Steve Marx has been named Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations
for Starwood¹s W brand. A 30-year hotel industry veteran, Marx
was one of the original boutique hoteliers during his tenure as Vice President
of Hotels at the Kimpton Group in the 1990s. Upon leaving Kimpton, Marx
was the Executive Vice President Hotel Operations for Loews Hotels. Most
recently, Marx served as President and Chief Operating Officer for the
Boutique Hotel Group in New York City. At Starwood, Marx reports to Robert
Cotter, President and Chief Operating Officer.
Still at Starwood's hot W brand, Ross Klein joined as Chief Marketing
Officer. Klein joins from the garment industry. He was most recently a
Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Polo Brands for Jones Apparel
Group. Klein will report directly to Starwood Chairman Barry Sternlicht.
William Sipple has been appointed Vice President of Development for
Carlson Hotels Worldwide. He previously worked as Regional Director
of Development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. He holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell.
Giuseppe Lama will assume the position of General Manager, overseeing
the June 2004 opening of Estancia La Jolla for Destination Hotels &
Resorts. Lama has been serving Destination as General Manager at the Hotel
del Coronado since 1999. His prior background included six years with Westin
and four with Ritz-Carton.
Steven Sampson is coming back to the Arizona Biltmore as Director of
Sales & Marketing. He had previously served as Director of Sales there,
from 1987 through 1995. After leaving the Biltmore, he joined Carefree
Resorts as Director of Sales & Marketing for the Peaks, in Telluride
and the Boulders in Carefree until 2000. Sampson then served as Director
of Sales & Marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.
Michael Depatie was recently named Chief Executive Officer of real estate
for Kimpton Group Holding LLC in San Francisco, parent company of Kimpton
Hotel & Restaurant Group. Depatie is a former Chief Financial
Officer for Residence Inn (pre-Marriott) La Quinta and Sunterra.
John Berndt (Cornell class of 1976) has left his position of General
Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. He had been with Ritz-Carlton
for ten years, including five years as General Manager at the Ritz-Carlton
Seoul. Berndt, whose wife is Korean, aims at relocating to Asia.
Elizabeth Dexter, formerly the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at
the Four Seasons Toronto, has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage
at the Metropolitan Toronto.
Greg Bingaman (Cornell class of 1999) joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
in December as Director of Asset Management. Prior to that, he was with
the Boutique Hotel Group in New York as Vice President of Operations.
The Wyndham El Conquistador in Puerto Rico has appointed Craig Martin
as General Manager. Martin came from the Wyndham Rose Hall in Jamaica,
where he held the position of General Manager. He also served as Corporate
Director of Food and Beverage at Sol Kerzner¹s Atlantis Hotel &
Casino on Paradise Island. At El Conquistador, Martin replaces Robert Gunthner
who left the company after holding the position for three years.
Stephen Wright has been appointed General Manager of Charleston Harbor
Resort & Marina. He was previously in the same position at the Downtown
Standard Los Angeles.
Steven Ferran has been appointed General Manager for the soon-to-open
Loews New Orleans. For the past three years, he was the General Manager
at the Omni Royal Orleans.
Walid Sfeir has been named Vice President Hotel Operation at the Setai
in Miami. He previously worked as Hotel Manager and Director of Food and
Beverage of the Shore Club. Prior to that, he worked as Restaurant Manager
at the Beverly Hills Hotel, then as Food and Beverage Manager of the Mansion
at the MGM in Las Vegas.
Sal Abaunza has joined the Mandarin-Oriental San Francisco as General
Manager. Prior to that, he spent five years as General Manager at Big Sur¹s
Ventana Inn & Spa. Abaunza also ran San Francisco¹s Prescott for
Kimpton from 1996 to 1998.
At the Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, Tim Loughman has been appointed
General Manager. Most recently, he served as Area Director Six Sigma in
South America for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to that, he
was General Manager of the Sheraton Libertador Hotel in Buenos Aires. Former
Century Plaza General Manager Bill Hall has been promoted to Managing Director.
