Sicily. Prior to joining Belmond, he served as general manager of The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection in Newport, Rhode Island.
Zachary Rozanski is the new executive chef at newly reopened Corinne, the signature restaurant located within the Le Méridien Denver Downtown. Rozanski’s background includes working for nearly 14 years at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, with longstanding stints at the brand’s properties in Denver, Colorado; Vail, Colorado; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and St. Louis, Missouri.
Tamir Shanel has been named senior vice president, food & beverage operations of Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Shanel was previously executive vice president, food & beverage for The Stronach Group Racing and Gaming, Ontario, Canada.
Mumford Company, a full-service hospitality brokerage advisory firm in Newport News, Virginia, announced the promotion of Andrew Smith to principal from his position of vice president. In addition, Smith will be opening a new office in Tampa, Florida, for the firm.
The Westin Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee, announced that Mark Vuckovich has been named executive chef. Vuckovich is not new to The Westin Nashville team, having been the executive sous chef since 2016.
The Leading Hotels of the World, New York City, announced three management team appointments, effective immediately: Chris Walker is senior vice president and chief commercial officer; Phil Koserowski is promoted to senior vice president and chief marketing officer; and Lauren Alba is promoted to vice president global marketing and communications. Walker previously served as Leading Hotels’ senior vice president, global sales. Koserowski was previously leader of the organization’s global marketing team. Alba was previously senior director of marketing communications.
Adnan Yucel was appointed as the new general manager at Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum, Turkey. Most recently, Yucel worked in Ghana as general manager of Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra.