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: January 2020
THE AMERICAS
Cornell graduate Arthur Keith has been appointed Managing Director of the Statler Hotel at Cornell University, taking over from Rick Adie who retired. Keith was most recently the General Manager of the Kalahari Resort & Casino. He is the former General Manager of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and President of the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino.
Hyatt Hotels has named Susan Santiago Senior Vice President of Miraval Resorts. She was most recently Senior Vice President Global Operations Select Service for Hyatt. She previously held the positions of Area Vice President for Hyatt in Los Angeles and Senior Vice President Food & Beverage, Americas, responsible for overall food and beverage operations at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin and South America.
The Marcus Corporation has appointed Michael Evans President of Marcus Hotels & Resorts. He was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Apex Capital Ventures in Las Vegas.
Richard Stettner has joined The Aspen Institute as Vice President of Facilities and Operations. For the past nine years, he had been the General Manager of the Limelight Hotel Aspen, and most recently the Managing Director of Limelight Hotels.
The Pestana Park Avenue, set to open this January, has named José Carlos Fernandes General Manager. He was most recently the Hotel Manager of the Pestana Cidadela de Cascais & Art District Hotel in Portugal.
The newly rebranded The Moran Citycentre (formerly Hotel Sorella Citycentre) has named Jerome Strack General Manager. He was most recently in the same role at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe.
Craig Forbus has been appointed General Manager of the River’s Edge Hotel in Portland, OR. Forbus was previously the General Manager of the Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara and had previously held various roles at Shutters on the Beach and the Venetian.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor has appointed Mikhail Shamkin General Manager. He was most recently in the same position at the Laurel Point Resort.
The Radisson Hotel Group has appointed Aly El-Bassuni Chief Operating Officer in the Americas. El-Bassuni previously served as Senior Vice President, Franchise Operations, for the Americas for the group.
Wolfgang Jonas has been named General Manager of the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park, set to open in El Paso early 2020. He is the former General Manager of the Hotel Cayena-Caracas and the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows, Santa Monica.
Erik Palmer has officially been appointed Managing Director of the Park Central and WestHouse Hotels in New York City. He was most recently the Managing Director of the newly-opened TWA Hotel.
Witkoff has named Bobby Baldwin Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Drew Las Vegas. Baldwin was most recently the Chief Customer Development Officer of MGM Resorts International and President and CEO of CityCenter.
The Mayflower Inn & Spa has appointed Israël Benyaïr General Manager. Most recently, he served as Hotel Manager of the Mandarin Oriental New York.
Shane Nicolopoulos has been appointed General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. Most recently, Nicolopoulos served as General Manager of Andaz San Diego.
Scott Lane has been named General Manager of the Hyatt Centric Downtown Portland, set to open this month. Lane is the former Director of Sales and Marketing of the Grand Hyatt San Antonio and Chicago’s Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.
Jeff Isenberg has joined The Hotel Group as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Palihotel Seattle.
The SLS Baha Mar has named Axel Gasser Vice President and General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Mondrian Doha.
Bill Lee has been appointed General Manager of the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville. Lee was previously the General Manager of the Grove Resort Orlando.
Mark O’Brien has been named General Manager of the Shinola Hotel in Detroit. He was most recently the Vice President of Lodging at the Boyne Mountain Resort.
Shauna Sandage has been appointed Vice President of Hotel Operations of the Stonebridge Companies. She was most recently the Director of Operations and Revenue Management at KWB LLC.
Aleksandra Vukojevic has been named Managing Director of Jumby Bay Island Resort. She was most recently in project and development at the Oetker Collection. Vukojevic is the former Executive Assistant Manager of the Shangri-La Toronto and Director of Rooms of the Shangri-La Vancouver.
Roger Ponce has been named General Manager of the Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, and Regional Vice President, Latin America, for Auberge Resorts. He was most recently the General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Dallas.
The Royal Sonesta Boston has named Eduardo Fernandez General Manager. He was most recently at the Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach where he served as General Manager for the past six years.
The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center has named Daniel Rhodes General Manager. Rhodes previously served as the Vice President of Operations for Commercial Properties Realty Trust. Prior to that, he was the General Manager of Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.
Natalie Wise has been named Hotel Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove. She was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.
The Playa Largo Resort & Spa has named Kristine Cox General Manager. Most recently, she spent the last five years as General Manager at the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina in Rhode Island.
The St. Regis Deer Valley has named Richard Wales General Manager. He was most recently the Hotel Manager of 1 Hotels Miami Beach.
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, in Nassau, Bahamas, welcomed Kristen Whyly as Resort Manager. Whyly is the former Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Washington, D.C. and Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Oahu at Ko Olina.
