| It took 60 candidates and Spencer Stuart did it, but here it is: Starwood
has hired 46-year-old Frits van Paasschen as its new Chief Executive Officer,
effective September 24. Harvard MBA van Paaschen is a former Chief Executive
Officer of the Coors Brewing Company. He succeeds Bruce Duncan, who has
served as interim CEO since April and will continue as Starwood�s Chairman.
Prior to joining Coors in 2005, van Paasschen spent seven years at Nike.
Before joining Nike in 1997, he spent two years as Vice President, Finance
and Planning, at Disney Consumer Products and earlier in his career was
a management consultant for eight years at McKinsey & Company and the
Boston Consulting Group. Dutch born van Paasschen describes his management
style as engaging, listening and pragmatic.
Leona Helmsley, who became an instant celebrity in the early eighties
as the Queen of the Palace (now owned by the Royal family of Brunei) has
died at age 87, leaving her multi-billion dollar fortune to charity - and
her Maltese, Trouble.
Exclusive Resorts has appointed Jeff Potter to its management team as
Chief Executive Officer taking over for Donn Davis who assumes the position
of Executive Chairman. Potter joins the company from his role as Chief
Executive Officer of Frontier Airlines, a position he held for the past
five years.
Boyd Gaming Corporation has appointed Keith E. Smith Chief Executive
Officer to succeed William S. Boyd who will assume the newly created position
of Executive Chairman in January 2008. Boyd Gaming Chief Financial Officer
Paul J. Chakmak will succeed Smith as Chief Operating Officer.
MGM Mirage has promoted Jim Murren to the role of President and Chief
Operating Officer. Murren previously had served as the company's President,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.
Dan d'Arrigo has been promoted at MGM Mirage to Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer. He originally joined MGM Grand in 1995 and
has served as Senior Vice President of Finance since 2005.
Bobby Baldwin has been named Chief Design and Construction Officer for
MGM Mirage. He will also continue to serve as President and Chief Executive
Officer of the company's $7.4 billion CityCenter development. Baldwin is
also a former President of Bellagio.
Ali Kasikci has been appointed Managing Director of Montage Beverly
Hills, scheduled to open in fall 2008. For the past 16 years, he has run
the Peninsula Beverly Hills. Kasikci, a Lausanne graduate, also spent five
years with Four Seasons at their former Newport Beach location. He is an
honorary member of the Cornell Hotel Society.
Ellis O'Connor moved back to the West Coast to take over as General
Manager at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica. For the past year, he
was the General Manager of Ian Schrager�s Gramercy Park Hotel. Previously,
he spent ten years with Peninsula, mostly in Beverly Hills, partly in New
York, as Resident Manager.
Christian Clerc moves to Chicago as Regional Vice President and General
Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago (a Four Seasons Hotel). He comes from
the Four Seasons Punta Mita where he was the General Manager and Regional
Vice President as well. A Lausanne graduate, Clerc originally joined Four
Seasons in 2000 as Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons Washington DC.
Cormac O�Modhrain has joined Los Angeles-based CIM Group as President
of its Hospitality Division. CIM owns a number of hotel assets, including
the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC, the Renaissance Hollywood
and Las Vegas� Lady Luck Casino. O�Modhrain was previously the Vice President
Hospitality for the Robert Mayer Company in Huntington Beach, following
ten years with Hyatt.
Wyndham has appointed David Martin Senior Vice President of Operations.
He was most recently the Vice President, Hotel Operations, for Kimpton.
General Manager Susanne Hatje, who successfully opened Hong Kong�s Landmark
Mandarin Oriental, will now be launching the Mandarin Oriental Boston.
Hatje originally joined the group via their acquisition of the Rafael Hotel
Group.
Gary Thulander transfers with RockResorts to the Landings Resort on
St. Lucia as General Manager. For the past six years, he was the General
Manager at the Equinox Resort and Spa in Vermont.
