Global update of who is moving where and from where - keep track of old colleagues and friends or find lost ones, brought to you by The Boutique Search Firm.

Featuring: August 2009.

THE AMERICAS

Hubert Joly, Carlson President and Chief Executive Officer, will now also lead Carlson Hotels Worldwide. He takes on the new role with the departure of Jay Witzel who was most recently serving as President and CEO at Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

Thorsten Kirschke steps up as Chief Operating Officer of Carlson Hotels – Americas. Kirschke comes to Carlson from the Rezidor Hotel Group where he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Tobias Mattstedt, who had left MGM Mirage Hospitality and his position of Senior Vice President Development and Operations at the beginning of the summer, is striking out on his own. Although he had originally left with in mind to start late summer with a Dubai-based entity, he has in the meantime decided to create Beyond-Hospitality, Beyond-Restaurants. His two partners in the venture are long-time associate Reinhold Nagler (formerly Director of Food and Beverage for Four Seasons) and Anis Abidin (formerly the Director of Finance for Four Seasons in London and Egypt.)

John Unwin has joined the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas as General Manager. He was most recently the Senior Vice President for Hotel Operations at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. He had previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Ian Schrager Hotels.
 
Monte Hansen has been promoted to General Manager at the Greenbrier. He joined the hotel in 2007 as Executive Director of Rooms. He had previously served as Director of Rooms at the Peabody Memphis and spent six years in various rooms management positions for the Gold Strike Casino Resort.

Christopher Vachon has been named General Manager of Hôtel Le Germain Calgary, slated for a December 2009 opening. He had previously served in management positions in London, Ontario, at the Station Park Hotel and Marriott before joining HHC Hotels in Calgary.

The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas has named James Gancos Senior Vice President. Gancos was previously the Hotel Manager at the Sheraton Seattle.

Kevin Thorstenson has been named Vice President - Hotel Operations for the Thunder Valley Casino, due to open next summer outside of Sacramento. He had previously served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Hotel Park City Golf Resort and Spa in Park City.

David Cohen has moved over to the Warwick New York as General Manager, taking over the position that has been vacant since the departure of Wanda Chan. Cohen was most recently with Amsterdam Hospitality Group as a Regional General Manager. He was previously the General Manager of the Le Parker Méridien.

The Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center has named Michele Pajot General Manager. She was most recently the General Manager of the Charlotte Marriott SouthPark.

Daniel Cañas is the new General Manager at the Presidente InterContinental Cancun, replacing Juan Francisco Pérez Bretón. Cañas was most recently the General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Pachuca. He had previously served as General Manager of the Real InterContinental Costa Rica and Regional Director of Food and Beverage at Grupo Real.  


Euan Taylor has joined the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Berkeley as General Manager. He was most recently with Joie de Vivre Hospitality, as Managing Director at the Hotel Vitale, San Francisco. His previous posts include Hotel Manager for the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, in London and Executive Assistant Manager for the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club.

Antoine Berberi has been named General Manager for the Crowne Plaza Englewood in New Jersey. He was most recently with Thompson Hotels, where he was the General Manager of the Gild Hall Hotel in New York's financial district.

Tim Tindle has returned to the Pan Pacific Vancouver as General Manager. He had previously served at the hotel as Director of Sales in the nineties. His most recent positions include General Manager at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle and the Vancouver Airport Marriott.

Jim Hunter has been named General Manager of the Carina Bay Resort in St. Croix, filling the position left vacant upon the sudden death of Richard "Pat" Henry, who had been with the resort for four years. Hunter was most recently the General Manager of the Sunset Waters Beach Resort in Curacao, a position he held for eight years.

James DeLuca has been appointed General Manager of the Hotel Luca in Yountville, slated to open later this year. DeLuca had previously served in various positions for the Garrett Hotel Group, the Resort at Squaw Creek and the Standard Downtown Los Angeles. For the past three years, he was the General Manager at La Residence Country Inn Napa.

Jason Harler is the new General Manager of the ACE Hotel in Palm Springs, replacing Jonathan Heath. Harler comes from the Standard Miami, where he was the General Manager, after opening the hotel as Spa Manager.
 
Jennifer Richards has been promoted to General Manager of the Hilton Indianapolis North. Previously, she was the Director of Operations at the Sheraton Music City Nashville.

