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: December 2019

THE AMERICAS

T. Blake Danner has been named Chief Operating Officer of Proper Hospitality. He was most recently with the Sydell Group as Chief Operating Officer. Danner also spent 11 years working alongside Ian Schrager, ending as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing of the Morgan’s Hotel Group.

Maverick Hotels and Restaurants has named Wendy Stevens Chief Operating Officer. For the past 18 years, she had been with First Hospitality Group, most recently as Chief Commercial Officer.

Main Street Hospitality Group has appointed H. Jackson Donoyan Vice President of Operations. He was most recently the General Manager of the NYLO Providence Warwick Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

Marcus Marshall has been appointed to the newly created role of Vice President Restaurants and Bars at Hospitality Ventures Management Group. Most recently, he was the Regional Director of Operations for Concentrics Restaurants.

Stephanie Bauer has been appointed Regional Vice President of Operations at Hospitality Ventures Management Group in Atlanta. She was most recently the Executive Vice President of Asset Management at Avana Capital.

Barbara Christoph has joined the Arthouse Hotel in New York as General Manager. She is the former General Manager of the Quin and Hotel Manager of the Soho Grand.

Neal Spivack has been named General Manager of the Gabriel Miami. He is the former Hotel Manager of the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort and General Manager of the Costa Hollywood Beach Resort.

Markus Krebs has been promoted to General Manager of the Monarch Beach Resort. He had joined the resort in 2017 as Resort Manager. Krebs had previously served as Hotel Manager of the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.

Sean Clancy has been named Vice President and General Manager of the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. He was most recently the Managing Director of the Loews Coronado Bay Resort and the former Managing Director of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

Benjamin Sinclair has joined We Work in New York as Vice President Member Experience, Operations & Business Development. He is the former Chief Brand Development Officer of Miami’s Faena District and Director of Sales and Marketing of the Mandarin Oriental New York and the St. Regis New York.

Richard Wales has joined the St. Regis Deer Valley as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of 1 Hotels in Miami Beach. He is also the former Director of Operations of the Claremont Fairmont in Berkeley.

Abe Liao has been appointed General Manager of the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Washington, D.C. He was most recently the General Manager of the Kimpton Rowan Hotel in Palm Springs. Liao is the former General Manager of the Kimpton George Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Dan Lyle has been named General Manager of the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite, taking over from Paul Ratchford who is retiring after serving as General Manager for the past eight years. Lyle was most recently the General Manager at the Grand Canyon National Park overseeing the Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village.

Sileshi Mengiste has been named Managing Director of the Estate Yountville. Mengiste was most recently the Associate Senior Vice President for Remington Hotels. He also served as General Manager of Le Méridien San Francisco.

Kristine Cox has been appointed General Manager of the Playa Largo Resort & Spa. She spent the past five years as General Manager of the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina in Rhode Island.

Andrew Rubinacci has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Omni Hotels. Rubinacci joined Omni a year ago as Senior Vice President of Revenue Management and Global Distribution.

Akis Neocleous has joined the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas as General Manager. He was most recently in the same role for the Ritz-Carlton Panama City and the W Hotel Panama City. He also served as Managing Director of Imanta Resorts in Punta Mita.

Alain Berthelot has been named General Manager at the El Careyes Club & Residences. He was most recently the Managing Director of the Grand Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta.

Marc Schneider has been appointed General Manager of the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour. Most recently, Schneider was promoted to Resort Manager of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar from his position as Director of Rooms.

Colm O’Callaghan is now with the CIM Group as Vice President Operations, Hotel Division. He previously had been the Managing Director of the Montage Beverly Hills. O’Callaghan is the former Regional Vice President and Managing Director of the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago and General Manager of the Conrad Hotel Chicago.

Okan Karadağ has been appointed General Manager of the Art Ovation Hotel, Autograph Collection in Sarasota. He was most recently the General Manager of the Radisson Hotel Nashville.

The Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza has appointed Dan Briks General Manager. Most recently, Briks was the Hotel Manager of The Lexington Hotel NYC.

Isabelle Matter has joined The Belmont as General Manager. She was most recently overseeing the Yotel San Francisco.

Ron Ryan takes over from Isabelle Matter as General Manager of the Yotel San Francisco. He was most recently the General Manager of the Hotel Carlton and was previously in the same role at the Hotel Del Sol.

Allen Highfield is now in Napa Valley as General Manager of the Montage Healdsburg. He was most recently overseeing the Montage Deer Valley. Highfield is the former General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, and the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown.

Pete Sams has been named Chief Operating Officer of Davidson Hotels & Resorts in Atlanta. He was most recently with Interstate Hotels & Resorts as Executive Vice President Full-Service Operations.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas will relaunch in 2020 as the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas with newly appointed Managing Director Mary Giuliano. She was previously the General Manager for the Vdara Hotel & Spa.

