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: November 2019
THE AMERICAS
Shannon Knapp has been named President and Chief Executive Officer at The Leading Hotels of the World. Since April, she had been the interim CEO after previously served for more than five years as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Gabriel Ratner has been promoted at the Sydell Group to Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. He was most recently serving the company as Senior Vice President of Operations. T. Blake Danner was the previous Chief Operating Officer at Sydell.
Robert DeSalvio is stepping down as President of Encore Boston Harbor, parent company Wynn Resorts. He will be replaced by Brian Gullbrants who was most recently serving the company as Executive Vice President Operations. Prior to joining Wynn in Las Vegas in 2008, Gullbrants spent 20 years with Ritz-Carlton.
Jamie Gamauf has been appointed Vice President of Capital Projects at PM Hotel Group. He was most recently the Director, Hospitality Market Leader at CR architecture + design. Gamauf is the former Head of Construction/Owner’s Rep for Salis Holdings and Senior Director of Design and Construction of HMSHost.
Joseph Mattioli has been named General Manager of the Montage Deer Valley. For the past two years, he had been with the St. Regis Washington, D.C. as General Manager. Mattioli is the former General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe and the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland.
Robert Brandenberg has been promoted to General Manager of the Pan Pacific Seattle. He joined the hotel in May as Hotel Manager. Brandenberg is the former Director of Operations of the US Grant and Director of Food and Beverage at the St. Regis Atlanta.
Le Méridien New York, Central Park has appointed Shahram Khan General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of Le Méridien Boston Cambridge.
Erik Palmer has been appointed Managing Director of the Park Central and WestHouse Hotels in New York City. He was most recently the opening Managing Director of the TWA Hotel. Palmer is the former Hotel Manager of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and General Manager of the Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. LIVE.
Pedro Tomás has joined the Hyatt Ziva and the Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic as General Manager. He is the former General Manager of the Hilton La Romana, Dreams La Romana, and Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana.
Manuel Martinez has been appointed General Manager of The Mark New York. He is the former Hotel Manager of the St. Regis New York, General Manager of the St. Regis Washington, D.C., and, most recently, General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
Olivier Lordonnois has left The Mark and the position of General Manager he held for the past 8 years, in order to join Spring Place New York as Chief Executive Officer.
Mark Ansteth has joined the Keating Hotel in San Diego as General Manager. He previously served as General Manager of the Ramada St. James Gaslamp Quarter San Diego Hotel.
Curtain Bluff Resort in Antigua has appointed Andrea Balladori General Manager. He was most recently serving as Executive Assistant Manager of the Gayana Marine Resort in Malaysia.
Michel Notten has been named General Manager of the W Panama. He was most recently the General Manager of the Virgin Hotel San Francisco. Notten is also the former General Manager of the Hotel Zetta San Francisco.
Michael Platt has been appointed Managing Director of the Cavalier Hotel & Beach Club in Virginia Beach. He was most recently the General Manager of the El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort.
Craig Waterman has joined the Parker New York as Managing Director. He was most recently serving as Vice President Openings & Transitions for Two Roads Hospitality.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor has named Mikhail Shamkin General Manager. Most recently, he was the General Manager of the Laurel Point Resort in Tennessee.
Mark Yanke has been named General Manager of Virgin Hotels Dallas. He is the former President and Managing Director of the St. Anthony Hotel and the Hotel Emma, both in San Antonio. Yanke previously spent many years as Managing Director of the Houstonian.
Stephen Wancha has returned to the Four Seasons Chicago to take on the role of General Manager. Wancha had previously served the hotel as Hotel Manager. He was most recently Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Toronto.
Eyal Goldberger has moved as General Manager to the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale. Goldberger was most recently in the same role for the Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami.
Gul Turkmenoglu has been appointed General Manager of the InterContinental New York Times Square. Turkmenoglu was most recently the General Manager of The Benjamin and the former Regional Vice President – Luxury Portfolio – for Denihan Hospitality Group.