Wayne Kafcsak has been appointed General Manager of the Raffles Canouan, The Grenadines, replacing Gilbert Madhavan. Kafcsak comes from Peter Island, where he spent twelve years, first as General Manager and then as Managing Director.

The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach has named Donald Stamets Hotel Manager. He had previously served at five Ritz-Carlton hotels over the past decade, including properties in Orlando, South Beach and Amelia Island, as well as Boston and Rancho Mirage. In addition, he spent six years at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles.

Steve Fronterhouse has been promoted to Hotel Manager at the Houstonian. He joined the hotel in 2005 as Director of Food and Beverage. He had previously overseen food and beverage for La Playa Resort Naples, and the Montauk Yacht Club.  
 
Atlanta's Ellis Hotel has named Peter Minervini Operations Director. He previously served as Assistant Director of Operations at the Georgia World Congress Center & Centennial Olympic Park.

Jeffrey Perkins has been named Resort Manager at Wyndham Vacation Ownership on St. Thomas. For the past four years, he had been with the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn and the Ritz-Carlton San Juan, overseeing rooms operations.

Scott Gold has joined the W Hollywood as Director of Residential Services. He was previously the Director of Rooms at the Loews Santa Monica.

Jon Mathews has been promoted to the Fairmont Pittsburgh as Director of Operations. He spent the past year overseeing banquet operations for the Fairmont Royal York. He had previously served in food and beverage management roles for the Fairmont Turnberry Isle and the Fairmont San Jose.

Michael Sullivan has been named Director – Hospitality, for Gemini Real Estate Advisors in New York. He had previously served as Vice President with Starhotels International, Vice President Asset Management for Sunstone Hotel Investors and Vice President with Colony Advisors.

Hilton Hotels has named Jonas Neihardt Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Neihardt had held previous positions with Qualcomm and at the White House Budget Office.

Joseph Harvey has joined the Wigwam in Scottsdale as Director of Finance. He was most recently the pre-opening Director of Finance for the Sé San Diego (formerly the Setai San Diego). Previous finance positions include Director of Finance at the Conrad Miami and Regional Controller for Ian Schrager Management.

Manuel Sosa has transferred to the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas as Senior Assistant Director of Finance. For the past two years, he had been the Assistant Director of Finance at the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya.

Hilton Hotels has named Robert Webb Chief Information Officer. He was most recently with Equifax in Atlanta, where he held a similar position.

The Wyndham Hotel Group has appointed Venky Rangachari Chief Technology Officer. He was most recently serving as Chief Information Officer at StarCite. He had previously held the title of Vice President of Operations at Jacent Technologies.

Hilton Hotels has promoted Andrew Flack to Vice President of Global Brand Marketing. Flack was previously Vice President Sales and Marketing, Hilton Asia Pacific.

The Wyndham Hotel Group has named Flo Lugli Executive Vice President of Marketing. He was most recently Senior Vice President at Travelport.

Caroline Czirr has been named Corporate Director of Sales for Magnolia Hotels in Denver. She was most recently the General Manager of Sales and Marketing Operations for Continuum Partners in Denver. Previously, she served as Director of Marketing and Special Projects for the Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group.

Kate Jerkens has been named Vice President Sales and Marketing of JRK Hotel Group. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing for Kor Hotels, where she was overseeing both the Viceroy Santa Monica and the Viceroy Palm Springs.

David Taylor has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park South. He was previously the Executive Director of Marketing at the New York Palace, following five years in a similar position at the St. Regis New York.

The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has named Scott Russell Vice President-Sales and Marketing. He was previously with Ritz-Carlton for more than eighteen years, holding senior leadership roles with the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans and the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, before taking on his most recent role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the company's properties in the Caribbean and Mexico.

New York's Allegria Hotel has named James Fallon Director of Sales and Marketing. He had previously served as Regional Director of Sales for Taj Hotels and Raffles.

Luz Chatman was recently appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for the Sofitel San Francisco Bay. Most recently, she was the Director of Group Sales for the San Mateo Marriott.  

The Planters Inn in South Carolina has appointed Christy Loftin Director of Sales and Marketing. She had previously served in various catering roles for McCrady's in Charleston, and at the Charleston Place Hotel.

Barb Ward has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Renaissance Hotel at the Depot in Minneapolis. She was most recently leading the area sales and marketing efforts for the Hilton Garden Inn and the Crowne Plaza in downtown St. Paul.

