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People on the move: Kempinski, Landsdowne, Radisson Blu

Germany-based Kempinski Hotels has restructured its Middle East & Africa region. Three hoteliers have been recently appointed as Area General Managers to oversee a number of the group’s luxurious hotels at the same time as keeping the responsibility for their own hotels as general managers.

“Given the ever-changing landscape of our industry, this enhanced and very effective new operational structure allows us to be as close as possible to our hotels and owners in the region and gives us the right framework to remain a flexible and agile business partner that adapts and responds effectively and rapidly to the demand,” explains Bernold Schroeder, chief executive officer ad interim and chairman of the Kempinski Hotels Management Board.

Sébastien Mariette started his journey with Kempinski in 2007 and occupied several leadership roles within various parts of the world, including cluster general manager at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea, Jordan and Kempinski Hotel Aqaba, Jordan; managing director at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore; as well as area general manager Egypt.

Karim Tayach has been in the luxury hotel industry for more than 27 years and started his journey as a corporate management trainee at the Hyatt Regency Makkah in Saudi Arabia. He then climbed the career ladder from food & beverage roles within the Ritz Carlton Hotels in Dubai, Doha and Jakarta, until he became general manager at the Ritz Carlton Jakarta Pacific Place in 2007, followed by an assignment as general manager at the Ritz Carlton Bali in 2013.

Manish Nambiar joined the company in 2004 as regional executive chef and held several leadership roles, such as the hotel manager in Kempinski Soma Bay in Egypt or the Kempinski Hotel Delhi in India. As he progressed in his career over the last 17 years, he was appointed cluster general manager of Kempinski Kenya and subsequently the general manager of Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra in Ghana.

From left, clockwise: Karim Tayach (Kempinski), Manish Nambiar (Kempinksi), Awilda Nevarez (Landsdowne) and Ramon Bojorquez (Lumière)

Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin, Texas, announced the appointment of Hasan Bas as the director of food & beverage. Prior to joining Omni Barton Creek Resort, Bas held the director of food and beverage title at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa, Savannah, Georgia.

Ramon Bojorquez has taken the reins as executive chef of Lumière, the brasserie in Los Angeles, California. Bojorquez joins Lumière from his most recent position as chef de cuisine of Silver Lake’s “neobistro” Bar Restaurant, Los Angeles.

Hotel Cerro, San Luis Obispo, California, announced the appointment of Derek Brooks as its new executive chef. Most recently, Brooks was the executive chef and director of food & wine for the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

Grand View Lodge, Spa and Golf Resort, Nisswa, Minnesota, announced the appointment of William Coyle as executive chef. Coyle most recently served as the executive chef at Mancy’s Steak House in Toledo, Ohio.

The Napa Valley Wine Train, Napa, California, announced the recent hires of Nathan Davis as general manager, Brian Bouchelle as area director of sales and catering and Jorge Ruiz as director of food and beverage. Most recently, Davis served as general manager at the Harvest Inn in St. Helena, California. Most recently, Bouchelle served as the director of business development for the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada. Ruiz most recently served as the director of food and beverage at nearby Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa.

The Christopher in St. Barth welcomed chef Arnaud Faye. Faye comes from his position of executive chef at the Chèvre d’Or on the Côte d’Azur, France.

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, New York. N.Y., announced the leadership appointments of General Manager Douglas Housley and Director of Sales & Marketing Andrei Oei. Housley’s career has spanned several U.S. and overseas markets, covering food and beverage assignments, room service, banquets, and fine dining. Oei most recently held the position of area sales leader for the W Hotels of New York City.

Radisson Blu Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, announced the promotion of Dinesh Jayawardena to regional executive chef. Jayawardena held the position of executive chef at Radisson Blu Mall of America since 2015.

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, has announced the appointment of new General Manager, Charlie Kingston. Kingston was previously general manager of Wyndham Resort International Drive Orlando, Florida.

JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona, announce the appointment of Matthew Mina to executive sous chef. Previously, Mina was executive sous chef at Renaissance Downtown Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona.

Vancouver, Canada-based Trez Capital announced that Darryl Myrose has joined the firm as managing director of the real estate bridge financing program based in Los Angeles. Myrose previously served as co-head of national lending for Resource Real Estate Funding, Inc., Pennsylvania.

Awilda Nevarez has been appointed director of human resources of Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Virginia. Nevarez most recently worked at the Inn at Perry Cabin Resort, St. Michaels, Maryland.

Aparium Hotel Group, Chicago, Illinois, promoted several team members and brought in new talent. Timothy Ryan has been promoted to chief operating officer. Ryan has been with the company for two years serving as the executive vice president of operations. Annemieke Dunlop has been promoted to senior vice president of sales and revenue. Dunlop has been with Aparium for five years and came to Aparium from Hilton, McLean, Virginia. Jason Pirock was promoted to vice president of marketing. Pirock joined Aparium in June 2019. Elaine Hartline has been promoted to director of openings & initiatives. Prior to Aparium Hotel Group, Hartline spent time working alongside the team at Wolfgang Puck Food & Beverage, Los Angeles, California. Evan Sheridan was promoted to director of F&B operations. Having been at Aparium for over two and half years, Sheridan’s background includes roles at Sixteen Chicago and Chicago restaurant group, Boka Hospitality. Thomas Lents has been promoted to culinary director. He previously worked at Thornton Restaurant inside Dublin, Ireland’s Fitzwilliam Hotel. Max Wastler joins Aparium as vice president of brand. Wastler previously consulted on strategy and storytelling for companies such as J. Crew, New York, N.Y.; Madewell, Long Island, New York; and Patagonia, Ventura, California. Paul Finstad joins as vice president, acquisitions + asset management. Finstad joins Aparium after over 5 years at Watermark Lodging Trust, Chicago. James Dannecker joins the team as director of task force hotel operations. Dannecker most recently served as task force general manager for Davidson Hospitality Group, Atlanta, Georgia. Tomasz Borzemski joins as director of financial planning and analysis. Borzemski previously held roles at OnePoint Partners, Topsfield, Massachusetts; SimpleTherapy, Fremont, California; and Lifespace Communities, Des Moines, Iowa. Nick Dostal joins the team as task force executive chef. Dostal most recently served as chef at the Alinea Group, Chicago. Shel Buhler joins the team as their new director of bars & beverage programming. Buhler previously worked with Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Two Roads Hospitality, Denver, Colorado. Harper Counts joins the team as corporate director of sales. Prior to joining Aparium, Counts was the director of sales and marketing for The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago.

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, South Walton, Florida, announced additions and promotions to the resort’s culinary team. Dan Tederous is the new executive sous chef. Tederous was most recently chef de cuisine at Delmonico Steakhouse, Las Vegas, Nevada. Hilton Sandestin’s newest banquet chef, Lee Guidry, has been with the hotel’s Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood for 4.5 years. Thomas Mikesell is the hotel’s new executive chef. He was most recently the executive chef of Iron Hill Brewery. Fleetwood Covington has been appointed sous chef. Covington started at Hilton Sandestin in 2017, where he trained under the leadership of chefs Lee Guidry and Dan Vargo. The new culinary team lead is Steve Withall. He most recently served as the instructional coordinator of culinary and hospitality at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida.

Lotte Hotel Seattle, Washington, appointed Cherry Tsui as director of food and beverage. Jeffrey Hunter has been promoted to executive sous chef. Tsui’s most recent role was at Seattle-based Holland America Line. Hunter joins with experience from Seattle restaurants such as Canlis, The Fairmont Olympic and a Relais & Châteaux in Montana.

Thaddaeus Weiss has been appointed hotel manager at the hotel in Lumphini Park, Bangkok, Thailand. The appointment comes as a promotion from his prior role as executive assistant manager of Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

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