Clifford Atkinson has been promoted to General Manager of the Gramercy
Parker Hotel, a property he had joined as Hotel Manager ten months ago.
He takes over from Ellis O�Connor. Atkinson also spent seven years with
Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco and New York, where he was the Executive
Assistant Manager in charge of rooms.
Wende Blumberg has been promoted to General Manager at the Hilton Atlanta
Airport. She was most recently the General Manager of the Hilton University
of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, a position she held since
1999.
Luis Rodríguez has been named General Manager of the Casa Velas
Boutique Hotel. He was most recently the Resident Manager of the Grand
Velas All Suites and Spa Resort in Nuevo Vallarta.
Zach Curry is the new Hotel Manager for the Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New
Orleans. He previously worked as Director of Marketing at the Loews New
Orleans Hotel.
Carl Meyer has been promoted to General Manager at the Salish Lodge
in Washington State. He joined the hotel in 2005 as Director of Rooms and
was promoted in 2006 to Resident Manager. He previously served as Director
of Operations at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University, Director of Rooms
at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa and Rooms Division Manager at the Lodge
at Pebble Beach.
Robert J. Lowe, Jr. has been made President and Chief Operating Officer
of Lowe Hospitality Group. Lowe joined Lowe Enterprises in 1992 and was
named President of Lowe Destination Development in 2003.
Alper Oztok transfers as General Manager to the Four Seasons Punta Mita,
taking over from Christian Clerc. Oztok was most recently the Resort Manager
at the Four Seasons Nevis and was previously the Hotel Manager at the Four
Seasons Philadelphia.
Keith Butz has been appointed General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Calgary,
taking over from Steve McNally who moves as General Manager of the Hyatt
Regency Vancouver. Butz started his career with Hyatt in 1993 and most
recently served as General Manager of the Hyatt Fisherman's Wharf in San
Francisco.
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda has named Tom Wolf General Manager. He was
most recently the Hotel Manager at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and the General
Manager at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. He joined the company in 1980 and
has served in a variety of positions in Chicago, Washington, Lake Tahoe
and Aruba.
Ingrid Summerfield has joined Richard Cohen�s Capital Properties in
San Francisco as Executive Vice President Corporate Housing and Hospitality,
West Coast. Summerfield, a Lausanne graduate, was with Joie de Vivre Hospitality
as Senior Vice President of New Hotel Operations, after joining the company
in 1994 as General Manager of the Commodore Hotel.
The Kor Hotel Group has rebranded Villa del Sol on the Mexican Riviera,
into the Tides Zihuatanejo and appointed Carlos Blanco as General Manager.
He was most recently the Managing Director at Jumby Bay in Antigua and
previously served as Resident Manager at Caneeel Bay on St. John. Both
are Rosewood properties.
Taking over for Blanco as Managing Director at Jumby Bay is Carlos Salazar.
He was most recently at New York�s Carlyle (also a Rosewood hotel) as Food
and Beverage Director. Previously, he was the Director of Food and Beverage
at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental and held similar positions at the Hilton
Waikoloa Village and the Hilton Guam.
Tim Estes has been appointed Vice President of Beaver Creek/Aspen Hospitality
for Vail Resorts. He has previously worked for the Grand Teton Lodge Company,
the Cheeca Lodge and Kimpton Hotels.
Leo Chandler has been appointed Area General Manager at the St. Louis
Airport Marriott. He joined Marriott in 1987 and was most recently the
General Manager at the Toronto Airport Marriott.
Serge Couturiaux has joined the Veranda Resort in Turks and Caicos as
General Manager. He was most recently on the island with the Palms as Executive
Assistant Manager.
Don Fraser has been named Corporate Director of Operations for Denihan
Hospitality. He most recently held the position of General Manager at the
Hilton Newark Penn Station.
Michael Pace is the new General Manager of the W San Francisco, replacing
Toni Knorr who has taken over the General Manager duties at the St. Regis
San Francisco. Since 1998, Pace had been with Kimpton, where he was most
recently the General Manager of the Hotel Serrano in San Francisco.
