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: July 2011.

THE AMERICAS 

After 35 years with Four Seasons, Jim FitzGibbon will be retiring. And it will take two people to take over his current post as President, Worldwide Hotel Operations: Chris Hart is promoted to President, Hotel Operations - Asia Pacific and Craig Reid moves up to President, Hotel Operations – Americas. Hart was most recently Senior Vice President, Operations, Asia Pacific and will continue to be based in Singapore. Reid was promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations, Americas in 2007 and will continue to be based out of Dallas.

Chris Hunsberger has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Product and Innovation, at Four Seasons, based in Washington, D.C. Since 2008, he had been serving as Senior Vice President, Operations, Americas.  

Exclusive Resorts has named Philippe Bourguignon Chief Executive Officer. He was most recently Chief Executive Officer for Miraval Resorts, sister company to Exclusive Resorts within Steven Case's Revolution. Bourguignon takes over from Jeff Potter who will remain on the board of directors. Bourguignon is a former Chief Executive Officer of Euro Disney, Club Med and President of Accor Asia-Pacific.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts has named Jim Abrahamson Chief Executive Officer. He was previously the President of the Americas for InterContinental Hotels Group.

Cornell graduate, Kirk Kinsell, takes over from Abrahamson as President, the Americas, for IHG. This is a promotion for Kinsell who was most recently serving the company as President, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Thomas Becker is now at the Fairmont Acapulco as Managing Director. He was most recently in Las Vegas as opening Vice President of Operations for the Aria Resort & Casino. He is the former General Manager of the Harmon and the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.

Philip Barnes has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for the Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver. He was most recently serving as Regional Vice President, U.A.E and General Manager at the Fairmont Dubai.

Joe Magliarditi has been named President of the Palms Las Vegas, taking over from Paul Pusateri who had held the post for the past two years. Magliarditi is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas and had previously served as a senior gaming executive for M Resort and the Rio.

David Horowitz has joined Sunstone Hotel Investors as Vice President of Asset Management. He had been with Hyatt Hotels since 1980 most recently serving as General Manager at the Hyatt Regency Century City. He is the former General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, the Hyatt Regency Irvine, and the Hyatt Regency Westlake Village.

Taking over from Horowitz as General Manager at the Hyatt Regency Century City is Scott Allen. He was most recently overseeing the Hyatt Regency La Jolla.

The Hyatt Regency Vancouver has appointed Ulrich Samietz General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Sacramento. He previously served as General Manager for the former Park Hyatt Los Angeles and the Hyatt Westlake.

David Lewin has been appointed General Manager of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, replacing Jerry Simmons, who is retiring after more than 42 years with Hyatt.  Lewin, a Cornell graduate, had been the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa since 2008.

Swietlana Cahill has been named General Manager of the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles, taking over from Kathy Faulk. Cahill had previously served as General Manager at Prism Hotels and Highgate Hotels.

Jeff Hentze has been named General Manager for the James New York, taking over from Colin Gold. Hentze is the former Hotel Manager of the Affinia Manhattan and Assistant General Manager at the Benjamin.

Richard Cooke takes on the challenge of overseeing both the Shangri-La Vancouver and the developing Shangri-La Toronto as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager at Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Cooke originally joined Shangri-La in 2000, following stints with Rosewood and Ritz-Carlton.
 
Jim Nielsen has joined the Smith Fork Ranch in Colorado as General Manager. He was most recently serving in the same role for the Resort at Paws Up. He is the former General Manager of Devil's Thumb Ranch and Food and Beverage Director for the Marriott City Center Salt Lake City.

Chicago-based Amble Resorts has named Nathalie Porta d'Amman Director of Resort Operations. A graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, she once was the Vice President Global Brand Management and Operations for Starwood's Le Méridien brand. Most recently d'Amman was the General Manager of the Komandoo Resort in the Maldives.

Danny Williams has been appointed General Manager for the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa. Most recently, he was the General Manager of the Sheraton Convention Center Atlantic City.

Henri Birmele is now overseeing the Shangri-La in Santa Monica. He was most recently the General Manager at the Sheraton Universal. This is return to Santa Monica for Birmele who is a former General Manager of Shutters on the Beach and the Viceroy Santa Monica.

