Wolf Hengst, who is currently President, Worldwide Hotel Operations,
for Four Seasons, has announced his intention to retire at year-end. With
his retirement, Four Seasons has appointed Kathleen Taylor as President
and Chief Operating Officer. Jim FitzGibbon will become President, Worldwide
Hotel Operations, effective January 1, 2007.
Starwood has promoted Rip Gellein, to President, Global Development.
Gellein has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood
Vacation Ownership since 1999 and was formerly Chairman and Co-Chief Executive
Officer of Vistana, a company acquired by Starwood in 1999. He joined Vistana
in 1980.
Ted Darnall, President of Starwood Real Estate Group has stepped down
in order to develop a fund specifically focused on building aloft and Extended
Stay by Westin hotels, two brands he helped create. Darnall joined Starwood
in 1996 and has been the President of the Starwood Real Estate Group since
2002.
Starwood has named Matt Ouimet President of the Hotel Group, a newly
created position. Ouimet spent seventeen years at the Walt Disney Company,
most recently serving as President of the Disneyland Resort. Ed Grier,
a 25-year Disney veteran who most recently oversaw the company's operations
of Tokyo Disney Resort, replaces Ouimet.
Hotelier Philippe LeBoeuf is back in the United States after eleven
years in France. He is now based in Dallas as Rosewood's Vice President
of Operations. LeBoeuf, a Board Director for Leading Hotels of the World,
served until 2005 as Executive Vice President of Louvre Hotels, the Barry
Sternlicht-controlled entity that includes Paris' tony Hotel de Crillon.
LeBoeuf was at the helm of the Crillon for six years. From 1989 to 1991,
he was an Executive Assistant Manager at New York's Carlyle, now a Rosewood
hotel.
Radisson has appointed Ed Garin Vice President of Development, Latin
America. A Cornell graduate, he had served as Director of Development for
Lexington Services and Vantis International since 1997. Prior to that,
he was Director of Rooms and Reservations for the Continental Companies.
Destination Hotels & Resorts has hired David Bland as Managing Director
of New Projects, a newly created role. He was most recently with Intrawest
at its Winter Park development as Director of Sales.
Edward Haus has joined Yellowstone Club World in Beverly Hills as Chief
Financial Officer, under former Conrad International Chief Executive Officer
Dieter Huckestein. Haus was with Hilton for fifteen years, most recently
as Corporate Director of Financial Services and Reporting. He was the Vice
President of Finance for Conrad International during its growth from one
to twenty luxury hotels worldwide.
Ray Jacobi has been appointed General Manager of the Island Hotel in
Newport Beach replacing Hansjoerg Maissen. A resident of Newport Beach,
Jacobi was until recently the Chief Executive Officer at the Telluride
Ski and Golf Resort. He previously served with Rosewood as the company's
Chief Operating Officer. This is a return to the property for Jacobi who
had been its General Manager in the mid nineties when it was still the
Four Seasons Newport Beach.
David Feder has been appointed President and General Manager of the
Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach succeeding Michael Starr, who will
assume the position of General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the
upcoming Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas. Previously, Feder was the President
of the PGA National Resort & Club. He also served as the President
and Chief Operating Officer of Boca Resorts, and as Senior Vice President
and Managing Director of the Arizona Biltmore.
Sanjeev Rai has been appointed General Manager of the Rockefeller Center
Hotel in New York. He was previously the Director of Food and Beverage
at the Fairmont New Orleans following nine years at the Drake in Chicago
in the same position.
William Taylor has been named General Manager of the Four Seasons Boston
replacing Peter O'Colmain who is leaving the company in order to relocate
back to Southern California. Taylor was previously the General Manager
at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and the Four Seasons Atlanta.
Victor Woo has been named General Manager of the Rancho Las Palmas Resort,
the former Marriott Rancho Las Palmas, bought by Strategic Capital and
given under management to KSL Resorts. Woo was most recently the Director
of Sales and Marketing at KSL's Hotel Del Coronado and Claremont.