Gerald Ursulet is the new Resort Manager of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. He was previously the Hotel Manager of the Grand Hyatt Beijing and the Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage of the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi.
Main Street Hospitality Group has appointed H. Jackson Donoyan as the Vice President of Operations. Most recently he was the General Manager of the NYLO Providence Warwick Hotel.
The Dream Hotel Group has promoted Randy Taormina to Vice President of Operations. He was most recently the Area Managing Director of Dream Hotels in New York City.
Choice Hotels has promoted Raúl Ramírez to Senior Vice President of International Strategic Planning. He joined the company in 2017 as Vice President of Strategic Finance and Financial Planning and Analysis.
Jayson Goldstein has been named Food and Beverage Director of the Four Seasons Boston. He was most recently with Levy Restaurants, where he served as General Manager of the Hynes Convention and Expo Center. Goldstein is the former Director of Food and Beverage at the Loews Regency and The London in New York City.
Franck Savoy has returned to etc Hotels as Corporate Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently the General Manager of Clear Creek Tahoe. Savoy is the former Director of Operations of the Hotel Casa Del Mar, Director of Food and Beverage of the Hilton Nashville Downtown and the W South Beach.
The Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. has named Jean-Claude Plihon Director of Culinary and Food & Beverage Operations. For the past 10 years he had served as Executive Chef of the Grand Hyatt DFW.
Adrian Beers has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage of the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. He was most recently with the Lake Louise Ski Resort, where he served as Food and Beverage Manager for over a decade.
Jennie Bowman has been named Regional Director of Business Development at Wilson Associates in Las Vegas. She was most recently the Senior Director of Marketing and Business Development of NV5 – Engineering and Technology.
Tom Stoffo has been appointed Director of Technology at Mainsail Lodging & Development. He most recently worked with the Davidson Hotel Group as Director of Operations Technology.
Terry Bickhardt has been named Senior Vice President – Acquisitions and Asset Management for Colwen Hotels. He was most recently Co-President of HVS Hotel Management and previously the President – Operations, Sales and Marketing at the Waterford Hotel Group.
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa & Casino has named Ashlee Barton Director of Sales and Marketing. She joins the resort from the Hyatt Regency San Francisco where she served as Associate Director of Sales.
Brad Harvey has been appointed as the General Manager at Emeline. Before joining the Emeline team in Charleston, Harvey spent several years in various positions at prestigious hotels and resorts including the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California and the Ritz Carlton in Aspen, Colorado. Shannon Hartman has been named Director of Sales and Marketing at the Emeline in Charleston. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.
Laurin Fuller has been appointed Director of Sales of the Aloft Orlando Downtown. For the past two years, she had been serving as Area Director of Sales for Tara Investments in Charleston.
The Nobu Hotel Palo Alto has named Chris Suarez Director of Sales and Marketing. Suarez was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing of the Stanford Park Hotel in Menlo Park.
Marc Becker has joined the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center as Director of Sales and Marketing. He was most recently the Associate Director of Sales of the Omni Royal Orleans.
The Sagamore Pendry Baltimore appointed Tomiko Burroughs Director of Sales and Marketing. She was most recently the Area Director of Sales and Marketing for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Previously she served in sales and marketing roles for TravelClick and Expedia.
Lindsey Meagher has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing of the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore. She joined the hotel in 2018 as a Senior Sales Manager.
Thomas Dolan has returned to Marriott as Director of Sales and Marketing of the JW Marriott Charlotte. He spent 27 years of his career with Marriott International in various sales roles, and most recently served as Director of Citywide Sales for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The Somerset Hills Hotel has named Paul Marsico Director of Sales and Marketing. Most recently, Marsico served as Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hilton Short Hills.
Hyatt Hotels has named Justin Evans Area Director of Sales and Marketing in Portland. Most recently, he served as Director of Sales and Marketing of the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
Esther Barbosa has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing of the Pestana Park Avenue. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing for the New York Doubletree Times Square West.
Amy Hussmann has been named Director of Sales at the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park El Paso. Hussmann is the former Director of Sales of the Residence Inn El Paso.
The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection, has named David Crone Executive Chef. He was most recently with the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk as Executive Sous Chef.
The Westin St. Francis has named Fernando Reyes Executive Chef. He is the former Executive Sous Chef of the Ritz-Carlton, Sanya, Yalong Bay and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel/JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live.
Valerio Pachetti has been named Executive Chef at Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia. Most recently, he was the Executive Chef of both the Aleenta Resort & Spa and the Akyra Beach Resort in Phuket.