Shirley Geerman has been named General Manager of the Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach Club Curaçao. She was most recently the Resident Manager at the Lodge's sister property, the Hotel Kura Hulanda.

The Doubletree Atlanta-Northlake has appointed Kent DeVantier as General Manager. He was most recently a General Manager with Sage Hospitality. He is the former General Manager of the Westin Memphis Beale Street.

Keith Shopnick has been named General Manager at the Westin at the Domain in Austin. Most recently, Shopnick was the General Manager and overseeing sales and marketing at the Cleveland Marriott East.

Erwin Schinnerl has returned to the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead to take on the role of General Manager. He had previously served the property as Hotel Manager before moving into the role of General Manager for the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common. He then moved to the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City before returning to the Boston Common in his most recent role as Area General Manager. 

Sean Damery has joined the Devil's Thumb Ranch in Colorado as General Manager. For the past three years, he had been with the Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa in Shell Beach as General Manager. He is the former Director of Operations of the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa and Director of Rooms at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

Dave Baxter has been appointed General Manager of the Sheraton Austin at the Capital. He was most recently the General Manager of the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport.

The Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport has named Tom Mulroy General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel and the Marriott Palm Beach Gardens.

Sean McCarron has been promoted to Hotel Manager, joining the Four Seasons Baltimore. He was most recently the Food and Beverage Director at the Four Seasons Boston. He had previously served in food and beverage management posts at the Four Seasons Atlanta and the Four Seasons Chicago.

The Beverly Wilshire has named Meredith Macfarlane Hotel Manager. She was most recently serving in the same position for the Four Seasons Toronto, after joining the property in 2007 as Director of Rooms. She is the former Director of Rooms at the Delta Chelsea. At the Beverly Wilshire, MacFarlane takes over from Katja Henke, now the Hotel Manager at the Peninsula Shanghai.

Jon McGaunn has been promoted to Hotel Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Naples. He had joined the resort last year as Executive Assistant Manager. He is the former General Manager of the Atlantic Hotel in Fort Lauderdale and previously spent ten years with Ritz-Carlton.

Marco Ortlam has been promoted to Director of Operations at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun. He was most recently the Director of Meetings and Special Events for the resort. Ortlam is also a former Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.

Simone Harms moves to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport as Director of Operations. She was most recently in the same position with the Fairmont San Jose.

Rudolf Gimmi has been appointed Director of Operations at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver. He was most recently the Director of Operations at the Fairmont Mayakobá.

Larry Murphy has joined the Four Seasons Nevis as Director of Finance. He had previously served in similar roles for Starwood and Hilton Hotels, most recently in Aruba.

Timothy Lamb has been appointed Vice President of Finance at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. He was most recently the Vice President of Finance for the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

Steve Weissman has joined the Fireman Hospitality Group as Chief Financial Officer. For the past three years, he had been with B.R. Guest Restaurants in the same role.

Kris Singleton has been named Chief Information Officer for the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, taking over from Marshall Andrew. This is return to Las Vegas for Singleton who previously served as Vice President of Business Solutions at MGM Mirage before relocating to San Francisco to take the post of Chief Information Officer with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

John Santangelo has been named Director of Food and Beverage for the Eaglewood Resort & Spa in Illinois. He was most recently the Director of Food and Beverage for the Pheasant Run Resort.

Fekade Wolde has been named Director of Food and Beverage at the Hotel Granduca in Houston. Wolde was most recently in the same position at the nearby Omni Houston.

Eric Dupaix has joined the London NYC as Director of Operations for Gordon Ramsay. He was most recently the Director of Food and Beverage at the Metropolitan New York. He is the former Food and Beverage Director at the Westin New York at Times Square and the Essex House.

Cesar Encarnacion has been named Chief Engineer for the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, California. For the past six years, he had served as Director of Engineering for the Sheraton Universal. He is the former Chief Engineer for the former Le Méridien at Beverly Hills.

Lawrence Baca has been named Human Resources Director at La Posada de Santa Fe. He is the former Human Resources Director for Colorado Mountain Express.

Allison Kneubuhl has joined the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa as Director of Sales and Marketing. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing of what used to be the Regent Las Vegas, the Kahala and the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco. Kneubuhl is also the founder and Creative Director of Allimar Marketing.