Linda Cerra has been promoted to General Manager of the Montauk Yacht
Club. She was most recently the Director of Human Resources at the property.
Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate, in Sausalito, has appointed
Pierre Zreik General Manager. He was most recently the Partner/Manager
for Lucy's Table restaurant in Portland. He was previously the Managing
Director for the Avalon Hotel and Spa in Portland.
Christopher Garcia has joined the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in
Florida as Director of Lodging. He was most recently at the Windsor Court
in New Orleans as Director of Rooms. Previously, he oversaw the front office
for Halekulani and spent four years in various positions with Mandarin
Oriental in Hawaii and in Miami.
Robert Mercure is the new General Manager at the Fairmont Château
Frontenac. Since 2006, he served as Hotel Manager for the Fairmont Monte
Carlo. He has been with the company since 1999, holding various posts at
the Fairmont Royal York and Fairmont Queen Elizabeth.
Albert Smith joins the Chamberlain in West Hollywood as General Manager.
He was most recently the Hotel Manager at the Viceroy Santa Monica. He
previously served in various roles at the Avalon in Beverly Hills and the
Millennium Biltmore.
Lausanne graduate Pierre Berthier is the new General Manager of the
hotel chain Las Americas in Peru. He was previously the General Manager
of the Libertador Chain of Hotels also in Peru.
Jorg Wesche has been promoted to Hotel Manager at the Hotel at Auburn
University, run by the West Paces Hotel Group. He joined the property recently
as Rooms Executive. He was previously at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn for
four years, most recently as Rooms Executive.
Jeffrey Durham has been appointed Hotel Manager at the Roosevelt in
New York. He previously served as General Manager of the Doubletree Hotel
in Elizabeth, New Jersey and General Manager of the Sheraton Suites Hotel
also in New Jersey.
Mark Vanderwielen has been named Hotel Manager at the Water Club at
Borgata in Atlantic City. For the past three years, he has been with Kimpton
Hotels, most recently at Hotel Manager of the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco.
He also spent eleven years with InterContinental.
Aaron Black will be the opening Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons St.
Louis. He comes from the Four Seasons Silicon Valley, a property he also
opened, following five years at the Four Seasons Wailea Maui.
Cindy Racco will be the Resort Manager at the Four Seasons Santa Barbara.
She comes from the Four Seasons Palm Beach where she directed the Rooms
Division.
Pierre Louis Renou transfers as Operations Manager to the Sofitel Los
Angeles. He was most recently in the same position at the Sofitel St. James
in London.
Bob Selwood, Senior Vice President, Accounting for MGM Mirage has been
promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer.
Senior Vice President of Treasury Cathy Santoro has been promoted to
serve as MGM Mirage Treasurer.
eSuites Hotels has appointed Ian Rogers Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer. He was most recently the Chief Financial Officer at
Tauck World Discovery. Previously, he served as Financial Controller at
the Radisson Slavjanskaya in Moscow and Vice President Finance and Chief
Financial Officer for Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Valerie Thompson Vice
President of Finance, the Americas, to be based in San Francisco. She was
previously the Vice President, Operations Accounting, for Fairmont.
Cornell grad Joel Letofsky has been promoted to Vice President � Finance
at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland. For the
past six years, he served as Controller and Director of Finance at the
Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando.
John Jacob has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Columbia Sussex Corporation, Tropicana Casinos and Resorts/Tropicana
Entertainment. He was most recently the Chief Financial Officer of Acorn
Products in Columbus, Ohio. He has previously worked as Vice President
of Finance for Sun Apparel/Polo Jeans, Maidenform Worldwide, and Kayser-Roth
Corporation.
Joseph Piantedosi has joined the New York Helmsley as Director of Finance.