The Shore Club Turks and Caicos has named Paul Telford General Manager. He was most recently the Managing Director of the Rosewood Bermuda.

Rajesh Radke has joined The Joseph Hotel, Nashville as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of The Ballantyne. Radke is the former Hotel Manager of the St. Regis Deer Valley.

Michael Chiche has joined Las Ventanas Al Paraiso as Executive Assistant Manager. He is the former General Manager of Las Alcobas, Mexico City.

Dave Rebich has joined Colwen Hotels as Chief Financial Officer. He was most recently the Vice President of Finance of the Starwood Capital Group. Rebich had previously served as Chief Financial Officer for the Waterford Hotel Group and Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Rory Lowe has joined Virgin Hotels as Vice President, Finance. He was most recently a Regional Vice President, Finance, of Two Roads Hospitality. The Cornell graduate had previously served in finance roles for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Marriott International.

Sheri McElravy has been named Director of Human Resources of the Skamania Lodge. She was previously interim Director of Talent Acquisition for Dameron Hospital.

Dan Surette has been promoted to Chief Sales Officer at Omni Hotels. He had joined the company in 2017 as Vice President, Sales, before his promotion in 2018 to Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing.

Donna Marchese has been appointed Regional Director of Global Sales – Americas, of Hard Rock International. She was most recently the Director of Global Accounts for Sonesta Hotels International.

Heather Allison has been named Complex Director of Sales and Marketing of the New York Marriott Marquis and Sheraton New York Times Square. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. Allison had previously overseen sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe and the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis.

Alan Shukovsky has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Glasshouses in New York. He was most recently with the Waldorf=Astoria New York as Director of Private Social Catering.

Iris Acosta-Zobel has been appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mr. C Miami-Coconut Grove. She was most recently the Vice President of Sales for Menin Hospitality.

Justin Evans has been appointed Area Director of Sales and Marketing for both the Hyatt Regency Portland Oregon Convention Center and the Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland. Most recently, he served as Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hyatt Regency Columbus.

Elizabeth Allen has joined the Ballantyne in Charlotte as Director of Sales and Marketing. She was most recently in the same role at the Solis Hotel in Atlanta.

Leslie Kaminski has been appointed Vice President of Sales for Virgin Hotels in Miami. She had previously served as Vice President of Global Sales at Two Roads Hospitality.

Thomas Dolan has been named Director of Sales and Marketing of the JW Marriott Charlotte. He was most recently the Director of Citywide Sales for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Kerstin Sommer-Raza has been appointed Area Director of Sales and Marketing at both the Crawford and he Oxford Hotel in Denver. Sommer-Raza was most recently at the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center, where she served as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Bridget Denby has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Renaissance Dallas Hotel. Most recently, Denby served as Director of Sales of the Dallas/Fort Worth Market for Marriott International.

Lizmary Perez has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hilton Bentley Miami/South Beach and Director of Sales of the Hilton Cabana Miami Beach.

Paul Marsico has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Somerset Hills Hotel, slated to open in January. Most recently, Marsico served as Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hilton Short Hills.

Vivian Cohen has joined the Hilton Short Hills as Director of Catering and Events. She most recently served as Associate Director of Catering and Events of The Wagner at the Battery Hotel in New York.

Julie Marshall has joined Destination DC as Domestic Media Relations Manager. Most recently, she served on the in-house communications team for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

David Harker has been promoted to Corporate Executive Chef at Omni Hotels. He was most recently the Executive Chef of the Omni Interlocken Resort.

Dawn Taylor-Cole has been appointed Executive Chef of the Clancy, Autograph Collection in San Francisco, slated to open early 2020. Most recently, she served as Executive Chef at the Redwood Room.

Matt Schindler has been appointed Executive Chef at The Plaza New York. He was previously with The Knickerbocker as Executive Chef and the Waldorf=Astoria New York as Chef de Cuisine.

Ricardo Jarquin has been appointed Executive Chef of the W Miami. He was most recently serving in the same role at the Silverado Resort.

Valerio Pachetti has been named Executive Chef of Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet, Saint Lucia. Most recently, Pachetti was Executive Chef of the Aleenta Resort & Spa and Akyra Beach Resort.

Alexis Martinez has been named Executive Chef of the Denver Marriott Tech Center. He was most recently the Senior Sous Chef of the Sheraton Denver Downtown and had previously served as Chef de Cuisine at Arizona’s Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and Executive Chef of the Loews Denver Hotel.

Virgile Brandel is now in New Orleans as Executive Chef of the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center. Most recently, Brandel served as the Executive Chef at the Atrio Restaurant & Wine Room at the Conrad Miami and Banquet Chef at the Loews Hotel Miami Beach.

Thanawat Bates has joined 1 Hotel South Beach as Executive Chef of Habitat. He was most recently serving as Chef de Cuisine of the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and had previously served as Executive Chef of Las Alcobas Napa Valley.