Kim Hoffman has moved over as Director of Marketing to the Four Seasons Las Vegas. She was most recently serving in the same role for the Four Seasons Jackson Hole. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing for both Bernardus Lodge and Quail Lodge in Carmel.

Cynthia Boyett has joined the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas as Director of Business Development. She was most recently overseeing sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. She had previously served in sales and catering positions with the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, the Four Seasons Westlake Village and the Four Seasons Miami.

Marc Cassier has joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as Executive Director, Conference Services and Catering. For the past nine years, he had been the Director of Catering and Convention Services at the Westin Charlotte.

Kim Martinez has been named Director of Sales at the Lansdowne Resort in Virginia. She was previously Director of Sales at the Marriott Grand Resort & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama.

Driftwood Hospitality Management has appointed Brian Quinn Executive Vice President and Principal, Development. Previously he had served as Vice President, Upscale Development, for InterContinental Hotels Group.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed Scott Sutliff Manager, Global Sales, for North America. He was most recently the Director of Business Travel Sales with the Omni San Francisco.

Virtuoso has named Cece Drummond Director of Tours, On-Sites, based in New York, reporting to Albert Herrera. Drummond previously served in marketing roles with GTA/Travel Bound, EOS Airlines and Rail Europe.

The Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver has appointed Joanne Perschbacher Director of Sales and Marketing. She was most recently with the Fairmont Whistler as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Kevin Sanford has been named Director of Sales and Marketing at the Newport Beach Island Hotel, replacing Tony Dicataldo. Sanford was most recently the National Sales Director for the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is the former Director of Sales for the St. Regis Monarch Beach and National Sales Manager for the Westin South Coast Plaza.

Kari Troncatty has been named Sales Director for the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air. She was most recently with the Four Seasons Westlake Village as Sales Manager. Troncatty previously oversaw sales and marketing for Palisades Development.

Joaquin Cruz has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort. He is the former Director of Sales and Marketing for La Concha Renaissance Resort in Puerto Rico.  

Julian Alden has been named Director of Sales for Taj Hotels at the Pierre. He was most recently with the St. Regis New York as Associate Director of Sales.

Amy Esnault has been appointed Director of Sales, Leisure and Business Travel at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. She previously served in sales roles for Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Boston.

The Hilton Orlando has named Bill McKay Director of Sales. McKay was most recently with the Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Lisa Iaquez has been named Director of Corporate and Group Sales – The Americas, for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, based in New York. Most recently, she was Global Director of Corporate Sales with Jumeirah Hotels. Previously, she spent five years as Director of Corporate Sales with New York's SoHo Grand and Tribeca Grand hotels.

Frances Maxwell has been appointed Director of Corporate, Group and Incentive Sales – The Americas, for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces based in Chicago. She was most recently the Director of Regional Accounts, Midwest, for Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.

The Omni Nashville has named Tod Roadarmel Director of Sales and Marketing. He was previously with RevSource and had served as Senior Vice President of Sales for Gaylord Entertainment.

Jeffrey Barry has been named Director of Sales at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation. He was most recently serving as Senior National Sales Manager at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island.

Chris Claydon has been named Senior Sales Manager at the Westin Westminster. He was most recently a Sales Manager at the Sheraton Downtown Denver. He had previously held sales positions for the Vallagio at Inverness, the Resort at Squaw Creek and the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.

Jaclyn Payne has been named Sales Manager for the Hotel Teatro in Denver. She was most recently in the same position for the nearby Sheraton Denver Downtown. She is the former Group Sales Manager for the Omni Interlocken Resort.

Mary Kay Caschetta has joined Carlson Hotels as Vice President of Loyalty. For the past twenty years, she had been with Delta Air Lines in various marketing functions.

Marc Ehrler has been named Corporate Chef for the Americas for Hilton Worldwide, based in McLean. He was most recently in a similar role for Loews Hotels. A Maitre Cuisinier de France, Ehrler also worked as Executive Chef for Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey, Kansas City and Osaka.

Rich Hinojosa has been appointed Executive Chef at Aspen's Hotel Jerome. He had previously served in culinary positions for the Westin Maui Resort and Spa and Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician in Scottsdale.