The Atlantis, Paradise Island has appointed Linda Pond Rindos Director of Regional Sales based in Chatham, New Jersey. She was most recently a Director of National Accounts for Gaylord Hotels.

Siri Gawecki has joined the Atlantis, Paradise Island as Director of Regional Sales based in Carlsbad, California. She was most recently a Director of Regional Sales for MGM Mirage.

Melina Beckett has moved to the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas as Director of Catering and Conference Services. She had previously served in catering roles for the Mandarin Oriental New York and the Mandarin Oriental Miami.

Dorene Miller has been appointed Director of Catering and Convention Services at the InterContinental San Juan in Puerto Rico. She was most recently the Director of Conference Services at the Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa and previously the Director of Catering and Convention Services at the Caribe Hilton.

Hilton has named Steven Peterson to the newly created position of Corporate Chef-Americas. He had previously served as Executive Chef at the MGM Grand Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for seven years and as Corporate Chef for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

The Southern Land Company has named Peter D'Andrea Vice President of Culinary Development and Operations. Before founding Culinary Insight in 2006, he had served four years with the Gaylord Opryland Hotel as Director of Food and Beverage after initially joining as Executive Chef.

Casey Lavin has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage at the Greenbrier. Lavin was most recently in the same position in South Carolina for the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Uwe Roehricht has been named Director of Food and Beverage for the Riviera Resort & Spa in Palm Springs. His most recent positions include Director of Food and Beverage for the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights and the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC.

Megan Lynch has been promoted to Vice President, Sourcing and Recruiting for Hilton Hotels. She was most recently the Vice President, HR - Global Talent Acquisition for Hilton Grand Vacations.

Yasmeen Sarwar has been named Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Grace Bay Resorts in the Turks and Caicos. Most recently, she was the Director of Sales and Marketing at the One&Only Ocean Club.

Ryan Crabbe will be joining Hilton Hotels as Corporate Director of Spa Operations ad Development for the Americas. He joins from Wynn's Encore in Las Vegas. Crabbe also served as Spa Director at the Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corner and Executive Spa Director at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach.

Melissa Perello will be opening her long-planned San Francisco restaurant, Frances, in the former Palencia location in the Castro. Her previous chef turns include the Fifth Floor, Charles Nob Hill and Aqua, all in San Francisco.

Sergi Arola will be taking over the reins at the Tivoli São Paulo – Mofarrej, now known as Arola-Vintetres. He had previously overseen La Broche restaurant in Madrid, which won its first Michelin star during his tenure and in 2000, he awarded two stars at his restaurant in the Miguel Angel hotel. In 2008, he opened Sergi Arola-Gastro, which was awarded two Michelin stars within its first year.

Jason Fullilove has moved to Los Angeles to take over as Executive Chef for the Inn of the Seventh Ray. For the past year, he had been cooking at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas.

Bernard Ibarra has joined City Center Las Vegas as Executive Chef. He was most recently the Executive Chef at sister property the Mirage, since 1998, following a stint as Executive Chef of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.

Jeffrey Braun steps into the Executive Chef role to replace Ibarra at the Mirage. He is promoted from his most recent position at the hotel as Assistant Executive Chef.  

John Tesar has finished his short stint in New York at Fishtail to return to Texas to open his namesake restaurant in Houston, slated for a September opening. He had previously been overseeing the kitchen for the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.

Joe Isidori, who was the Chef at Harbour on New York's Hudson Street, has left. Anthony Fusco, who was the Chef de Cuisine, has been named Executive Chef with Jonah Kim moving up to take over for Fusco as Chef de Cuisine.

Ryan Skeen is the new Executive Chef at Allen & Delancey on the Lower East Side, replacing Kyle Bailey. Skeen is formerly of Resto and Irving Mill.

The Hyatt Regency Aruba has named Victor Litkewycz Executive Chef. For the past three years, he had served as Executive Chef at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport.

The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, has named Michael Voltaggio Chef de Cuisine of the Dining Room. He was most recently the Executive Chef of The Bazaar by José Andrés at the SLS Hotel. Voltaggio also was Chef de Cuisine of Hemisphere at the Greenbrier and Executive Chef of Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. At the Langham, he replaces Craig Strong, now at Studio at the Montage Laguna Beach.