Joseph Kirtley has been promoted by the Morgans Hotel Group as General
Manager of New York's Royalton, from the position of Hotel Manager at Mondrian.
He originally joined the company more than eleven years ago as Front Office
Manager at Miami's Delano.
Mathew Pargament has been transferred by the Morgans Hotel Group from
the position of General Manager at Miami's Shore Club to the same post
at Mondrian in Los Angeles, where the post had been vacant since the departure
of Bill Doak, almost a year ago.
Peter Serena has been named General Manager of the Vero Beach Hotel
& Club. Most recently Serena served as General Manager at the Eagle
Creek Golf and Country Club in Naples and was previously the General Manager
at the Wigwam in Arizona.
The Lodge at Tiburon has appointed Stephanie Bauer as General Manager.
She was most recently the Vice President and General Manager of the Lafayette
Park and was previously the General Manager of the Sofitel San Francisco
in Redwood City.
Eric Sather will be joining Blackstone's LXR Luxury Resorts as the General
Manager of the Peaks in Telluride. He has been the General Manager of Robert
Redford's Sundance Resort for the past two years, following a nine-year
tenure with Dolce International.
Roy Young has been named Managing Director of the Naples Bay Resort.
He was promoted by Benchmark Hospitality from the position of Project Director
at the French Lick Resort Casino and West Baden Springs Resort. Young also
served as Managing Director for the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta.
Sam Guedouar has been appointed General Manager of the Providence Westin.
He was most recently the General Manager at the InterContinental in Kansas
City and previously served in a similar capacity at the Lake Lawn Resort
in Wisconsin, the Hotel ZAZA in Dallas and the US Grant in San Diego.
Philippe Sabo has been named General Manager of Jalousie Plantation
in St. Lucia. A Lausanne graduate, he had spent several years with Orient
Express in such diverse locations as the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort, Charleston
Place, the Maroma Resort and Spa, and the Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu.
Sileshi Mengiste has been named General Manager of the newly rebranded
Le Méridien (formerly the Park Hyatt) in San Francisco. He was most
recently overseeing the former Pan Pacific San Francisco (now the JW Marriott).
He also held the position of Executive Director of Hotel Operations at
Wynn Las Vegas.
Steve Shern has been named General Manager at the Hotel 71 in Chicago
soon to be re-branded to Solis Hotel and Spa. He spent the past fourteen
years with Four Seasons, in Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago and Atlanta.
Jean Loubat will be running his newly purchased Pine Creek Lodge in
Nacogdoches, Texas. He was most recently the Hotel Manager at the Parker
Méridien Palm Springs.
Kurt Berman has been named Resident Manager of Rosewood's Jumby Bay
in Antigua. He was most recently at Frégate Island Private in the
Seychelles as Resident Manager, having joined the property in 2004 as Executive
Chef. Berman was previously at Point Grace in the Turks and Caicos.
Andrea Gates has been named Hotel Manager of the Carlyle. She was most
recently at Rosewood sister property, the Mansion on Turtle Creek as Director
of Rooms.
Cornell graduate James Kostecky has transferred to the Four Seasons
Great Exuma as Resort Manager, switching positions with Annabel Shaw who
will move to his former position at the Four Seasons London as Hotel Manager.
Kostecky started with the company in 2002 as Resort Manager at the Four
Seasons Hualalai in Hawaii.
Pascal Forotti has transferred as Hotel Manager to the Hotel InterContinental
Chicago. He was most recently at the InterContinental Buckhead where his
successor as Hotel Manager is Andrew Gajary, previously the Hotel Manager
at the Cleveland InterContinental.
Simon Antoine has transferred to the InterContinental Cleveland as Executive
Assistant Manager, from the position of Director of Food and Beverage at
the InterContinental Buckhead. Bixente Pery, Executive Chef at the InterContinental
Buckhead has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage/Executive Chef.