Previously, he served as Director of Finance at the Core Club, the Waldorf=Astoria
and the Millennium Broadway. He also served as Hotel Manager and Group
Financial Controller at the New York Palace.
Rob Hilow has been named Director of Engineering at the Four Seasons
San Francisco. Most recently semi-retired in Hilton Head, he spent most
of his years with Starwood. In San Francisco, he takes over from Jim Borowski.
Alberto Lausell has returned to his position of Director of Engineering
at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. He had joined the property in 2005 and
left in 2006 to assume the position of Director of Property Operations
at the Cancun Hilton. Lausell previously served in the same position at
the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain.
Steven Landon has joined the Loews Santa Monica as Director of Engineering.
He has previously held various positions with the Beverly Wilshire and
he Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey.
Simon Fricker has joined the Gramercy Park Hotel as Executive Assistant
Manager, taking over from Clifford Atkinson who was promoted to General
Manager upon the departure of Ellis O�Connor. Fricker was most recently
the Director of Food and Beverage at the Peninsula New York. He had previously
served as Director of Food and Beverage at the Baur au Lac in Zurich and
as Food and Beverage Manager at the St. Regis New York.
Hotel Manager Felix Murillo moves from the Four Seasons Mexico City
to the Four Seasons Buenos Aires. He also served as Director of Food and
Beverage at the Four Seasons Miami, the Four Seasons Chicago and the Four
Seasons London Canary Wharf.
Paul Reggio is the new Executive Assistant Manager for Rooms for the
Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New Orleans. He previously served as Director of
Guest Services at the Hotel 71 in Chicago.
Greg Waldron has moved to Miami to join China Grill Management as Regional
Director of Operations, Miami and Mexico, replacing Pascal Billard. Waldron
was most recently the Vice President of Food and Beverage at Caesar's Palace
in Las Vegas after joining the property in 1996 as Executive Chef.
Toby Reivant has been promoted with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to
Manager of Food and Beverage Operations for Celebrity Cruises. He joined
the company last year as Director of Alternative Dining. Previously, he
held various food and beverage posts at Bistro Moderne in Houston, L�Auberge
du Soleil and the former St. Regis Los Angeles.
The Patina Restaurant Group has named Tim O'Shea Chief Operating Officer.
He was most recently the President and Chief Executive of Fresh Choice
Restaurants. Prior to that, he held executive posts at other foodservice
companies, including W.R. Grace, Culinary Brands and Saga.
Wyndham has named Fernando Salazar Vice President of Food and Beverage.
Most recently, he was the Vice President, Food and Beverage, for Omni Hotels,
a position he accepted after serving as Director of Operations for the
Omni San Antonio and Omni Houston Westside.
Sean O�Toole joins the Mina Group as Group Operations Chef. He
was most recently at Mix Las Vegas, where he worked with chef Bruno Davaillon.
Richard Mignault has been promoted to Corporate Vice President of Human
Resources and Administration for Hilton Hotels, based at the company�s
world headquarters in Beverly Hills. He was most recently based in New
York as Vice President - Human Resources, Eastern Region.
The Westin Seattle has appointed Theresa Segal Director of Human Resources.
Segal, a Cornell graduate, was most recently with Holland America Cruise
Line, where she served as Senior Human Resources Manager. Her previous
human resources experience includes the MGM Grand Hotel and Caesar�s Palace.
Madison Toms joins DPS Development Private Clubs in Charleston as Director
of Business Development. For the past twelve years, he was with Orient-Express
Hotels, most recently as Corporate Director of Marketing, North America.
Helen Barry moves from Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons Great Exuma
to the same title at the Four Seasons Costa Rica, where she replaces Andy
Chang, who is moving to the Four Seasons Macau. Barry has also worked at
the Four Seasons London and the Four Seasons Prague.
Tom Lefkovits moves as Director of Rooms to the Four Seasons Los Angeles.
He joined the company at the Four Seasons Boston where he held the position
of Director of Rooms since October 2004. Previously, he played various
management roles at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler over a period of eight
years.