Rajesh Radke is the new General Manager of The Joseph in Nashville. Radke is the former General Manager of The Ballantyne in Charlotte and Hotel Manager of the St. Regis Deer Valley. He also previously spent 10 years with Four Seasons.
Benjamin Duverge is now in Boston at The Liberty Hotel as General Manager. He was most recently at The Marker San Francisco as General Manager.
Mairead Hennessy has been named General Manager of the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa. She was most recently the General Manager of the Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa.
Israel Benyair has been named General Manager for Auberge Resorts at the Mayflower Inn and Spa. He was most recently the Hotel Manager of the Mandarin Oriental New York. Benyair is the former Director of Food and Beverage of the Mandarin Oriental Genève and the Beau-Rivage Genève.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa has named Derek Ellis General Manager. Ellis was most recently Resort Manager of the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. He is the former General Manager of JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria, and the Houston Marriott Medical Center.
Axel Gasser has been appointed Vice President and General Manager at the SLS Baha Mar. He is the former General Manager of the Mondrian Doha.
Sarah Villeneuve has joined Pinnacle Advisory Group as Executive Vice President and Director. She had recently formed and served as President of Impact Hospitality Consulting.
Tonya Scott has been appointed General Manager of Pheasant Run Resort. She is the former General Manager of the Hotel Burnham in Chicago, the Hotel Zamora in Florida, and the Historic Key West Inns.
Elizabeth Faler has been appointed General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland. She was most recently the Hotel Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE.
Kristen Whyly has joined the Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, as Resort Manager. Whyly is the former Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Washington, D.C.
Victoria Stewart has been named Corporate Director, Operations at Standard International. She is the former General Manager of the Standard Hotel New York and the Viceroy New York.
Gabriele Originario has been appointed Director of Operations of the SLS Hotel Los Angeles. He is the former Assistant General Manager of the Hyatt Place San Francisco and Director of Beverage and Food at the W San Francisco.
Jill Lemaster is the first Chief Financial Officer for Mainsail Lodging & Development in Tampa. She is the former Senior Director, Development Finance, for Hilton Grand Vacations and Vice President of Finance – Hotels & Casinos of Orlando World Center.
Tara Comonte will add to her current role as Chief Financial Officer with her promotion at Shake Shack to President. She joined the company in 2017.
Frank Kawecki has joined Hilton Hotels as Director, Brand Strategy, Food and Beverage for their Luxury and Lifestyle Group. He was most recently the Director of Restaurants at STARR Restaurants. He is the former General Manager of The Battery in San Francisco and served as Director of Restaurant Operations New York and Boston for Kimpton Restaurant Group.
Clement Jafet has been named General Manager of the Jean Georges Group in New York City. He was previously in food and beverage roles for the Altamarea Group, the Hakkasan Group, and Bouley.
Abe Berry is now in Washington, D.C. as Vice President of Food and Beverage of the MGM National Harbor. He was most recently in the same role at the MGM Grand Detroit.
Anthony Meidenbauer has been named Vice President Food and Beverage Development of the Hakkasan Group. He was most recently the Vice President of Food and Beverage at Delaware North.
Bart Mahoney has joined Resort World Las Vegas as Vice President Food and Beverage. He was most recently with Golden Entertainment as Corporate Vice President of Food and Beverage. Mahoney is the former Director of Trade Development at Southern Wine & Spirits for Southern Nevada and Vice President, Food and Beverage, of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Davidson Hotels & Resorts has appointed Marc Taft Vice President, F&B Operations. He was most recently Executive Chef/Owner of the restaurant Chicken and the Egg in Atlanta.
Clayton van Hooijdonk has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage at The Resort at Pelican Hill. He was most recently in the same role at the Montage Beverly Hills. Van Hooijdonk is the former Director of Food and Beverage of the InterContinental Miami.
Michael Scheel has joined Virgin Hotels Dallas as Director of Food and Beverage. Most recently he served as Director of Food and Beverage for Topgolf Dallas.
Christopher Ayala has been appointed Director of Culinary Program of the Sarasota Modern. He was most recently with La Tienda Importing Company as Executive Chef.