The soon-to-open Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort has appointed Miguel
Rodriguez Executive Assistant Manager. He was most recently the General
Manager of the Water Club Boutique Hotel in Puerto Rico.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale has named Clay Stewart Director of Finance.
He was most recently the Operations Controller at the Lake Las Vegas Resort
and was previously overseeing finance at the Hilton Miami Airport and the
Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
Brenda Sorley has been named Financial Controller at the French Lick
Resort Casino in Indiana. She was most recently the Finance and Business
Control Manager for Tetra Pak, a global packaging company based in Lund,
Sweden.
Vail Resorts has appointed Robert Urwiler Senior Vice President and
Chief Information Officer. He was most recently the Senior Vice President
and Chief Information Officer for Macromedia.
Carlos Salazar has joined the Carlyle as Director of Food and Beverage.
He was most recently in the same position at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental
(since then renamed the Kahala Resort) where his successor is Charles Lennox.
Gilles Flores has joined Sun Swept Resorts in St. Lucia as Corporate
Director of Food and Beverage. For the past four years, he was in various
food and beverage management positions with Orient Express at El Encanto,
La Samanna and the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort.
Greg Poplewko has been named Project Vice President of Food and Beverage
for the French Lick Resort Casino in Indiana. He was most recently employed
by Harrah's Entertainment as Division Director of Food and Beverage for
Bally's and Paris Las Vegas and previously for five years was part of Caesar's
Entertainment.
The JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa has appointed Vipin Khullar
as Director of Food and Beverage. He joined Marriott in 1988 and served
the company in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, most recently as
the Director of Food and Beverage for the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott.
At the Hilton Fort Lauderdale, Stéphane Lafon has been appointed
Director of Food and Beverage. He has previously worked at the Fontainebleau
Hilton Hotel and Towers, the Waldorf=Astoria, Turnberry Isle Resort and
Club, Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, Windsor Court New Orleans. He most recently,
served as Director of Food and Beverage at the now shuttered Swissôtel
The Drake.
Paul Cardona will be leaving his position of Director of Food and Beverage
at the Orrington to take a similar post at the Park Hyatt Chicago. Prior
to joining the Orrington a year ago, Cardona was the Director of Food and
Beverage at the Lodge at Vail. He also opened Bacara in Santa Barbara as
Assistant Director of Food and Beverage.
Daryl Billig has been named Food and Beverage Director of the Whitetail
Club & Resort in Northern Idaho. A CIA graduate, he was most recently
based in Honolulu as the Executive Sous Chef with Pride of Aloha, an American-based
cruise ship that services the Hawaiian Islands.
Cornell graduate Shai Zelering has joined Blackstone's LXR Luxury Resort
as Cluster Director of Food and Beverage for their hotels in Fort Lauderdale
including the Hyatt Regency Pier 66, Marriott Harborside and Holiday Inn.
Christine Judd, who was until now the Director of Marketing at the Four
Seasons Sydney, has transferred, in a similar role, to the Four Seasons
Biltmore in Santa Barbara. Prior to joining Four Seasons, Judd was the
Director of Sales and Marketing at the Peninsula Beverly Hills. In Santa
Barbara, she takes over from Ed Galsterer, who has left the company.
Stacy Dreyfus has joined Winvian in Connecticut as Director of Sales
and Marketing. She was most recently in the same position at the Hotel
Gansevoort and previously Global Sales Manager at Ian Schrager Hotels Northeast
Global Sales Office.
The Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa (formerly the Marriott Rancho
Las Palmas) has named Daniel Keyser Director of Sales and Marketing. He
most recently served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Emerald
Pointe Resort on Georgia's Lake Lanier Island and the past year as Director
of Sales at La Quinta in Palm Springs. Both properties are, like Rancho
Las Palmas, operated by KSL.
Neil Hastings has joined the Mountain Lodge at Telluride as Director
of Sales and Marketing. Hastings was previously with Starwood. Most recently
he was overseeing Sales and Marketing at Wyndham Peaks Resort & Golden
Door Spa.
