| Rick Riess has been named President and Chief Executive Officer for
Gavin Newsom�s (and Gordon Getty�s) PlumpJack Group. He most recently served
seven years as Chief Operating Officer of Auberge Resorts, prior to which
he spent four years as Regional Vice President for Grand Bay Hotels and
Resorts based at the Boulders. Interestingly, at Plumpjack, Riess takes
the position left vacant when Robert Goldberg became the President of the
Moana Hotel and Restaurant Group, a sister company to Auberge Resorts,
with which it shares top officers/directors Robert and Mark Harmon.
Peter Finamore has been promoted by Boyd Gaming from Vice President
Hospitality at Atlantic City�s Borgata to Senior Vice President Operations
at Las Vegas� upcoming Echelon Place, due to open in 2010. Prior to joining
Boyd five years ago, Finamore spent fourteen years with the Peninsula Group.
He was the opening General Manager of the Peninsula Chicago, a property
frequently ranked one of the top hotels in the world.
Speaking of the Borgata, Cornell graduate Victor Tiffany has left his
position of Vice President of Food and Beverage there to become the Senior
Vice President Concept Development for fast-growing Tarsadia Hotels. Before
his five-year stint at the Borgata, Tiffany was the Director of Food and
Beverage at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. He had started his career with
Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant Group.
Brian Young has been named Vice President, Resort Operations at Sea
Island, rejoining some of his former Rosewood associates, including former
President Jim Brown and Vice President Human Resources Meg Galletti. Young
joined Rosewood in 1999 and was most recently their Vice President Operations
Resorts, based in Dallas.
ILX Resorts has appointed Philip Baxter Executive Vice President of
Development. Baxter, a Cornell graduate, has spent the last fourteen years
with Tishman Hotel Corporation where he was most recently a First Vice
President.
Liberty Harbor has named Ralph Vick President of its newly formed resort
management company, Liberty Harbor Hospitality. Vick previously served
as Vice President and Managing Director for the Sea Island Company following
twelve years with Ritz-Carlton, culminating with a stint as General Manager
of the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island.
Shane Krige has been appointed General Manager at the legendary Plaza
in New York to be re-opened in a much-abridged version by Fairmont in the
fall. He was most recently the Managing Director of the Mansion on Turtle
Creek. Krige also served as Executive Assistant Manager for both the Ritz-Carlton
Washington D.C. and the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown. In addition, he was appointed
Hotel Manager at London�s Grosvenor House in 2003.
Mario Mazzini has been named General Manager at the Hotel Sax, the former
House of Blues Hotel in Chicago. He had been with Méridien since
1983, most recently as the General Manager at the former Le Méridien
Chicago now the Conrad Chicago.
David Jacobs has been appointed General Manager of the Hyatt Regency
O'Hare following eight years as General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis.
Danna Holck has joined the Enchantment Resort in Sedona as General Manager.
She comes from the Miramonte Resort in Palm Spring where her successor
as General Manager is Richard Behr. Behr was most recently the General
Manager at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas.
David Curell has relocated back to Vancouver as General Manager of the
soon-to-open Loden, for the Kor Hotel Group. He had been lured away from
Vancouver (where had been the General manager of the hip Hotel Opus) by
Joie de Vivre Hospitality in 2004 to serve as Managing Director at the
Hotel Vitale in San Francisco.
David Lammond has joined the Standard Downtown Los Angeles as General
Manager, taking over from Karim Elraheb, who has left the company. Lammond
was most recently the General Manager at the Chamberlain in West Hollywood,
after serving as the Assistant General Manager at the Viceroy in Santa
Monica. This is a return to André Balazs� Hotels AB where Lammond
previously held the position of General Manager at the Standard Miami and
Assistant General Manager at the Standard Hollywood.
Wibo Wilmink has been appointed General Manager of the Hilton Curaçao
replacing Peter Webster, who is now the General Manager of the British
Colonial Hilton Nassau. Wilmink most recently served as the General Manager
of the Hilton Colombo in Sri Lanka.