John Washko has been named Director of Food and Beverage of the Fashion Island Hotel. Most recently, Washko served as Executive Director, Food and Beverage of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and Area Director, Food and Beverage, Luxury Division, Americas at Hilton Hotels & Resorts, International. Washko spent 21 years with Four Seasons.
Marigot Bay Resort and Marina has appointed Daniel Echasseriau Director of Food and Beverage and Culinary Operation. He was most recently in the same role at St Peter’s Bay Resort and Residences. Echasseriau is the former Executive Chef of Carlisle Bay and the Rosewood Corniche.
Pooya Banifazl has joined the Sonesta Silicon Valley as Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently the Director of Outlets at The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel in San Francisco.
Rebecca Lieberman has been promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer at the Radisson Hotel Group. She was most recently serving as Vice President, Human Resources.
The Redbury New York has named Garette Ziem Director of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hotel Hendricks.
Matt Ojinaga has been named Director of Sales and Marketing of the Andaz West Hollywood. He is the former Area Associate Director of Sales for the Grand Hyatt Denver and the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
Katherine Beja-McLennan has been named Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale, scheduled to open in 2020. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing of the Pier 66 Hotel and Marina and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar -Puerto Rico.
James Rattray has moved to the YOTEL Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill as Director of Sales and Marketing. He most recently served as Director of Sales & Social Media for the Moxy Washington, D.C. Downtown.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor has promoted Lindsey Meagher to Director of Sales and Marketing. She joined the hotel in 2018 as a Senior Sales Manager.
Andrea Richey has been appointed Director of Sales of The Read House in Chattanooga. Most recently, she served as Area Director of Sales and Marketing of the Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club.
Edward Hahn has been appointed Director of Sales at the Virgin Hotels Dallas. He was most recently a Group Sales Manager at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. Hahn is the former Associate Director of Sales and Marketing of the Warwick Melrose Hotel Dallas.
Brent Woodyard has been promoted to Director of Sales at The Tides Inn. He was most recently serving the resort as Associate Director of Sales.
Dannie Halloran has been appointed Director of Sales at the Kimpton Onyx Hotel in Boston. Halloran was most recently a Corporate Sales Manager at Boston’s Battery Wharf Hotel.
Mirian Ortega has joined the Le Méridien New York, Central Park as Director of Sales. Ortega was most recently part of the opening team for the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square South and had previously served as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Courtyard by Marriott Times Square West.
The New York Marriott Marquis has named Nigel Boschetti Executive Chef. Boschetti was most recently the Executive Chef of the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London.
The Great Wolf Lodge Southern California has appointed Shannon Hernandez Executive Chef. She is the former Executive Chef of La Quinta Hotel and Resort and the Omni Rancho Las Palmas.
Nicolas Lebas has been appointed Executive Chef of the Barnsley Resort. Most recently, Lebas served as the Executive Chef Consultant for Universal Hospitality Solutions. He is the former executive chef at Bull & Bear at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, the Kimpton Hotel Zamora, and the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver.
Chris Chadwick has joined the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta as Executive Chef. Chadwick was most recently the Executive Chef at the JW Marriott Houston by the Galleria.
Kurt Wewer has been named Executive Chef of the The Barn Restaurant at the Allenberry Resort. He is the former Executive Chef of the Garlic Poet.
Daniel Williston has been named Chef de Cuisine of the Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay. He is the former Chef de Cuisine of Aubergine in Carmel by the Sea, and Sous Chef of NoMAd and Otium, both in Los Angeles.
Michael Levine has been appointed Chef de Cuisine of the Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa. He was most recently in a similar role at Union Kitchen and Tap in Encinitas.
Aaron Anderson has been named General Manager of the Fashion Island Hotel’s Oak Grill and Aqua Lounge. He was most recently the Beverage Director for Citrus Hospitality Management.
Mary Gunderson has moved to the Vail Athletic Club as Director of Club and Spa. She was most recently the Spa Director of the Four Seasons Vail. Gunderson previously served as the Spa Director at the Allegria Spa at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa.