Senior Vice President Peter George will assume additional responsibility
for Park Place Entertainment's gaming development activities in the United
States. Before joining Park Place in 2001, George served as Chief Executive
Officer of Hilton Group PLC, formerly Ladbroke Group PLC.
Amanda Grandinetti is the new Food and Beverage Manager at Chateau Marmont.
Her truly global experience previously found her at the helm of Moomba
in Los Angeles, Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, Stars in Seattle and Oscar's
in Hong Kong. An Australian, she also operated her own catering company
in Melbourne.
Brian Underwood has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at
the Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago. He replaces Mary Vogt who joined the
Krisam Group after nine years at the hotel. Underwood was previously Regional
Director of Sales & Marketing for Hilton Hotels Corporation in New
York.
Tom Cook will be the opening Director of Catering and Conferences Services
of Le Rêve in Las Vegas. He recently was a pre-opening consultant
at the new Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach. Prior to that, Cook
worked twice for Montage¹s Chairman Alan Fuerstman, as Director of
Catering at Las Vegas¹ Bellagio and as Director of Food and Beverage
at the Phoenician.
Beth Olson has been promoted to Director of Sales & Marketing at
Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara, after thirteen years
at the property. She originally joined as Director of Housekeeping in 1990,
from being the Assistant Director of Housekeeping at the Four Seasons Santa
Barbara.
Michael Goodman has been named Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Las
Vegas, replacing Wolfgang Von Wieser who departed for the Bellagio. Goodman,
who previously opened both the Four Seasons San Francisco and the Four
Seasons Scottsdale, started his Four Seasons career at the Pierre. His
successor in San Francisco is Jeremy Emerson, until now the Executive Sous
Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago.
Olivier Trinquand has been named General Manager at Le Méridien
Pegasus in Guyana. He was previously in the same position at Le Méridien
Ile des Pins in New Caledonia. He takes over from Jean Guillaumeau who
has been appointed General Manager at the Hotels Méridien Habitation
& Le Domaine in Saint Martin.
Samantha Steckbeck, formerly with Four Seasons worldwide sales both
in Chicago and Los Angeles, has joined Orient-Express as Director of Hotel
Sales, Retail Accounts, based out of New York City.
Randall Tom has been appointed Director of Travel Industry Sales at
the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. He joins from American Airlines where he
had a fifteen-year tenure.
Tom Roelens is the new Director of Food and Beverage at the Four Seasons
Newport Beach. He had been the Hotel Manager at the Regent of Jakarta for
the past two and a half years. Prior to joining Four Seasons, Roelens was
the Executive Assistant Manager at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa in
Bali.
Mark Herron has been appointed Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons Seattle.
He originally joined the company in 1988 as the Club Manager at the Sports
Club Four Seasons Resort Dallas. Most recently he was the General Manager
at the Four Seasons Sedona at Seven Canyons, a Residence Club.
Felix Murillo is moving from Chicago where he was the Director of Food
and Beverage of the Four Seasons to become the Director of Food and Beverage
at the Four Seasons Miami.
Also at the Four Seasons Miami, Ximena Elguera is joining as Director
of Human Resources. She was previously in a similar position at the Ritz-Carlton
Key Biscayne.
Julian Leon-Velarde has been appointed Director of Residential Services
of the Four Seasons Miami. He previously held the same position at the
Sonesta Beach Resort in Sunny Isles.
Daniel Grau, Assistant Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons Los Angeles
is moving to the soon-to-open Four Seasons Miami as Director of Rooms.
Catriona Eldemery is the new Director of Human Resources at the Four
Seasons Boston, a hotel where she spent ten years in various positions
prior to joining the Four Seasons London as Director of Personnel for three
years.