The Fairmont Winnipeg has appointed Indu Brar General Manager. For the
past four years Brar served as the Director of Operations at the Fairmont
Chateau Lake Louise after joining the resort as Director of Rooms.
The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza has appointed Dean Chininis
General Manager. He previously worked at the Lodge of the Four Seasons,
the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, the Arizona Biltmore and the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta.
John Maibach has been appointed General Manager at the Copley Square
Hotel in Boston. He was most recently the General Manager of the Black
Point Inn. He previously served as Director of Operations at the Fairmont
Copley Plaza in Boston and Director of Rooms at the Plaza in New York.
Christophe Thomas has been named General Manager at the Shoreham in
New York. He was most recently part of the pre-opening team as Hotel Manager
at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Previously, he served as the Director of Rooms
at the Windsor Court in New Orleans and the Rooms Division Manager at the
Drake in Chicago.
Richard Sorensen has joined the Peninsula New York as Resident Manager,
taking over the position left vacant when Ellis O�Connor left to become
the General Manager at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Also at the Peninsula New
York, General Manager and Regional Vice President Niklaus Leuenberger has
announced he will be leaving the company in April, after 27 years. Sorensen
was most recently the Director of Residential Services at the Four Seasons
Costa Rica and had been with Four Seasons for the past thirteen years in
Newport Beach and Vancouver.
Michael Newcombe has transferred as General Manager to the Four Seasons
Dallas. He was most recently the General Manager at the Four Seasons Hampshire
and previously the Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons Dublin. Newcombe,
a Lausanne graduate, has also worked at the Four Seasons London and the
Four Seasons Toronto.
Mark Cox has been promoted to General Manager at the Villas of Grand
Cypress in Orlando. He joined the resort in 1989 and most recently served
as its Director of Marketing and Operations.
Sharon Telesca has been appointed General Manager of AKA New York, a
new brand of luxury furnished apartments launch by Korman Communities,
refurbishing the Wyndham on 58th Street. She was most recently the opening
Director of Sales and Marketing at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Previously,
Telesca served as Director of Marketing at Furnished Quarters in New York,
as the Director of Sales and Marketing at the St. Regis New York and the
Plaza-Athénée New York.
Jean Jadas has been appointed General Manager of the Sivory Hotel in
the Dominican Republic. He previously worked as General Manager of Puerto
Plata Village.
Peter Nielsen has been named General Manager of the Oswego Hotel in
Victoria, BC, slated for opening next month. Most recently, Nielsen was
the General Manager at the Cedarwood Inn and Suites in Sidney. He has previously
worked at the Poet�s Cove Resort and Spa and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
Robert Newman has been appointed General Manager at the Ocean Edge Resort
and Club on Cape Cod. He was most recently the General Manager at the Doubletree
Boston. Newman previously served as the General Manager of three Cape Cod
properties for the Hamilton Group and has held managerial positions at
the Ritz in London and the Westbury in Dublin.
The Zermatt Resort & Spa in Utah has appointed Jan McCormick General
Manager. McCormick was most recently a Regional Director of Operations
for Gemstone Resorts International and previously served as General Manager
for the Resort at Squaw Creek, the Hotel Allegro Chicago and the Hotel
Triton in San Francisco.
Matt Adams has recently been named Vice President and Managing Director
for the Grand Hyatt New York. A 24-year Hyatt veteran, he was most recently
a Vice President of Operations for Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Chicago
after serving as Vice President and Managing Director at the Hyatt Regency
San Francisco.
Jeff Fuller has been appointed General Manager of the Mansion on Forsyth
Park in Savannah. Previously he was at the Park in Charlotte.
Christian Tavelli has been promoted to Resort Manager at Las Ventanas
al Paraíso after joining the resort in October 2004 as its Rooms
Division Manager. He had previously served as the Director of Rooms at
the Hotel & Casino Torrequebrada in Malaga, Spain. Replacing Tavelli
as Director of Rooms is Hector Serrano, promoted from his former position
at the resort as Director of Training.
Rajiv Malhotra has transferred to the Four Seasons Great Exuma as Resort
Manager. Malhotra, a Cornell graduate, was previously the Hotel Manager
at the Four Seasons Las Vegas.