Michael Soriano has been named Director of Guest Services at the Marriott
LAX. He was formerly the Director of Housekeeping at the Millennium
Biltmore in Downtown LA.
Rebecca Huetter has joined André Balazs Properties in Los Angeles
as Regional Vice President of Sales and Marketing. She most recently ran
her own marketing company, Momentum Hospitality. Huetter was also previously
the Director of Sales and Marketing for Rosewood�s Las Ventanas al Paraiso,
and was a Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Ian Schrager Hotels,
based at the San Francisco Clift.
Rich Ramirez has accepted the position of Director of Sales, Pacific
Northwest, for Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, based in San Francisco.
He was most recently the Director of Sales at Joie de Vivre Hospitality.
Previously, he has held various sales and marketing positions with the
Beverly Wilshire, Las Brisas in Acapulco and Palmilla in Los Cabos, as
well as the Sofitel Los Angeles.
Greg Leeper has been named Regional Director of Sales for the French
Lick Resort Casino, based in Chicago. He was most recently the Director
of Sales for hinton+grusich in Chicago. Previously he has worked with the
sales teams for Loews, Starwood and Ritz-Carlton.
Jesse Suglia has joined Kimpton as Director of Hotel Sales. He joins
from Omni where his most recent position was Global Director of Business
Travel Sales for the New York Global Sales Office.
David Ryan has joined Sofitel North America as Corporate Director of
Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management. For the past year, he was the
Director of Marketing for the Loews Lake Las Vegas. Previously, Ryan served
as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, the
Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch and the Little Nell.
Maria Gabriella Sosa Gonzalez has been appointed Director of Sales for
La Casa de Sierra Nevada and Sales Representative for the Maroma Resort
and Spa, both Orient-Express properties. She was most recently at the Mision
del Sol Resort and Spa as Director of Sales and Marketing. She previously
held various sales and marketing positions with Fiesta Americana, Presidente
Intercontinental, and the Hotel Casa Vieja.
Virgil Napier is the new Director of Sales and Marketing at the Viceroy
Anguilla. He was most recently the Director of Sales for the Ritz-Carlton
Coconut Grove, after serving for five years as the Associate Director of
Sales at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort has appointed Opal Gibson Director
of Sales and Marketing. Most recently, Gibson held the position of Director
of Business Development for the British Colonial Hilton Nassau.
The Hotel Cass Mag Mile Chicago has appointed Beth Truax Director of
Sales and Marketing. She was most recently the Manager of Marketing and
Specialized Services for Hilton HHonors Worldwide in its Chicago office.
Prior to that role, she was the Manager of Business Travel Sales for Hiltons
of Chicago.
David Wahba has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the
Westin Aruba. Prior to his new position, Wahba served as the Complex Director
of Sales and Marketing for the Sheraton Yankee Trader and Sheraton Yankee
Clipper in Fort Lauderdale. Previously, he held various sales and marketing
positions at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, the Ritz-Carlton-Grande
Lakes Orlando and the JW Marriott in Orlando.
Catherine Gill has been appointed Vice President of Sales and Revenue
for AMD Hospitality (Oceana Hotel Group). She was most recently at the
Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego as Associate Director of Sales. She
previously served in various sales positions with Westin, Embassy Suites,
the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey and Pebble Beach Resorts.
The Palm Springs Riviera Resort and Spa, has appointed Jim Lopez Director
of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently the Director of Sales and
Marketing for the Wyndham Palm Springs. Previously, he held similar positions
with Marriott in Palm Desert, Maui, and Rancho Mirage.
The Fairmont Washington, DC, has promoted Shannon Byrne Schneider to
Director of Sales and Marketing. She joined the property in 2005 as Director
of Group Sales.
The Greenbrier has appointed Leanne Mack Executive Director of Sales.
She was most recently the Director of Sales for the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon
Bay. Previously, she held various sales and marketing positions with Hyatt
in San Antonio, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Santa Rosa and Half Moon Bay.