Bradford Thompson has joined Bar Artisanal in New York as Chef de Cuisine. For the past year, he had been the Executive Chef for Lever House before it closed earlier this year. Thompson's impressive career includes stints at Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician, db Bistro Moderne and Café Boulud.

Céline Plano has joined the Peninsula Chicago as Executive Pastry Chef. She was most recently the Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. Plano previously spent seven years with Ritz-Carlton in pastry positions for the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, and the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco.

Young Lee has moved over to oversee Yellowtail Restaurant and Bar at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. He was previously the Assistant General Manager for B.R. Guest at Dos Caminos Las Vegas.

EUROPE

Dario Mariotti, who was the General Manager of New York's Mayfair Regent until the hotel closed, is President of EST Capital, due to develop two Four Seasons hotels in Venice. Last year, EST acquired Venice's Excelsior and Hotel des Bains, along with the Villa Cipriani in Asolo from Starwood.

Carol Marlow is replacing Nigel Esdale as Managing Director of P&O Cruises, Cunard's UK sister brand. Carnival UK Chief Commercial Officer Peter Shanks will take over for Marlow at Cunard as President and Managing Director, while retaining his current responsibility for Princess Cruises in the UK.

Eric Lelouch has been appointed General Manager of the Pullman Palm Beach in Marseille, taking over from Domenico Basciano. Lelouch joined in the spring, coming from the Maison de Biarritz. He was previously the Director of Operations for Boscolo Hotels on the French Riviera.

At Accor, Patrick Ollivier, previously Director of Human Resources and Quality, Accor North America, has been promoted to Corporate Director of Human Resources, Worldwide, becoming a member of Accor's Executive Committee as of September 2009.  He takes over from Cathy Kopp, who is leaving Accor after forty-two years.

Tom Krooswijk has joined the Hotel de l'Europe in Amsterdam as General Manager. Most recently, he was involved as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of development/planning for Refad Hotel & Resorts and subsequently for Versailles Properties Holdings. He had previously served with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts as Senior Vice President in the Middle East, Vice President for Eastern Europe and General Manager of the Grand InterContinental Paris and Vice President for France and Switzerland.

Chris Jung is the new Hotel Manager of the InterContinental Berlin. He previously assumed the position of Director of Operations at the Hilton Tokyo and the Hilton Zurich Airport.

Marco Foelske has been appointed General Manager of the Sheraton Poznan Hotel in Poland. He was most recently the Resident Manager at the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel.

Philippe Pellaud, who was the opening General Manager of the Istanbul Radisson SAS, will be opening the Radisson Blu Resort and Spa in Dubrovnik, in the same capacity.

Michelin-Starred Chef John Campbell has been named Director of Cuisine and Food and Beverage for the Dorchester Collection's Coworth Park, due to open in May 2010. Since 2002, he had been at the Vineyard at Stockcross as Executive Head Chef and Head of Food and Beverage.

Claire Clark, who used to make our favorite cheesecake at London's Wolseley before joining Thomas Keller's French Laundry in September 2005, is back in London as Executive Pastry Chef at the Langham.

Luca Enrico was recently appointed Head Concierge at the Hotel Belles Rives in Juan Les Pins, France. His previous postings include Assistant Head Concierge at the Hotel Splendido in Portofino and Head Concierge at Le Mas de Pierre in St Paul de Vence.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Jan Smits was appointed Regional Managing Director South Asia Pacific, Japan and Korea for InterContinental Hotels Group. He has been with IHG since 2002, most recently as Chief Operating Officer, Southern Asia and Korea.

Benchmark Hospitality has promoted Bob Boyle to Regional Director of Operations, adding to his current responsibilities as Vice President and General Manager of Hawaii's Turtle Bay Resort.

The Mandarin Oriental Manila has named Mark Bradford General Manager, taking over from Helmut Gaisberger. Bradford has been with the company for eight years, most recently as General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai. Prior to this, he held the position of Hotel Manager at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.

Marc Hediger, who recently left Shangri-La after eight years, is now Senior Vice President Product and Development for New World.

Andrew Mensforth moves from the Park Hyatt Goa to the Park Hyatt Sydney, replacing Marlene Poynder, who left the company.

Jonas Schuermann has transferred as General Manager to the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. He was most recently overseeing the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. His previous postings include Resident Manager for the Oriental Bangkok and General Manager at the Oriental Macau. In Hong Kong, he takes over from Peter French.