Jeff French (Cornell class of 1968) has been appointed Director of Marketing
for the new Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica. He joined the company in November
1996 as Director of Marketing for the Four Seasons Nevis where Ciro Tacinelli
will take over as Director of Marketing. Tacinelli joined Four Seasons
in 1997 at the Four Seasons Chicago and was promoted to Director of Sales,
Four Seasons Nevis, in February 2000.
Ruben Cosio has been promoted to the position of Director of Food and
Beverage of the Four Seasons Santa Barbara. He started with the resort
in 1985 as a Banquet Server. He succeeds Didier Jardin who transferred
to New York.
John Thomson has been appointed General Manager at Porcupine Creek in
Rancho Mirage. Thomson, who recently held positions of Private Estate
Manager, also spent five years at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in various
capacities.
Sherry Mizoguchi has been appointed Director of International Sales
at both Renaissance Hollywood & Beverly Hills. She had worked at the
Los Angeles Marriott for the past five years and previously at the Westin
Bonaventure for six years.
Jon McGavin has left the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey, as Director of
Food and Beverage for the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grand Lakes, in the same
position.
Alain Piraux has moved from the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn as Director of
Food and Beverage to the Ritz-Carlton Saint Thomas, in a similar position.
His replacement in Dearborn is Paul Citron who comes from the Townsend
in neighboring Birmingham.
Niles Deegan has left the Hotel Bel-Air as Director of Catering for
a catering position at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Deegan was at the Bel-Air
merely one year, following a stint in Catering at Shutters on the Beach.
Stephen Bello has joined the Madison in Washington DC as General Manager.
He was previously in the same position at the Hotel Hershey. Prior to that,
he had worked for almost ten years with Ritz-Carlton as General Manager
in Dubai, Rancho Mirage and Philadelphia. The Madison is undergoing a multi-million
dollar renovation toward an early summer re-opening.
Brian O'Day (Cornell class of 1980) has been appointed General Manager
of the Hotel Hershey. He was most recently the Vice President of
Operations for Two Rivers Country Club and Traditional Golf Properties,
both of which are located in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Benchmark Hospitality has appointed Eileen Santoli Vice President, Human
Resources. Previously, Santoli was Vice President of Human Resources
at Interstate Hotels for close to fifteen years.
Daniel Charbonnier has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage
for the soon-to-open Hustler Club of Beverly Hills. He was previously with
Four Seasons for seven years in the Beverly Hills location as Restaurant
Manager and the Toronto and Palm Beach properties.
Christophe Vessaire is the Chef de Cuisine at San Francisco¹s newly
opened Padovani's Bistro. He most recently held a similar position
at the Mandarin-Oriental San Francisco. Vessaire had worked under Padovani
when the latter was the Executive Chef at the Manele Bay Hotel in Hawaii.
Mark Westfield (Cornell class of 1984) has been named Director of Restaurant
Service for the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York. He was previously
Associate Professor for the Culinary Institute of America for ten years.
Mario Leon has been appointed (again) Director of Sales and Marketing
at the Raleigh on Miami's South Beach. He most recently was the Director
of Sales and Marketing for the National also on South Beach. Leon knows
the Raleigh well since he headed its sales effort from 1993 to 1996 under
former owner Ken Zarilli. The Raleigh is now part of HotelsAB.
Sven Wiedenhaupt, a Lausanne graduate, has been appointed Director of
Food and Beverage for Inter-Continental the Barclay New York. He rejoined
Inter-Continental from the Vintage Inn & Villagio Inn in Yountville,
California, where he was the Executive Director of Food and Beverage. Wiedenhaupt¹s
career with Inter-Continental began in 1990 at the Hotel Inter-Continental
New York where he was the Restaurant Manager.
Jane Galosic has joined the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park South
as head of its Group Sales department. Beginning her sales career with
Mandarin-Oriental, she later spent six years with the St. Regis New York.