The Stoneleigh in Dallas has named Kate Neu Marketing Manager. Previously,
she was the Marketing Manager at the Driskill in Austin.
Las Ventanas al Paraíso has promoted Carolynn Hemmerich to Associate
Director of Sales. She joined the hotel in 2002 as Sales Manager. Karen
Achio moves up from her position at the hotel as Sales Coordinator to replace
Hemmerich as Sales Manager.
Don Ehehalt rejoins Four Seasons at the Four Seasons Las Vegas as Sales
Manager. He was most recently a National Sales Manager at the Red Rock
Resort and Spa. He was previously at the Venetian and spent seven years
with Four Seasons in Los Angeles, Carlsbad, Santa Barbara and Palm Beach.
The Custom LA has hired Tammi Jones as Director of Events. She was most
recently at the Sofitel Los Angeles and previously served as Director of
Catering and Events at the Standard Downtown LA.
The Waldorf=Astoria has appointed Alan Shukovsky Director of Social
Catering. Most recently, Shukovsky served as Director of Catering for Starr
Restaurant Organization�s Buddakan and Morimoto.
Don Yamauchi is the new opening Executive Chef overseeing two Michael
Mina restaurants, Bourbon Steak Detroit and Saltwater, opening in October
in the MGM Grand Detroit. He comes from the Michigan restaurant Tribute
and has prior experience at Le Francais and Carlos in Chicago. Yamauchi
is a former Food and Wine Magazine �America's Best New Chefs� and a James
Beard award nominee.
Curtis Smithen has been promoted to Executive Chef at the Four Seasons
Great Exuma. He joined the Four Seasons Nevis in 1991 as a Cook and was
promoted up to his most recent position at the resort as Executive Sous
Chef in 2004. He takes over as Executive Chef from Cyrille Pannier, now
the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hampshire.
Franck Brunacci will be the opening Executive Chef at Chicago's Trump
International Hotel and Tower, expected to open by the end of the year.
Brunacci had joined Ritz-Carlton in 1997, following a career in freestanding
restaurants in Australia. Upon leaving Ritz-Carlton in 2003, he became
the Executive Chef at L'Auberge de Sedona, then operated by Horst Schulze's
West Paces Hotel Group.
Wesley Holton joins Wynn Las Vegas as Executive Chef of Daniel Boulud
Brasserie, taking over from Philippe Rispoli. He was previously at the
Oakland Hills Country Club.
Paul Arias has joined the soon-to-open Custom LA as Executive Chef.
Formerly at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, he was most recently overseeing
Pesce Blue in New Hampshire and the Patio American Grill on Cape Cod.
San Francisco�s Grand Café has a new chef in Mauro Pando. He
got his start at the Lark Creek Inn and Lulu's and most recently spent
eight years at Portland's Red Star Tavern.
Stephanie O�Mary has joined Pali House in West Hollywood as Executive
Chef. She comes from her position of Executive Chef at Dakota Steakhouse
at the Hollywood Roosevelt.
John Riccardo has been named General Manager of Michael Mina�s Bourbon
Steak Miami, opening in December at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle. He previously
spent nine years with Norman Van Aken, most recently as his Director of
Operations.
George Slover returns from his time with Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong
to the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey as General Manager of Restaurants. He
was previously with the company at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach as Maitre
d�Hotel.
Mitch Rosen moves over to the newly opened Earl of Sandwich at the Planet
Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas as General Manager. He was most
recently a Food and Beverage Manager at Caesar�s Palace. He previously
held various food and beverage positions at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort,
the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Peninsula Beverly Hills.
Shana Ominsky has been appointed Director of the Spa and Wellness at
Barton Creek in Austin. She was most recently the Director of Spa Operations
of the Claremont. Previously, she oversaw spa operations at the Turtle
Bay Resort and the Peninsula New York. |