EUROPE

Christian Renz has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer of Corinthia Hotels in London. Renz is the former Senior Vice President of Sales and Revenue Management at Rocco Forte Hotels.

Vincent Billiard has been appointed General Manager of the Hôtel de Crillon. The Lausanne graduate was most recently the General Manager of the St. Regis Singapore. At the Crillon, he takes over from Marc Raffray who recently departed to become the General Manager of the Ritz Paris.

Francisco Garcia has been named opening Hotel Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid. He is the former opening Director of Rooms of the Hôtel de Crillon and the Four Seasons Abu Dhabi.

Aaron Kaupp has been appointed Regional Vice President of London Jumeirah properties including the Jumeirah Frankfurt, and named General Manager of the Carlton Tower, Jumeirah London. Since 2016, he had been serving as General Manager of the Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris.

Daniela Fette-Rakowski has been named General Manager of the Jumeirah Frankfurt. She was most recently at Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy as Hotel Manager.

Mike Robinson has been appointed General Manager of the Kimpton Vividora Hotel in Barcelona. He was most recently the General Manager of the Kempton De Witt in Amsterdam.

Thomas Bausch has moved to the IntercityHotel Celle in Germany with his promotion to General Manager. He was most recently serving as Assistant Manager at the IntercityHotel Kassel.

Greg Ward has been named Head of Sales and Distribution at the Aman Group in London. He was most recently the Vice President of Sales at the Shangri-La Group.

Matthias Kaesweber has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Peninsula Paris. He is the former Vice President Sales and Marketing for The Set Hotels Group and the Director of Sales and Marketing of the Dolder Grand in Zurich.

Jacqueline Kanits has been appointed Director of Revenue at the NH Hotel Group. She had previously spent 11 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts as Regional Director of Revenue Management, East & Central Europe.

Trevor Portelli has joined the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz Gozo as Executive Chef. He was most recently in the same role at the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko.

Nikola Todorov has been promoted to Executive Chef of the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko in Bulgaria, taking over from Trevor Portelli. Todorov joined the hotel in 2017 as Executive Sous Chef.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Carlos Tarrero has joined the St. Regis Osaka as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi. Tarrero is the former General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Ko Samui and the Ritz-Carlton Krabi.

Blaise Montandon has been appointed General Manager of the Four Seasons Resort the Nam Hai in Vietnam. He was most recently in the same role at the Four Seasons Marrakech. The Lausanne graduate was a Regional Vice President for Aman.

Ateeb Shrestha has been named General Manager of the Six Senses Krabi Island. For the past three years he had served as General Manager of the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.

Guillermo Varela has been appointed Managing Director of the Rosewood Luang Prabang. He was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager Hotel & Residences of Amanzoe in Greece.

Go Kondo has moved to the W Osaka as General Manager. Kondo was most recently the General Manager of the St. Regis Osaka. He is the former Hotel Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Bali, Director of Operations of the Ritz-Carlton Osaka, and the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto.

Daniel Simon has been appointed General Manager of the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. He was most recently the General Manager of the W Koh Samui. Simon also logged 20 years with Four Seasons in Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Bali, Dallas, California, Texas and Canada.

Veronica Chan has joined the InterContinental Hong Kong as Director of Human Resources. She was most recently the Human Resource Director at Carrier Hong Kong Limited.

Dongwoon Kim has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok. He was most recently in the same role at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon.

Jared Green has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Six Senses Fiji in Malolo Island. He was most recently in the same position at the Sanchaya. Green is the former Director of Sales of the Strand Hotel and the Strand Cruise in Myanmar.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Olivier de Kermel has joined the Villa Diyafa Boutique Hotel & Spa in Rabat as General Manager. De Kermel is a former General Manager of the Hilton Lyon and the Hilton Tunis.

Savino Leone has been appointed General Manager of the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Dubai. He most recently overseeing the operations of the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa.

Tolga Akinci has been appointed Head of Operations at the House Hotel & Residence in Istanbul. Akinci is the former Director of Sales and Marketing of the Radisson Blu Hotel İstanbul Pera and Martı Hotels & Marinas Istanbul.

Mahmoud Saffarini has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing at the Ajman Hotel. He was most recently in the same role at the Salalah Rotana Resort.

Josimar Delfin has been appointed Director of Public Relations and Marketing of the Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek. She was most recently in the same role at the Radisson Blu & Park Inn by Radisson Yas Island.

Hani Abulafi has moved over to the soon to reopen Four Seasons Doha as Director of Rooms. He was most recently with the Four Seasons Amman as Director of Rooms and previously the Director of Sales and Marketing.

Do you have news for us? Please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail at benoit@boutiquesearchfirm.com

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

susana@boutiquesearchfirm.com / benoit@boutiquesearchfirm.com / lisa@boutiquesearchfirm.com

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