John Anderson has been named Senior Vice President Operations for Embassy
Suites & Hilton Suites. He most recently served as Area Vice President
- Embassy Suites Florida and Puerto Rico.
At Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Steven Jorns has been named Chief
Investment Officer. He will retain his position as Vice Chairman of Interstate's
Board of Directors. Jorns joined the company when American General Hospitality
merged with CapStar in 1998 to form MeriStar.
Tracey Wiese has been appointed Director of Human Resources at the Four
Seasons Resort Great Exuma, in the Bahamas. A hotel school graduate from
the University of Nevada Las Vegas, she started her Four Seasons career
in 1993 in Housekeeping at the Four Seasons Los Angeles.
Also at the Four Seasons Great Exuma, Regie Brown has been appointed
Director of Rooms. He was previously the Assistant Director of Rooms at
the Four Seasons Aviara.
Martin Rhomberg has been promoted from Director of Food and Beverage
to Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Punta Mita. He will be replacing
Gregory Mendoza who will be opening the Four Seasons Miami as Hotel Manager.
Don Jones has been appointed Director of Marketing at the Regent Beverly
Wilshire as of June. He is currently the Director of Marketing at
the Pierre. At the Beverly Wilshire, he takes over from Connie Williams,
who left the company.
Michael Ganley has been named Executive Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn.
He was most recently the Executive Sous Chef of the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans.
Ganley started his eight-year Ritz-Carlton tenure at the very same Ritz-Carlton
Dearborn.
Cindy Lew has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the
Viceroy in Santa Monica. A former sales executive with Loews Hotels, she
was most recently with Accor.
Suzanne Goldberg has been hired as Director of East Coast Sales for
the Kor Hotel Group in New York. She was previously at the Barbizon (since
then renamed The Melrose) as Director of Sales and most recently as Director
of East Cost Sales at the Kerry Club Hotels.
Matthias Terrettaz, a Lausanne graduate, has been promoted from Director
of Club of the Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park South to Front of the
House Manager of the hotel. Prior to that, he was Director of club and
Room Service Manager at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco.
At the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver, Chris Mills has left as Executive
Chef, returning to the Earls Group as the Concept Chef for a new Asian
restaurant. His replacement is Scott Baechler, former Executive Sous Chef
at the Fairmont Empress Resort.
At the Montage Resort & Spa, Richard Ruskell has been named Executive
Pastry Chef. Like many others at Montage, Ruskell is a former employee
of the Phoenician, where he was the Executive Pastry Chef for eight years,
prior to launching his own pastry shop in the Phoenix area.
Christopher Coon has been named the Wine Director at Montage. He was
previously the Cellar Master at the Phoenician.
Iain McCormack has been recently appointed General Manager at the Divi
Little Bay Beach Resort in Saint Maarten, Dutch West Indies. He previously
worked for one year as Executive Assistant Manager at the Almond Beach
Village in Barbados.
There is a new Executive Chef at Rosewood¹s Little Dix Bay. He
is Todd Sicolo, who left KSL's La Costa after a mere ten months. Prior
to La Costa, Sicolo was the Corporate Chef responsible for developing Baywatch
Restaurants. He also served as Executive Chef at Williams Island.
Daniel Harrison Dumont is Executive Chef at Wentworth by the Sea, Marriott
Hotel and Spa. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he
once operated his own Purple Urchin Seaside Café in Hampton, New
Hampshire.
Matt Baer was recently named Executive Chef for Bell Harbor International
Conference Center and World Trade Center Seattle. Prior to this position,
he was the chef at the World Trade Center. He came to Seattle from Scottsdale,
where he was the Executive Chef at the Scottsdale Country Club.
Jim Chittenden has recently been named Director of Operations of the
Bell Harbor International Conference Center and World Trade Center Seattle.
Chittenden previously held the position of Food & Beverage Director
for both venues. He also had a successful eleven years stint with Ritz-Carlton. |