| SONOMA, CA., (December 6, 2001) � Sanjay Varma, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Sonoma Spa Resorts, the management company of Sonoma
Mission Inn & Spa, and Ventana Inn & Spa, announced the reorganization
and promotion of executives of the company.
To better serve clientele in the Greater Bay Area, the Inns� sales and
marketing offices will be relocated to 251 Post Street in San Francisco
effective December 15, under the new leadership of Aloha Knaefler.
Ms. Knaefler brings over 20 years of U.S. and international sales and marketing
experience with ANA Hotels to her new position as Vice President of Sales
and Marketing for Sonoma Spa Resorts. During her tenure with ANA Knaefler
developed and directed implementation of the annual U.S. marketing plan
for the corporation and oversaw the global central reservations operation
for 44 hotels and resorts. Most recently Ms. Knaefler was president of
the HEMS Group, LLC., a hotel electronic marketing firm. In her new role
Ms. Knaefler will manage all sales, catering and conference services departments,
and be responsible for all aspects of P&L accountability, strategic
marketing direction, and customer focused initiatives.
Pete Gibbons recently joined the company as Vice President of
Merchandise and Retail. He is responsible for all retail operations, development
of new product lines, joint venture relationships and the development and
expansion of the brand. Gibbons brings over 15 years of retail, marketing,
brand management and new business experience from the Walt Disney Company,
where he oversaw the development of more than 100 stores and was responsible
for the conceptual development of retail operations in Euro Disney Resorts.
Most recently he launched e-commerce catalog businesses for myfamily.com
and ancestry.com. Prior to that he was vice president of product management
for Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle.
| Tu Tran, Vice President of
Business Development for Sonoma Spa Resorts, will also assume responsibility
for overseeing the accounting and financial services departments for both
Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa and Ventana Inn & Spa. Mr. Tran�s career
in the hospitality industry spans two decades with ANA, Hyatt, Hilton Hotels
and Holiday Inns.
Thomas Becker will assume the responsibility of general manager
at Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa |
Tu Tran
VP of Business Development
Sonoma Spa Resorts
|
effective January 1, 2002. As general manager, Becker will be fully responsible
for guest services and all daily operations at the Inn. Prior to joining
Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa as resort manager, Becker was at the Le Saint
Geran Hotel, Spa & Golf Club, in Maritius, where he oversaw a $50 million
redevelopment. Previously he was food and beverage manager at The Excelsior
Hotel in Hong Kong. Additional appointments include executive assistant
to operations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Hong Kong, and assistant
food and beverage manager at the Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco. Becker
is replacing Ulrich Krauer, former managing director of Sonoma Mission
Inn & Spa who is leaving the Inn to pursue other interests.
Effective December 1, Wendy Waha assumed the responsibility of
general manager of the Sonoma Club, an exclusive, recreational lifestyle
club. Waha has been associated with the Sonoma Club since its inception
and brings extensive experience in club operations, food and beverage,
and membership sales from her previous position at the Charlevoix Golf
& Country Club, a 500-acre real estate development in Michigan. Waha
replaces Charles Henning who departed for a new position in Florida.
| �We are very excited to announce these
changes within our organization. As our businesses continues to expand
it is important to provide better, more efficient and reliable service
to our guests by changing the way we conduct business.
The majority of our guests are located here in the San Francisco Bay
Area and we are pleased to have staff here to take care of their needs.
While the economy in 2001 has been disappointing, we are now seeing
strong bookings at both of our resort destination Inns and are optimistic
on 2002 and beyond,� stated Sanjay Varma, President and CEO.
�We remain fully committed to our investment strategy of expansion through
new acquisitions and development in Northern California. The results of
this past year should surface acquisition opportunities that may be attractive
for us and help us grow. Our approval process for the development of a
65-suite resort at the Sonoma National Golf Course is on track and we are
appreciative of the support the project has received from the local community
and from club members. This $35 million expansion is a strong testament
to our long term view of our investments in Northern California.�
|
Sanjay Varma
President & CEO
Sonoma Spa Resorts
| Sanjay has worked for some of the world's leading hospitality
and entertainment companies throughout his career. As Executive Vice President
and Chief of Corporate Operations for Crescent Real Estate Equities, Ltd.,
he was directly responsible since its inception in 1994 for the hospitality
business, including all acquisitions. Prior to his association with Crescent,
he served eight years as Executive Vice President of The Walt Disney Company.
He initially was responsible for the operations of Disney Resorts in Orlando
and California. From 1989 to 1994, he managed the $2.2 billion development,
opening and operations of the EuroDisney Resorts, including 5700 rooms
and the mixed-use entertainment center in Paris, France. From 1978 to 1986
he worked for Marriott International Inc. in food and beverage, and, as
Area Vice President, had corporate responsibility for 60 hotels, including
the opening of more than 20 properties. Mr. Varma completed his degree
in hotel administration at the Jean Drouant School in Paris, France, and
completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. |
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