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People on the move: Accor, Meliá, Four Seasons

French hospitality group Accor announced the appointments of Ben Cary as vice president of development, Eastern United States, and Nicolas Martinez as vice president of development, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean.

In their roles, both senior executives will support the acceleration of the Group’s strategic growth strategy in North & Central America, further strengthening Accor’s presence in the region. Cary and Martinez will manage all aspects of development and work with various stakeholders, primarily developers, investors and owners, with a focus on identifying new business opportunities, leading the execution of agreements and subsequent transition to the operations teams, in their respective regions.

“With several years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ben and Nicolas bring a wealth of knowledge and key market expertise that will strengthen our team and drive continued expansion of our hotel portfolio during an important year of growth,” said Mark Purcell, Senior Vice President, Development, Accor North & Central America.

Cary brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience with corporate, investment and property teams to Accor. Most recently, Cary was senior vice president at Meininger America, where he led all facets of the company’s expansion in North America.

Martinez has extensive experience in development and finance, spanning over a decade in the hospitality industry. In his most recent role as Hilton’s Director of Development for Mexico, Martinez spearheaded development plans and directly managed the relationships with hotel owners and investors for the company countrywide.

From left, clockwise: Ben Cary (Accor), Vipasiri Napawongdee (Meliá), Yudith Bastos (Four Seasons) and Ryan MacDonald (Hotel Sorrento)
From left, clockwise: Ben Cary (Accor), Vipasiri Napawongdee (Meliá), Yudith Bastos (Four Seasons) and Ryan MacDonald (Hotel Sorrento)

O2 Beach Club & Spa, Saint Lawrence Gap, Barbados, has announced the appointment of Elisabeth Alleyne as general manager and Satheesh Panneer Selvam as executive chef. Most recently, Alleyne served as hotel manager at Sandals La Source in Grenada and Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica. Selvam served in various senior executive chef positions for Elegant Hotels, London, England, and Sandals Groups, Montego Bay, Jamaica, as well as RCCL, Miami, Florida, prior to joining the O2 Beach Club & Spa team.

Destination Residences Hawai?i, Kihei, Hawaii, welcomed Dean Anderson to its executive committee as area director of commercial strategy. Previously, Anderson served as director of revenue and reservations at Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, California, announced the appointment of Maxence Bonnamain as hotel manager. Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Bonnamain served as general manager for the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort in Mexico.

Lido House, Newport Beach, California, announced the appointment of André Brose to the role of general manager. Prior to joining the Lido House team, Brose served as hotel manager for The West Hollywood EDITION in Los Angeles, California.

Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Teaxs, announced the arrival of new executive pastry chef Yudith Bustos to the culinary team. She was previously executive pastry chef at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group announced today that senior vice president Christopher Exler has joined the Americas team, based in its Miami office. Exler has spent the last eight years in the London office of JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group covering the UK, Benelux, and Central and Eastern European markets.

Remington Hotels, Dallas, Texas, announced the appointment of Richard Garcia as vice president of food & beverage. Most recently, Garcia served as vice president of culinary & beverage operations at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Fairfax, Virginia.

Konrad Gstrein has been announced as general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, California. Gstrein was previously general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, Canada.

Jean-Marie Le Gall will take over the general management of Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s Paris, France. He was previously general manager of the Palace Hotel, Barcelona, Spain.

Hotel Sorrento, Seattle, Washington, has recently reopened with a new managing director, Ryan MacDonald. MacDonald joins the Hotel Sorrento team from serving as complex general manager for EVEN Hotels and Staybridge Suites in Seattle.

Daxton Hotel, Birmingham, Michigan, announced the appointment of Liz Martinez as director of beverage and service. Martinez has over two decades of experience designing wine lists, training staff, and managing service for restaurants in America.

Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, California, announced the appointment of Todd McAninch as general manager and Laura De Martin as executive chef. McAninch most recently served as general manager for Hyatt Centric Park City, Utah. De Martin was previously executive chef at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, San Diego, California.

Aimbridge Hospitality, Plano, Texas, has announced they have hired Valerie McCormick to fill the role of vice president of development and retention. McCormick most recently served as regional vice president of Choice Hotels International, Rockville, Maryland.

Michael McMullen is the new executive chef at Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, Florida McMullen served in the role as executive chef at sister property Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando, before moving to Rosen Centre.

TPG Hotels, Resorts & Marinas, Providence, Rhode Island, announced that Tim Muir joined the company as chief development officer. Muir most recently served as the chief sales officer for Focus Brands, Atlanta, Georgia.

Dirty Habit, a bar and restaurant at Hotel Zelos, San Francisco, California, announced that they’ve promoted Mariza Sabino to general manager and head of cocktail program. Sabino takes the lead of the restaurant and cocktail program after advancing from assistant general manager.

Hotel Drover, Fort Worth, Texas, has welcomed Chris Saputo as the new general manager. Most recently, Saputo served as the director of operations for Las Alcobas in St. Helena, California.

Hotel owner, operator, and development firm Hotel Equities, Alpharetta, Georgia, announced the appointment of Albert Smith as president of hotel operations. Most recently, Smith served as senior vice president of lifestyle hotels at Highgate, New York, NY.

Arlo Hotels, New York, NY, announced the appointment of Jimmy Suh as chief commercial officer. Suh has previously held senior roles at hotel companies including Loews, New York; Kimpton Hotels, San Francisco, California; and The Standard, New York.

Wuttipong Tanteraponchai and Vipasiri Napawongdee have been named cluster director of sales and marketing and cluster director of marketing communications respectively for Meliá Koh Samui and Meliá Chiang Mai, both in Thailand. Tanteraponchai most recently worked as director of sales and marketing at The Sukhothai Bangkok. Napawongdee’s appointment follows an eight-year stint as director of marketing communications at The Okura Prestige Bangkok.

Nobu Ryokan Malibu, California, announced Amir Vahdani as hotel manager. Vahdani was Most recently the acting hotel manager at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, California.

Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, Nevada, and Resort at Squaw Creek, California, announced Melissa Woodley as area director of events and event operations. Woodley has been promoted from director of events at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe.

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