CIA graduate Thomas Ryan is the new Executive Chef for the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles. He is the former Executive Chef at Big Canyon Country Club and Pelican Hill, both in Newport Beach.

The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix has named Stephen Toevs Executive Chef. The CIA graduate has been the Chef for the Woodlands Waterway Marriott, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and the JW Marriott Desert Ridge.  

Calistoga Ranch has appointed Christian Ojeda Executive Chef. He is the former Chef de Cuisine of Auberge Resorts' sister property Encantado Resort and Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jessica Wilson has been named Executive Chef at Goat Town in the East Village. She had previously worked at A Voce and Prune.

Brad McDonald is the new Executive Chef at Colonie in Brooklyn Heights, replacing Alex Sorenson, who is planning his own restaurant. McDonald had previously worked with Alain Ducasse at the Essex House and at Per Se and Noma.

Evan Treadwell has joined the Devil's Thumb Ranch in Colorado as Executive Chef. He was most recently overseeing the kitchen at the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa in Central California.

Cody Vasek has been appointed Executive Chef at the Stowe Mountain Lodge. He is the former Executive Sous Chef at Bank Jean-George at the Hotel Icon Houston.

Yvan Didelot has been named Executive Chef for the Grand Hyatt Santiago. He is the former Executive Chef for the Sofitel Imperial Mauritius.

The Royal Sonesta Boston has promoted Brian Dandro to Executive Chef. He had joined the hotel in 2008 as Executive Sous Chef.  He had previously served in culinary positions for the Seaport Hotel, the former University Park Hotel at MIT and the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale.

The Gaylord Palms has named Peter Daledda Executive Chef. He was most recently the Executive Sous Chef at the Waldorf=Astoria New York.

Corey Shoemaker has been appointed Chef of Mii amo at Enchantment Resort. He is the former Executive Chef at Bouchée in De Pere, Wisconsin.
 
Thomas Hanlon has bee named Executive Chef for the Nautical Beachfront Resort in Lake Havasu City. Most recently, Hanlon was the owner/operator of Artisan Bread Bakery in Las Vegas.

Rick Whorf has been appointed Head Chef at Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Buford, Georgia. He was most recently serving as Chef and Proprietor of his own restaurants in Dahlonega, Georgia.

The Sofitel Minneapolis has promoted Mark Crane to Executive Chef for Colette Bar & Bistro. He joined the property in 2007 as Executive Sous Chef.

Geoff Carkner has been appointed Executive Chef for the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. He was most recently the Executive Sous Chef at the Fairmont Vancouver.

Albert Charbonneau has returned to Washington, D.C. to take over the Jean-George restaurant in the W Hotel. He had previously served as Assistant Food and Beverage Director at the Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C. before taking on his most recent stint at the Viceroy Miami. He is the former Director of Food and Beverage at the former Raffles L'Ermitage, the Hollywood Roosevelt and Shutters on the Beach.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel has promoted Kristian La Plante to Director of Restaurants. He was most recently serving the resort as Executive Steward.

The Four Seasons Las Vegas has promoted Diego Angarita to Director of Rooms. He has been with the company for over ten years, most recently as Assistant Director of Rooms for the resort. He had previously served in rooms division positions at the Four Seasons Punta Mita, the Four Seasons Great Exuma and the former Four Seasons Aviara.  

Todd Hewitt has been appointed Senior Spa Director at the Four Seasons Toronto. He was most recently with the Four Seasons Costa Rica as Senior Spa Director.

Legendary Los Angeles restaurant public relations maven Joan Luther has passed away at 83 in Beverly Hills. Luther began her career at the Brown Derby and Hollywood Park in the late 1940s and helped promote nearly every major chef in Los Angeles in her long career.

EUROPE

Ziad Atrissi has joined the JW Marriott Cannes, the former Palais Stéphanie, as General Manager. He is the former General Manager at the Renaissance Paris Le Parc Trocadéro. Atrissi takes over from Richard Duvauchelle who has been promoted by owner Jesta Groupe to Chief Executive Officer. 

Gwenael Odongui-Bonnard has been promoted to General Manager at the Hotel Métropole Brussels. He was most recently serving the hotel as Director of Business Development. He is the former Director of Sales, Corporate & Government – Belgium for Hilton Worldwide.

