In his capacity as general manager, Mr. Duane will oversee all operations of the 213-room hotel which will include a restaurant, two lounges, 4,000 square feet of indoor meeting & event space, 4,000 square feet of outdoor event space, fitness center, outdoor pool & whirlpool and Ayoma Spa.

Most recently, Mr. Duane served as director of operations for the AAA 5-diamond Omni Houston Hotel.  In that capacity, Mr. Duane was responsible for overseeing the rooms and food & beverage operations of the 378-room hotel with 16,000 square feet of banquet & event space, two restaurants, two lounges and 24-hour room service. 

Mr. Duane also served as director of food & beverage with the Omni Houston.  The hotel�s fine dining restaurant, La Reserve, was consistently rated one of the top restaurants in the country and has been awarded the prestigious Wine Spectators Award of Excellence and the coveted DiRõNA Award. During Duane�s tenure, the hotel was ranked as the top hotel for guest satisfaction in 2000 for Omni Hotels, as measured by J. D. Powers and Associates.

Included in Mr. Duane�s career are food & beverage management positions at Daufuskie Island Resort, South Carolina, and The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia; Fairmont Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida.  Duane gained international experience working for Sonesta Hotels International at properties in Bermuda and Amsterdam.

Mr. Duane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, where he majored in Economics. Mr. Duane has also completed food & beverage, catering and management educational programs at both Cornell University�s hotel school as well as Ecole Hoteliere, Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Chef Mohr, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, will oversee all aspects of the food & beverage operation for the hotel including the all day dining restaurant�Common, V Bar & lounge, Sunset Wine Bar & Terrace, banquet facilities and 24/7 room service. 

He will put his own creative stamp on the menu development and service of each of the areas of operation.  Chef Mohr is known for utilizing area ethnic and cultural influences as well as exotic ingredients from around the world to create distinctive menus. 

Most recently, Chef Mohr was the executive chef for the AAA 5-Diamond Omni Houston Hotel.  In that role, Chef Mohr displayed an extraordinary talent for new and innovative French and American Regional cuisines in the AAA 4-diamond, La Reserve restaurant.  La Reserve has consistently been one of the top-rated restaurants in the country and has been awarded the prestigious Wine Spectators Award of Excellence, the coveted DiRõNA Award and given the highest rating of any restaurant in Houston by Zagat Restaurant Survey. 

Chef Mohr�s career has received much recognition.  As the corporate executive chef for Squaw Valley Ski Corporation in the Olympic Village, he was named �Best Young Chef� by the Tahoe Times & Tribune.  In 1998, he was named San Francisco�s �Chef of the Year� by the American Culinary Federation and the Chef�s Association of the Pacific Coast.  Additionally, Chef Mohr was named �National Hotel Chef of the Year� by the American Culinary Institute and received his award at Carnegie Hall in New York.  While at the Omni Houston, Chef Mohr was presented with one of the most coveted honors a chef can receive � an invitation to prepare dinner at the famed James Beard House in New York.

Culinary experience was gained by Chef Mohr while holding positions with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco, as well as Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.  As executive chef of the Mobil 5-Star Four Seasons Clift Hotel, he led the culinary team of the nationally acclaimed French Room Restaurant and San Francisco�s most famous piano-jazz club, The Redwood Room. 

�We are very excited to have Chef Mohr join us,� Nuss said.  �His style and dedication will make Hotel Valencia a name associated with the most fun, innovative and highest quality cuisine.�

Mohr says of the move, �We are all thrilled to be a part of the opening of the Hotel Valencia Santana Row. I am looking forward to the creative challenge and am delighted to be back in the Bay area!�

The Valencia Group, based in Houston, Texas, is currently constructing the Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, California, and the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.