The newly opened Zermatt Resort & Spa in Utah has hired Michelle
Palmer as Director of Sales and Marketing. She was most recently the Associate
Director of Sales at the Lodges at Deer Valley and the Chateaux at Silver
Lake - Deer Valley Lodging. Palmer has also served as the Associate Director
of Sales at Sundance Village.
Paul Pebley has been appointed Director of Marketing at the Fontainebleau
Suites and Fontainebleau Resort in Miami. He was previously the Marketing
Director at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.
Jodi Doughty has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for Houston's
Hotel Icon. She was most recently handling both the JW Marriott and the
Ritz-Carlton in Jakarta as Director of Sales and Marketing.
John Egelhoff has joined the very luxe Twin Farms in Vermont as Director
of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently in the same position at the
Little Nell in Aspen and previously handled Sales and Marketing at Auberge
du Soleil. David Kaso moves into Egelhoff's position at the Little Nell
from his position there as the Director of Catering.
The Hotel Roanoke has named Rick Southard Director of Marketing and
Event Planning. He succeeds Gary Crizer, who was named Assistant General
Manager of the Hotel Roanoke's sister property, the Inn at Virginia Tech
in Blacksburg. Southard was most recently in Rockville, Maryland where
he was General Manager of the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting
Center.
The Garden City Hotel on Long Island has named Alysia DeSocio Director
of Sales. DeSocio's recently held positions include Director of Sales and
Marketing at the Inn at Fox Hollow.
Philippe Parodi has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the
Regent Bal Harbor in Miami due to open early 2007. He was most recently
the Regional Director of Marketing for Morgans Hotel Group Miami, responsible
for Delano and the Shore Club. Parodi also served as Director of Sales
and Marketing at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes and Director of Sales at
the Hotel de Crillon in Paris.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale has appointed Thomas Parke Director of Sales
and Marketing. He was most recently the Regional Marketing Director of
Inter-Continental Resorts � Puerto Rico. Parke also held the position of
Director of Sales and Marketing at Hawaii's Turtle Bay Resort, following
a stint as Chief Operating Officer of Cayo largo in Puerto Rico. He also
held corporate and regional sales and marketing posts for American Golf
Corporation and Club Corporation of America.
Langham has appointed Alice Wu Cota as Director of Sales � Western Region,
North America, based in San Francisco. She was most recently the Director
of Business Development for Shangri-La � Western Regional Sales Office.
Maureen Stella has joined the Carlyle as Director of Sales. She was
most recently in a similar position at the Michelangelo, also in New York
and previously oversaw sales and marketing at the Melrose, the Rhiga Royal
and the Omni Berkshire Place.
Arthur Sands has joined the Park Hyatt Los Angeles as Director of Catering
and Convention Services. He was most recently the Director of Catering
and Social Services at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown.
Ellen Thornton has joined the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey as Director
of Catering Sales. She was most recently the Director of Sales for Concorde
Hotels, representing the Hotel de Crillon, the Hotel Martinez and the Palais
de La Méditerranée. Thornton was previously at the Hotel
Bel-Air as Director of Sales and Leading Hotels of the World as Sales Manager,
Western Region.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale has named Jacqueline George Director of Human
Resources. She has previously worked with Caneel Bay Resort, Four Seasons
Hotels and Resorts in Toronto, and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts in Dallas.
Xavier Moulin has moved up to Northern California to open Espace Café
in Sonoma as its Owner and General Manager. He was most recently the Assistant
Rooms Division Manager at Raffles L'Ermitage in Beverly Hills.
Chef John Schenk is returning to New York. He worked at Gotham Bar and
Grill and Clementine in Manhattan before heading to the Bellagio in Las
Vegas and then Strip House in Houston. He will be the Executive Chef at
Strip House Greenwich Village, and will also oversee the other Strip House
restaurants around the country.