Sascha Koehle has been named General Manager of the Hilton London Gatwick Airport. He was most recently the Hotel Manager for the Hilton Istanbul. He is the former Director of Business Development with the Hilton Budapest WestEnd.

Philippe Clarinval is the new Managing Director of the Omnia in Zermatt, Switzerland. He is the former Resident Manager of the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa and the Shangri-La Jakarta.

Eric Paulus is the new General Manager of the Cap Estel on the French Riviera. He takes over from Bernard Apthorp who had run the property for the past ten years. Paulus is a 25-year veteran of hospitality management on the French Riviera, especially at the Carlton InterContinental and the Hotel Martinez, both in Cannes.

Peter Dyson has returned to the industry from retirement to manage Legacy's Cardiff Hotel. He had previously worked for thirty years in hospitality before retiring from his job at Whitehouse Hotels in December 2010.

Dieter Xiao has joined the Hotel Puente Romano in Marbella, Spain as Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently in Las Vegas as General Manager for Seablue and Shibuya at the MGM Grand.

Francisco Garcia has been promoted to Director of Marketing at the Four Seasons George V. He joined the property in 2007 as Director of Revenue before his promotion last year to Director of Sales. The Cornell graduate joined the company in 2000 and has served in various departments at the Four Seasons London, the Four Seasons Dublin and the Four Seasons Houston.

The Four Seasons Florence has promoted Daniela Trovato to Director of Sales and Marketing, taking over from Thomas Citterio who is now at the Four Seasons Punta Mita. She joined the company in 2004 in the sales department of the Four Seasons Milano, before moving in 2007 to join the Florence property. She was most recently serving the hotel as Director of Sales.

The Four Seasons Hampshire has named Chris Ward Director of Sales and Marketing. He takes over from Susannah Lurie who has transitioned to the role of Senior Sales Manager, Leisure, for both the Hampshire property and the Four Seasons London, to be based in Scotland. Ward was most recently at Chewton Glen in Hampshire as Commercial Director.  

Isabelle Bouvier-Rosski has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the InterContinental Le Grand in Paris. She had most recently been advising Concorde Hotels & Resorts on strategic issues, following eleven years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Great Hotels of the World has named John Clarke Director of Sales and Marketing. He is the former Director of Sales and Marketing at the Millennium Hotel London Mayfair.

CHI Hotels & Resorts has appointed James Farrow Senior Vice President of Sales based in London. He was previously with Barceló as Commercial Director and had spent over twenty years with Hilton.

James Partridge has joined the Dorchester as Director of Group Sales and Events. He was most recently with Swire Hotels, opening Montpellier Chapter in Cheltenham as General Manager.

Julien Pradels has joined Christie's France as Director of Operations. He is the former Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons Provence.

Dukes London has appointed Nigel Mendham Executive Chef of the hotel's newest restaurant, Thirty-Six by Nigel Mendham, launching next month. For the past six years, he had served as Head Chef at the Samling Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria.

Chewton Glen in Hampshire has appointed Daniel Phippard Head Chef of the newly renovated Vetiver. He was most recently with D&D London's Kensington Place.

Ryan Murphy has joined Rocco Forte's Lowry Hotel in Manchester as Executive Chef. He is the former Head Chef of the River Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel.

Rupert Taylor has been promoted from the sommelier team to Head Sommelier for the Boundary restaurant in Shoreditch, taking over from Gabriel Danis, who is now in Singapore. Taylor had previously served as Head Sommelier at Trinity restaurant and Locanda Locatelli.

Martin Steiner has been named Executive Chef for the Jumeirah Frankfurt, scheduled to open next month. He was most recently overseeing Val d'Or in Bad Kreuznach.

Le Méridien Piccadilly has appointed Michael Dutnall Chef de Cuisine. He was most recently at White's in St James as Sous Chef. 

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Rainer Stampfer makes a move to Shanghai as Regional Vice President and General Manager of the soon-to-open Four Seasons Shanghai, Pudong. He has been with the company for over ten years, most recently as Regional Vice President and General Manager at the Four Seasons Bangkok. He had previously overseen food and beverage for the Four Seasons Dublin and the Four Seasons Boston before moving into executive positions at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and the Four Seasons Koh Samui.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has promoted Ian Wilson to Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific. He was most recently the General Manager for the Fairmont Singapore. Taking over from Wilson is Aiden McAuley who will now manage both Swissôtel The Stamford and the Fairmont Singapore while retaining his current title of Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts.