Jim Hogg has been appointed Hotel Manager of the Walt Disney World Swan
and Dolphin Resort, where he first started his hospitality career as the
Reservations Manager in 1990. He returns to the resort from his current
position as General Manager of the Sheraton Vistana Village Resort, also
in Orlando. He also served at the Westin Innisbrook Resort as the Director
of Rooms, followed by the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
as the Director of Six Sigma.
Edward Rosenthal has joined Quintessentially in New York as Chief Operating
Officer. He was most recently with the Starr Restaurant Organization as
Director of Restaurants. He also served as Director of Food and Beverage
for China Grill Management and Director of Bar Operations for Ian Schrager
Hotels.
Brian Butterworth is now the Resident Manager at Shutters on the Beach
in Santa Monica. He was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager at
Mauna Lani in Hawaii. Previously, he had been with Four Seasons for nine
years, serving as Director of Rooms at the Beverly Wilshire and the (former)
Four Seasons Olympic.
Alain Richard has been appointed Resident Manager at the Bahia Principe
Rio San Juan in the Dominican Republic. He was previously the General Manager
at the former Barcelo Punta Goleta.
The Westin La Cantera Resort has appointed Richard Roy Resort Manager.
He comes from the Westin Buckhead where he served as Director of Operations
since 2004. He previously spent fifteen years with Opryland's Gaylord Entertainment.
Scott Aoki is now a Vice President for Sodexho. He comes from the Waldorf=Astoria
where he was the Assistant Food and Beverage Director/Controller.
Mike Saeidi has been named Director of Finance at the Grand Del
Mar. He moves down from the Standard Downtown Los Angeles where he was
the Regional Director of Finance. He previously spent seven years as Director
of Finance at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay and the Ritz-Carlton Rancho
Mirage.
George Taulé has transferred to the Standard Downtown Los Angeles
as Financial Controller, replacing Mike Saieidi. He previously served as
the Controller of the Standard Miami, the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort
and the InterContinental Miami West.
The Al J. Schneider Company in Louisville has appointed Ron Strecker
to the newly created position of Chief Financial Officer. Strecker comes
from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Karisma Hotels and Resorts in Mexico has named José Carrasco
Director of Operations. Previously, Carrasco was Managing Director of Operations
for Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts and AM Resorts.
Mitchell Mehr has joined Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants in San Francisco
as Senior Director of Operations West Coast. For the past two years, he
had been the Vice President Food and Beverage Operations for the Kor Group
after serving six years with China Grill Management in Las Vegas as the
West Coast Regional Director Of Operations.
Alexandre Gaudelet has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage
at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. He most recently served as General Manager
at Tom Collichio�s Craftsteak in the hotel. He was previously at Paris�
Hôtel Meurice as its Restaurant Director. The restaurant of the Meurice
was awarded its third Michelin star this year.
Nicholas Spurgeon has been named Director of Food and Beverage at the
Fairmont Turnberry Isle. He was most recently in a similar position at
the Mark in New York. Spurgeon also worked at the New York Palace and served
as Director of Food and Beverage at the Westin New York at Times Square
and the Sofitel New York.
Nicolas Kurban has been appointed Director of Fine Dining at Wynn Las
Vegas, where he is responsible for the property's nine high-end restaurants.
The position had been vacant since John Cunin had departed in the fall.
Kurban, who had been the Director of Restaurant Operations for Thomas Keller,
had recently been a consultant for the Villagio Inn and the Vintage Inn
in Napa Valley.
The Renaissance Chicago Hotel has named Anthony Camillo Food and Beverage
Director. He has more than eighteen years of experience with Marriott International,
including serving as Executive Chef at the Marriott Seaview Resort and
Spa and the Marriott Fairview Park.
Graham Ablett has been named Food and Beverage Director for Sunswept
Resorts at Jalousie Plantation in St Lucia, until recently, known as the
Jalousie Hilton. He comes the Airways Hotel Papua New Guinea.
John Trudeau has joined the Hotel Viking as Director of Food and Beverage.