Bruno Feldeisen has joined the Soho Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver
as Executive Chef. He was most recently at the Wickaninnish Inn as the
Executive Pastry Chef. Feldeisen was also the Executive Pastry Chef at
the Four Seasons New York, Pinot Bistro in Los Angeles and the Highlands
Inn in Carmel.
Jasper Schneider has joined the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas as Executive
Chef. Prior to a short stint at the Chatham Bars Inn, he was recently the
opening Executive Chef at the Palms on Turks and Caicos following six years
at La Quinta Resort and Club.
Josef Centeno has joined Opus in Los Angeles as Executive Chef. He was
most recently with the Domaine Restaurant Group at the recently-shuttered
Meson G as their Executive Chef.
Aaron Losch has accepted the Chef de Cuisine position at ENVY Steakhouse
at the Renaissance Las Vegas. He was most recently the Sous Chef at BOA
Steakhouse at the Forum Shops.
Chi Ping Xu has been promoted as Executive Sous Chef at the Drake Chicago.
He had been with the Hilton International over ten years and held various
positions from Restaurant Chef, Senior Sous Chef, Food and Beverage Management
and Banquet & Catering Service Manager at several Hilton properties
in London, Geneva, Guam, Tokyo and Shanghai.
The Fairmont San Francisco has appointed Andrew Ihasz as Executive Sous
Chef. In 2001, Ihasz joined Fairmont in Bermuda as Restaurant Chef. He
was then promoted to Executive Sous Chef at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.
Gilles Ballay has joined the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
as Executive Pastry Chef. He was most recently the Executive Assistant
Pastry Chef at Wynn Las Vegas and previously held various Pastry Chef positions
at Marie Elaine's at the Phoenician, the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort,
Le Cirque at the Bellagio Las Vegas and Orsay in New York. In Los Angeles,
he filled the position left vacant when Donald Wressel left after many
years at the property.
Gerard Partoens has joined Caesar's Palace Las Vegas as Executive Pastry
Chef. He was previously the Executive Pastry Chef at the Adam's Mark in
Denver, the Broadmoor in Colorado and, most recently, at the Reno Hilton.
Francois Gaertner has joined the Big Horn Country Club in Palm Springs
as Pastry Chef. He had been in Rancho Mirage since 2000 formerly with the
Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage a property that later transitioned into the
Lodge at Rancho Mirage. He was most recently in a dual role as Executive
Sous Chef and Pastry Chef. The Lodge at Rancho Mirage will be closing this
month for extensive enhancements.
Michel Keller has joined Bistro 75 in Los Angeles as opening General
Manager. He was most recently the Restaurant Manager at the Peninsula Beverly
Hills.
Jesse Rodriguez, previously at Napa Valley's French Laundry, has been
named Head Sommelier at Addison in the Grand Del Mar, a resort now under
construction in North San Diego County.
Richard Gonzales has left the Four Seasons Washington DC as Reservations
Manager to be on the opening team of the Four Seasons Westlake Village
as Director of Revenue Management. Gonzales also held various positions
at the former Four Seasons Newport Beach, where he spent six years.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale has named Clare-Helen Sutton Director of
Revenue Management. She was most recently in the same position with Hilton,
focusing on the Doubletree Guest Suites Galleria and Fort Lauderdale Oceanfront
Hotel.
La Costa Resort and Spa has appointed Rianna Riego Spa Director. She
was most recently at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa in Tucson
and previously launched the opening of the Spa Esmeralda at the Renaissance
Esmeralda Resort and Spa in Indian Wells.
Spa Strategy has announced Elaine Fenard as a new partner joining Managing
Partner Richard Dusseau and Partner Nancy Nemer. She joins the company
after four years as Vice President of Spa Development and Operations for
Starwood.
Dan Mohr has joined La Posada de Sante Fe as Spa Director. Mohr was
most recently at the Peninsula Chicago as the Spa Director and previously
at the Red Mountain Spa as the Assistant Spa Director. |