Pierre Barthes steps in to take over from Schuermann as General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. This is a return to KL for Barthes who previously served as Director of Food and Beverage for the Regent from 1994 to 1997. His most recent posts include Resident Manager for the opening of the Mandarin Oriental New York, before taking on the position of General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Macau and to his most recent posting for the Mandarin Oriental Beijing.

James Kostecky has transferred to the Four Seasons Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Tented Camp as General Manager, replacing Todd Cilano, who is now at the Four Seasons Alexandria. Kostecky was most recently at the Four Seasons Great Exuma as General Manager. His previous posts include Hotel Manager at the Four Seasons London and Resort Manager for the Four Seasons Hualalai.

Marteyne van Well has been promoted to General Manager of the Soneva Gili by Six Senses. Van Well was most recently the Spa Director at the Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village & Spa in Doha, and had previously been with the former Millennium Hotel Agadir as Director of Sales and Marketing, and was the General Manager at La Lune d'Or in Marrakech.

Alain Rigodin has been appointed General Manager of the Sheraton Incheon. He is a past General Manager of the Sheraton Hanoi.

San Amalan has been named General Manager for the Sheraton Dongguan Hotel. He was most recently the pre-opening General Manager of the Westin New Delhi and the Westin Sohna Resort in Gurgaon.

Stephen Lomax has been appointed General Manager of Swiss-Belhotel's Ciputra Golf Club and the Hotel Surabaya. For the past year, he had been overseeing both the Swiss-Belhotel Batam and Swiss-Inn Batam as General Manager.

Dean Winter has been named General Manager of the Upper House, opening in Admiralty, Hong Kong, in October. He had previously been overseeing pre-opening preparations for the Opposite House, which opened in Beijing in 2008, as well as the Upper House and EAST, which will be opening next year in Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong.

Alvaro Rautenberg has been named General Manager of the Kempinski Hotel Suzhou, replacing Achim Brueckner. He was most recently the General Manager for the Kempinski Hotel Shenyang, after joining as Executive Assistant Manager. He had previously served as Executive Assistant Manager for the Kempinski Hotel Sanya.

Benny Ng has been appointed General Manager – Hospitality, for Singapore-based Santa Grand Hotels. His previous roles include Director of Food and Beverage for the Novotel Orchid Hotel and as Executive Assistant Manager with the Royal Plaza Group.

Andrew Mensforth has been appointed General Manager of the Park Hyatt Sydney. He has been with Hyatt International for nineteen years, most recently as General Manager at the Park Hyatt Goa.

Andreas Kraemer has been appointed General Manager of the KC Resort and Over Water Villas Koh Samui. He had previously served with Infinity Lifestyle Destination & Spas, and with Six Senses.

Francois Cnockaert has returned to Japan as General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. He previously opened the Ritz-Carlton Osaka before moving on as General Manager for the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia and the Ritz-Carlton Guangzhou.

Susan Noonan has been appointed General Manager of the Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi in Thailand. She was previously the General Manager of the Six Senses Hideaway Con Dao and Evason Ana Mandara Villas Dalat in Vietnam.

Chris Tsoi has been appointed General Manager of the Sheraton Shunde Hotel, slated to open this month. He was most recently the task force General Manager of the Sheraton Sanya Resort on Hainan Island.

Rudy Rodas has been appointed General Manager of the Pan Pacific Xiamen, scheduled to open this month. His previous positions include serving as General Manager for the Novotel Oasis in Beijing and Resident Manager for the Novotel Apollo in Singapore.

Peter Schnyder has been appointed General Manager for the Excelsior Hotel Baku in Azerbaijan. For the past ten years, he had been on Koh Samui at the helm of the Paradise Beach Resort.

Tamir Kobrin has been appointed General Manager at the Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur in India. He was most recently the General Manager of Soul Maldives.

Hartmut Schaller has been appointed opening General Manager for the JW Marriott Hotel and the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Hangzhou, slated to open early 2010. He had previously served as General Manager for the Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Hotel & Convention Centre and, most recently, for the Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai.

Frankson Lee has moved to the Mandarin Oriental Sanya as Hotel Manager. He was most recently with the Shangri-La Tokyo as Executive Assistant Manager. He had previously served in various rooms management positions for the Shangri-La Chengdu, the Shangri-La Hangzou and the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort.