Since 2001, he had been the Director of Food and Beverage at the Mystic
Marriott Hotel & Spa in Connecticut.
Sean Loeffel has joined City Explorer TV in Santa Monica as Vice President
of Hotel Relations and Business Development. He had left Four Seasons after
seventeen years to become a consultant, after serving as Director of Food
and Beverage at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, the (former)
Four Seasons Olympic and the Four Seasons Wailea.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has appointed Brian Windle to the newly
created position of Vice President Sales and Marketing, North America to
be based in New York. He was most recently the Asset Manager of the Ojai
Valley Inn & Spa for the Crown family of Chicago and Senior Vice President
Sales and Marketing for Destination Hotels & Resorts. Previously, he
has served as Vice President Sales and Marketing of W Hotels and Director
of Sales and Marketing, Resorts for Westin Hotels & Resorts.
Jeff Doane has been promoted to Vice President of Hotels Sales, North
America by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts based in Toronto. He rejoined
the company in 2001 as the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Fairmont
San Francisco after serving as the pre-opening Director of Sales and Marketing
for the Four Seasons San Francisco.
Eli White, Jr. has been named Vice President of Marketing for Innisfree
in Florida. He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Sales
and Marketing and Managing Director for the Seaway Group, parent company
of the Biltmore Hotel. He has previously held various positions at
Hyatt Hotels and Lincoln Hotels.
Ray Bustamante has joined Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group as the
Director of Sales and Marketing at the Westin Long Beach, replacing Jan
Hollis. Prior to joining Noble, Bustamante was the Regional Director of
Sales and Marketing in Los Angeles for Tishman Hotels, overseeing properties
in Los Angeles and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Cruise West has appointed Al Petrone Chief Marketing Officer. Before
joining Cruise West, he served as Chief Marketing Officer for Noble House
Hotels and Resorts. In addition, he previously held senior marketing and
operating positions with W Hotels, Sheraton and Ian Schrager Hotels.
Sid Vaikunta has been appointed Senior Vice President of Operations
and Marketing for Echelon Resorts. Vaikunta, a Cornell graduate, previously
held the position of Vice President of Marketing at Borgata.
Scott Flexman has been named Vice President of Sales and Marketing for
the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. He comes from his position as Director of
Sales and Marketing at the Landsdowne Resort in Northern Virginia and was
previously the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Boca Raton
Resort & Club.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has promoted Ellen Ryan to Regional Director
of Sales and Marketing, Northeast U.S. based in Boston. She has been with
the Fairmont Copley Plaza since 1995 starting as Group Sales Manager to
her current position of Director of Sales and Marketing.
The Hotel Jerome in Aspen has appointed Katherine Husk Director of Marketing
and Sales. She previously held the titles of Vice President of Marketing
and Sales for Classic Resorts and Director of Marketing and Sales for the
Kaanapali Beach Hotel.
Christopher Hamaway has transferred to the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage
as Director of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently the Director of
Sales and Marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne.
Matt Butler has been promoted to Director of Sales at the Villas of
Grand Cypress in Orlando. Butler joined the resort in 1989 and served as
its National Sales Manager for the past ten years.
Charles Bello has transferred as Director of Group Sales to the InterContinental
San Francisco currently under construction. He was most recently the Director
of Group Sales at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins.
Jeff Voth has been appointed Sales Manager for the Mount Washington
Resort at Bretton Woods. He was most recently the Director of Sales for
the Sunday River Ski Resort and previously a National Sales and Marketing
Manager for Vail Resorts.
InterContinental has appointed James Manley Vice President, Talent
Acquisition, Americas Region, to be based in Atlanta. Manley, a Cornell
graduate, joined InterContinental in 1981 and was most recently the Vice
President, Human Resources, for InterContinental�s owned and managed hotels
in the Americas.
Shakira Velez joins the Custom and Pali House as Director of Human Resources.
Since 2001 she had been with the Hollywood Roosevelt as Director of Human
Resources and had previously worked for Wyndham in Los Angeles and Palm
Springs.