EUROPE
David Kelly is now in Barcelona, taking over for Jochem-Jan Sleiffer as Senior Vice President Operations, Continental Europe, for Hilton Hotels International. Kelly was most recently overseeing Greater China and Mongolia for the company.
Christel Cabanier has been named General Manager of the Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle. She was most recently the General Manager of Disneyland Paris.
Romain Meiran has moved to La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa as General Manager. Meiran was most recently overseeing Cheval Blanc Paris and had previously served as General Manager of Cheval Blanc Courchevel for five years.
Yvonne van der Klaauw has been promoted to General Manager of the Pulitzer Amsterdam. She joined the hotel in 2015 as Director of Business Development. She is the former Director of Sales of the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport and Area Director of Sales and Marketing of Starwood-The Netherlands.
Lauren Miller has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage of the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in Glasgow. Miller is the former Food and Beverage Manager of the Glasgow Crown Plaza.
Benedikt Jaschke has been promoted to Chief Quality Officer at Kempinski Hotels. He was most recently serving as Vice President Operational Strategy & Quality Management.
Javier Hortal has been appointed Senior Vice President Design & Development, Middle East & Europe, at sbe, based in London. For the past 11 years, he had been with Mandarin Oriental, as Director of Technical Services EMEA.
Rebeca Martín has joined the Marbella Club Hotel as Director of Sales and Marketing. She had previously served in similar roles at the Seven Pines Resort Ibiza and the Kempinski Seychelles Resort Baie Lazare.
Pegi Amarteifio has been appointed Vice President, Global Public Relations, at Forbes Travel Guide in London. She was most recently with Small Luxury Hotels as Vice President Worldwide Public Relations.
Ian Howard appointed Executive Chef at Galvin at the Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair, replacing William Baker. Howard is the former Head Chef of Borough Market’s Roast Restaurant and Babylon at the Roof Gardens in Kensington.
Michael Bartocetti has joined the Four Seasons George V as Executive Pastry Chef. He is the former Chef Pâtissier of the Shangri-La Paris and Alain Ducasse in the Plaza Athénée.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Blaise Montandon has moved as General Manager to the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai. The Lausanne graduate was most recently the General Manager of the Four Seasons Marrakech.
Su-Zie Chew has been promoted to Resident Manager with her move to the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa in Malaysia. She joined the company in 2004, most recently serving as Director of Food and Beverage at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa in Singapore.
Ben Schumacher has been promoted to Head of Operations at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, based in Singapore. He joined the company 2016 as a Franchise Services Manager before his promotion in 2018 to Regional Director Franchise Operations – South East Asia Pacific Rim.
The Ritz-Carlton Bali has promoted Raymond Siek to Director of Culinary. He joined the resort as Executive Chef in 2017. Previously he was at the Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen and the Shangri La Sanya as Executive Chef.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Jochem-Jan Sleiffer is now Area President of Middle East, Africa & Turkey for Hilton Hotels. He was most recently the Senior Vice President Operations, Continental Europe.
Konstantinos Kourotsidis has been appointed General Manager of the Fairmont Ajman. He was most recently the General Manager of The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa, Bahrain.
David Lance has been named General Manager of the Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi. He was previously overseeing the Marriott Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments Downtown Abu Dhabi.
Jürgen Sterkau has been appointed General Manager of the Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino in Cairo. He is the former Director of Food and Beverage of the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel and Executive Assistant Manager of the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur.
Savino Leone has moved as General Manager to the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi. He was most recently in the same role with the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait.
Agusti Curto Calbet has been appointed General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain. He was most recently overseeing the Wyndham Dubai Marina.
Leonardo Concezzi has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage of the Four Seasons Riyadh. He is the former Executive Chef of the Mandarin Oriental Dubai and the Mandarin Oriental Bodrum.
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Edited by Susana Parks, Benoit Gateau-Cumin & Lisa Leroy
susana@boutiquesearchfirm.com / benoit@boutiquesearchfirm.com / lisa@boutiquesearchfirm.com
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