The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park has named William Schultz Executive Chef. He was most recently at the Fairmont Austin, where he served as Senior Sous Chef for two years.
EUROPE
Riko van Santen has been promoted to Chief Information Officer and Member of the Management Board at Kempinski Hotels. He was most recently serving the company as Vice President Digital Distribution and Strategy. Van Santen is the former Vice President Distribution and E-Commerce of the Louvre Hotels Group, based in Paris.
Wilhelm Weber has been appointed Vice President, Global Revenue and Digital Strategy, at Kempinski Hotels. Most recently, Weber was Managing Partner at SHS Swiss Hospitality Solutions.
Janin Blaser has been appointed Vice President Brand Development at Kempinski Hotels. She was most recently with the Wiethe Group in Germany as Head of Business Strategy and Director Content Factory.
The buzz at Accor is the appointment of Karelle Lamouche to the newly created role of Chief Commercial Officer for Europe. She has been with the company since 2003, most recently as Senior Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Distribution and Revenue Management.
Corinthia Hotels appointed Christian Renz as Chief Commercial Officer, based in London. He was previously Senior Vice President of Sales and Revenue Management at Rocco Forte Hotels.
Francisco Macedo has been promoted to General Manager at Cliveden, taking over from Kevin Brooke. Macedo joined the resort over a year ago as Operations Director. He was previously the General Manager of Bovey Castle in Devon.
Klaus Kabelitz has moved to the Biltmore Grosvenor Square in London as General Manager. He was most recently with the newly-reopened Belmond Cadogan in the same role. Kabelitz is the former General Manager of Le Richemond in Geneva and The Berkeley in London.
Stefano Squecco has been appointed General Manager at Blakes in London. He was previously the Deputy General Manager of the Pennyhill Park hotel in Surrey.
Aaron Kaupp has been appointed General Manager of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, taking over from Luc Delafosse who left last January and Ian Richardson, who took over from Delafosse as interim general manager. Since 2016 Kaupp had been serving as General Manager of Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris.
Francisco Garcia has joined the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid as opening General Manager. He was most recently the opening Director of Rooms of Le Crillon.
Andre Devillers has joined Bicester Village in London as Director of Guest Experience and Services. He was most recently the Hotel Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. Devillers is the former Hotel Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, Director of Sales and Marketing EMEA for the Mandarin Oriental Group, and Director of Sales and Marketing of the Mandarin Oriental Paris.
Andrea Ramos Junquero has joined the Four Seasons Madrid as People and Culture Manager. She was most recently with the Mandarin Oriental Paris as Human Resources Supervisor.
Eva Cooper has moved as Account Director of the soon-to-open Bvlgari Hotel Paris. She was most recently in the same role at the Four Seasons George V.
Rocco Forte Hotels has named Jan Arnold Vice President of Sales, based in Frankfurt. For the past 17 years, Arnold had been with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, most recently as Director of Sales – EMEA – based in Dubai and Frankfurt.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Mark Choon has moved as General Manager of the Peninsula Tokyo. He was most recently in the same role at the Peninsula Manila.
Luciano Scelza has been named Vice President – Operations – for the Aryaduta Hotel Group in Indonesia. He was previously Group General Manager for Kanika Hotels and Resorts in Cyprus.
Matt Worswick has been appointed Executive Chef at the Shanghai Edition. He was previously Head Chef at the one-Michelin-starred Latymer restaurant at Pennyhill Park in Bagshot, Surrey, where he spent nearly four years.
Eric Faivre joins Montage Kapalua Bay as Executive Chef. He was most recently with Aqua Aston Hospitality in Honolulu, where he was Vice President of Food and Beverage for the past four years, following 13 years as Executive Chef of the Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea and 2 years at the Fairmont Orchid Mauna Lani.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Michael Sorgenfrey has been appointed Vice President Operations, Middle East & Africa, at Kempinski Hotels. He was most recently the Managing Director of RIMC Deutschland Hotels & Resorts.
Isidoro Geretto has joined Kempinski Hotels as Vice President Finance, Middle East & Africa, based in Dubai. He was most recently a Financial Consultant with Barcli Hospitality Management in Switzerland.
Tom Roelens has left Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts after 19 years to join the Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences in Dubai as Senior Vice President and General Manager. He is the former General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Kuala Lumpur and the Four Seasons Resorts Lana’i.
Hamza Sehili has joined the Four Seasons Tunis as Hotel Manager. He was most recently the Executive Assistant Manager – Rooms – of the Jumeirah Mina A’ Salam and Madinat Jumeirah.
Kosta Kourotsidis has been appointed General Manager of the Fairmont Ajman. Kourotsidis was most recently the General Manager at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa Bahrain.
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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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