Darren Graichen has been named Rooms Executive at the Hyatt Regency
Scottsdale. Graichen previously served at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco,
the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles and, most recently, the Hyatt Regency Long
Beach. Replacing Graichen is Christine Aubele, who joins from the Hyatt
Regency Newport Beach.
Tara Tan has joined the InterContinental Milwaukee as Hotel Vibe Manager.
Since 1990, she has been with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, most recently
at the W Los Angeles as Director of Rooms after serving as the Director
of Rooms at the Westin Philadelphia. Previously, she has worked at the
W New York Times Square and has served as the Director of Housekeeping
at the W Seattle and the Orchid at Mauna Lani.
Tony Aiazzi has been named Executive Chef at Charlie Palmer�s Aureole
in New York, replacing Dante Bocuzzi, who has left to open a restaurant
in Cleveland. Aiazzi has been with Charlie Palmer for the past eight years
starting at Aureole in New York and also working at Aureole Las Vegas and
as Palmer�s liaison for Seabourn Cruise Lines. For the past three years,
he has been Palmer�s Corporate Chef.
Stéphane Becht has joined Norwegian Cruise Lines as Corporate
Chef based in Miami. For the past three years, he had been the Executive
Chef at Miami�s Delano. He had previously served as Executive Chef at the
Edge Restaurant in Pennsylvania, Cucina & Company in New York City
and the Ocean Club in the Bahamas.
Mohamed Islam is now the Chef/Owner at Aigre Doux in Chicago along with
his wife, Malika Ameen, who will serve as Pastry Chef. For the past four
years, Islam served as the Executive Chef at Chateau Marmont. Previously,
he held the position of Executive Sous Chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten�s
Mercer Kitchen.
Replacing Islam as Executive Chef at Château Marmont, is Carolynn
Spence, who hails from the Spotted Pig in New York.
Evan Percoco has transferred as Executive Chef to the Loews Lake Las
Vegas Resort, the former Hyatt Regency. He comes from Orlando where he
most recently served as the Executive Chef at the Loews Hard Rock Hotel.
Ross Fraser has been named Executive Chef at the Emerson Resort &
Spa. He previously served as Executive Chef at the original Emerson Inn
from 2002-2004 but left for a two-year stint at 59 Lake in Delaware. He
has previously held senior positions at Gleneagles Resort & Golf Course
and Kinnaird Country House.
Peter Moore has transferred to the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans as Executive
Chef. He was most recently the Executive Chef at the Baltimore Country
Club. He had previously worked for Ritz-Carlton in Washington D.C., Tyson�s
Corner, Jamaica, Pentagon City and Kansas City.
The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans has promoted Matt Murphy to Executive Sous
Chef. He originally joined the hotel four years ago as Chef de Cuisine.
He previously served as Sous Chef at Commander's Palace. Eric Aldis has
been promoted at the hotel from his current position of Sous Chef to replace
Murphy as Chef de Cuisine. Aldis has previously served in the kitchens
at the Four Seasons Houston and Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Stéphane Coutouly has joined Norwegian Cruise Line in Miami as
Assistant Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently at the Hotel
Sofitel Miami as Director of Food and Beverage. He had previously served
at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington and Spa as Restaurant Manager and was with
Le Méridien for five years in Beverly Hills, Boston and Nice.
Michael Seznec has joined Rosa Mexicano as Regional General Manager.
Seznec, a Cornell graduate, was most recently the General Manager of the
Summit restaurant at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
Jason Bartucci has been promoted to General Manager at Craftsteak at
the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Most recently he served as the Assistant General
Manager at the restaurant, under Alexandre Gaudelet.
Benjamin Ramirez has been named Executive Housekeeper at the Custom
in Los Angeles. He comes from the Beverly Wilshire where he was the Assistant
Executive Housekeeper.
Fairmont Raffles Hotels International has promoted Anne McCall Wilson
as Vice President, Spas from her current position of General Manager, Spas.
She joined the company in 1992 as Regional Director, Sales & Marketing
at the Fairmont Royal York and was previously the General Manager at the
SkyDome Hotel, Toronto. |