The Marco Polo Hong Kong has appointed Adriano Vences Resident Manager. He was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

Marc Gussing has been named Group General Manager in Bali for Elite Havens, a high-end villa rental company. He was most recently the opening General Manager for the Alila Cha Am in Thailand and previously served at Huvafen Fushi in the Maldives as Director of Operations.

Le Méridien Al Khobar has promoted Sherif Darwish to deputy General Manager. For the past two years, he had been the hotel's Director of Sales and Marketing.

Pan Pacific Hotels has appointed Chua Chi Min Vice President, Openings and Rebranding. He was most recently an Executive Director with Pulai Springs Berhad.

Kenneth Chan has been named Vice President, Strategy and Planning, with Pan Pacific Hotels Group. He had held various management positions with DHL Express (Singapore), Meritus Hotels and Resorts and Raffles International.

The Ayana Resort & Spa Bali has hired Clive Edwards as Executive Assistant Manager. Edwards comes from Jamaica's Solis Palmyra Resort and Spa where he was Director of Rooms Operations. He had held various rooms management positions for the Sandals Royal Caribbean Beach Resort, the Beaches Sandy Bay Beach Resort and the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa.

Martin Jones has been named Vice President of Food and Beverage for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific Division. He had previously served as General Manager of the W Seoul and the Westin Kuala Lumpur.

Cédric Besler has moved over to the Shangri-La Beijing as Director of Food and Beverage. For the past year, he was in the same position for the Sofitel Wanda Beijing. He had previously served in food and beverage management positions for the Hotel Concorde Lafayette, the Westin Paris, and the InterContinental Paris.

Melody King has been appointed Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Pan Pacific Hotels Group. She was most recently Head of Human Resources - Asia Pacific, for Herbalife International in Hong Kong.

David Lusteaux has been appointed Group Director of Sales for Swiss-Belhotel International. He was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta.

Emelyn Mauhay has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for the Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sand Resort & Spa, Hoi An in Vietnam. She was most recently the Director of Sales at the Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City.

See Soo Eng has been promoted to Vice President of Sales for Singapore-based GHM. She joined the group in 1995 as Director of Sales for the Chedi, Phuket.

Nattapun Runyasewa has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the InterContinental Hua Hin, scheduled to open in October. She was most recently with Six Senses Resorts where she held the position of Regional Director of Sales Thailand.

Jason Leung has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali. He was most recently a Director of Sales at the Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour in Sydney.

Denna Song has been named Director of Sales and Marketing at the Sheraton Xiamen Hotel. She was most recently the Director of Sales for the Westin Guangzhou.

Wolfgang Putz has joined the Kempinski Beijing Lufthansa Center as Director of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing at the InterContinental Warsaw.

Doris Xu has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Sheraton Shunde Hotel. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Crowne Plaza Paragon Xiamen.

Lisa Donald is the new Group Director of Revenue Management for Amari Hotels and Resorts. She was most recently the Vice President of Client Services with Cairnhill Group Holdings, in Singapore.

The W Retreat & Spa-Maldives has named Wicus Prinsloo Executive Chef. Prinsloo arrives in the Maldives after opening his own restaurant, Green Truffle, in Johannesburg.

Conrado Tromp has been named Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers. He had previously served in the kitchen of both the Four Seasons Hong Kong and the Four Seasons Maldives.

Bruno Correa is now Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Singapore. He has been with the company since 2005, most recently as Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Nevis, after serving as Executive Sous Chef at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. 

The Four Seasons Singapore has named Stefano Andreoli Senior Sous Chef for One-Ninety. He was most recently part of the opening team at the Four Seasons Mauritius at Anahita.

Sebastian Goldmann has been appointed Food and Beverage Manager at the Hilton Chongqing. He was most recently the Director of Food and Beverage at the Radisson Shanghai Hong Quan.  

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Yves Wencker has joined the Telfair Golf and Spa Resort on Mauritius as General Manager. He was most recently at the Commune by the Great Wall in Beijing as General Manager. He had previously served as General Manager of the Dorint Sofitel Am Alten Wall, Hamburg, the Stapleford Park, and as Director of Food and Beverage for the Ritz London.

Rotana has appointed Joe Batshon General Manager of the Yas Island Rotana and Centro Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, due to open in October. This is a return to the Middle East for Batshon who was previously the General Manager for the Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel before moving into the role of General Manager for the JW Marriott Houston.

Paul van Frank, who had been the General Manager of the Ananda in the Himalayas, has moved over to sister property, the Shanti Ananda Maurice in Mauritius, replacing Alan Stocker who is leaving the company. Anupam Gupta will take Van Frank's position in the Himalayas.

Jean-Sébastien Kling has been appointed General Manager of the Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi. He was previously the General Manager of the Conrad Istanbul. Prior to managing the Conrad Istanbul, Kling was the Regional Director of Food and Beverage for Hilton Europe and Africa.

Rabih Feghali has moved to Abu Dhabi to manage a new business boutique hotel, One to One Hotel – The Village. He previously served as Assistant General Manager for the Westin Governor Morris in New Jersey, before moving over to New York Private Equity firm Phoenician Capital.

Werner Gessner has been named General Manager for the Carols Beau Rivage in Egypt. He was most recently overseeing the Rehana Royal  Resort, also in Egypt.

The InterContinental Mzaar Lebanon Mountain Resort and Spa has appointed Walid Kanaan General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager at the Holiday Inn Salmiya in Kuwait. He had previously served in upper management positions at the InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut and the InterContinental Doha.

Thorsten Ries has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Amari Hotels and Resorts. His previous positions include General Manager for the Ritz-Carlton Berlin, the Ritz-Carlton Doha, and the Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheik.

Frédéric Picard has moved to Morocco to open the Mazagan Beach Resort in El Jadida as General Manager. He was most recently in Dubai as Hotel Manager for the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Christoph Ganster has transferred as General Manager to the Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis in Cairo. He was most recently the Hotel Manager at the Raffles Dubai, after transferring from the Raffles Canouan where he spent two years as Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage. 

Daniel Roche has transferred as General Manager to the Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah in Palestine. He has been with the company since 2004 to work on the pre-opening of the Mövenpick Hotel Sentosa, in Singapore.

Pierre Le Bihan has moved to the Middle East as Hotel Manager for the InterContinental Al Bustan Palace. For the past two years, he had been at the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake as Executive Assistant Manager. He had previously held various rooms management positions for the InterContinental Singapore and the InterContinental Geneva.

Marco Franck has joined the Ephelia Resort in the Seychelles as Resident Manager. He had previously served as Resident Manager at the Athenaeum InterContinental in Greece.  He had previously overseen food and beverage at the Shangri-La Singapore, the Westin Kuala Lumpur, Starwood Resorts Denarau Island, Fiji Islands and the Amangani resort.

Rocco Bova has joined the InterContinental Al Bustan Palace as Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently with the Aman New Delhi as Executive Assistant Manager. He had previously overseen food and beverage at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

The W Doha has appointed Antoine Pravin Director of Food and Beverage. He most recently held a similar position at the Conrad Cairo Hotel and Casino.

The Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi has appointed Dirk Bansemer as Food and Beverage Director. He was previously overseeing food and beverage for the Al Faisaliah Rosewood Hotel in Riyadh.

Nicola Zamboni has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage at the Media Rotana Dubai. He was most recently the Food and Beverage Manager for the Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa.

The Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi has appointed Lina Vasiloudis Director of Marketing and Communications. She had spent eight years in Dubai working with Jumeirah, Heineken and Dubailand.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has promoted Khaled Al Idrissi to the position of Director of Sales and Marketing for the Al Faisaliah and the Al Khozama in Riyadh. He joined the hotels in June 2007 as Director of Sales. He had previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

Stevie Jones has been appointed pre-opening Executive Chef for Le Gray Beirut . He was most recently serving as Executive Chef at the Oberoi Lombok and had previously worked at Udaivilas, Mahakua in Mexico and Amankila in Bali.

Alejandro Mayer has joined the Anassa in Cyprus as Executive Sous Chef. He was most recently the Resort Banquet Chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara. His previous culinary experience includes stints for Silversea Cruises, the Dorchester in London, and Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Bastien Giannetti has been named General Manager of the Crystal Lounge in the W Doha. He had served in food and beverage positions at the Sofitel Plaza Ho Chi Minh City, Disneyland's Newport Bay in Paris, and Le Noir-Singapore.

Francisca Rocha has been appointed Spa Director of the Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village & Spa in Doha. Rocha arrives from the Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa in French Polynesia where she served as General Manager.

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Edited by Susana Parks, Benoit Gateau-Cumin & Lisa Leroy

The Boutique Search Firm
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