Outrigger has named William Visser Vice President Operations Asia Pacific, based in Phuket. He previously held finance and operations positions with the Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula hotel groups.

The Conrad Bangkok has appointed Vincent Mercurio General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of sister property the London West Hollywood. Previously, Mercurio spent thirteen years with Ritz-Carlton, including as interim General Manager of the former Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas and General Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street.

Jerry Westenhaver has been named General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, taking over from David Lewin. Westenhaver was most recently the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in New Mexico.

Gino Tan has been appointed General Manager of the Grand Millennium Beijing. He was most recently the General Manager of the New World Dalian Hotel. He is the former Resident Manager of Raffles Singapore.

John Yu-Jean Wang has joined the Commune by the Great Wall as General Manager. He is the former Resident Manager of the InterContinental World Expo in Shanghai and Executive Assistant Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Beijing.

Andreas Trauttmansdorff has been named General Manager of the Westin Bund Center Shanghai. He was most recently overseeing the Westin Tokyo. He is the former General Manager of Le Méridien Nirwana Golf and Spa Resort and the Sheraton Perth.

Dietmar Kielnhofer is the new General Manager of the Westin Tokyo. He is the former General Manager of the Sheraton Saigon and Le Méridien Nirwana.

Klaus Woizik has been named pre-opening General Manager of the Keraton The Plaza in Jakarta, scheduled to open in December. He is the former Resident Manager of the Grand Hyatt Jakarta and Director of Rooms for the Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Michael Brabsche has been named General Manager of the Romana Resort & Spa Mui Ne. He is the former Project General Manager of the Pacific Place Hanoi.

Ida Bagus Ardana has been appointed General Manager of the Swiss-Belhotel Manokwari in Indonesia. Ardana is the former General Manager for the Carrcadin Hotel Bandung and Director Food and Beverage of the Hotel Nikko Jakarta.

The Arion Swiss-Belhotel Kemang in Jakarta has named Erich Hirawan General Manager. He is the former Director of Rooms of the Grand Hyatt Jakarta and the Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta.

Tom Meyer is now the General Manager InterContinental Jimbaran Bay. He is the former General Manager of the InterContinental Dubai, the Hotel Manager of the InterContinental Hong Kong, and Resident Manager at the InterContinental Singapore.

George Wee has moved as General Manager to the Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns. He was most recently the General Manager at the Shangri-La Beijing.

Andrew John de Brito has been promoted to Hotel Manager and joined the Four Seasons Jakarta. He was most recently with the Four Seasons Shanghai as Director of Food and Beverage. De Brito had previously held food and beverage management positions at the Regent Kuala Lumpur, the Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa and the Four Seasons Langkawi.

Yann Gouriou has been named Hotel Manager for the Aleenta Resort and Spa in Phuket. He is the former Resident Manager for the Cambridge Beach Resort & Spa Bermuda.

Terence Tan has joined the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa in the Maldives as Executive Assistant Manager-Rooms. He was most recently the Director of Rooms at Sandy Lane and spent ten years at Raffles Singapore in various posts.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, now owned by New World Hospitality in Hong Kong, has appointed Paul Arnold Vice President of Development. The Cornell graduate has been with Ernst & Young for the past twelve years, the last seven in Dubai.

Thomas Vaucouleur de Ville d'Avray has joined the Peninsula Bangkok as Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently in the same role at the One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives.

Pavana Kumcharean has returned to the Four Seasons Chiang Mai to take on the post of Director of Human Resources. She had previously served the resort in 2001 as Learning Manager.  She is the former Director of Human Resources of the Four Seasons Koh Samui.

Nicole Nagashima has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach. Most recently, she served as a Sales Manager at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Vineet Mahajan has been named Complex Director of Sales and Marketing overseeing the Westin Gurgaon and the Westin Sohna Resort and Spa. Mahajan had previously overseen sales and marketing for the Hotel Leelaventure.   

Aston Hotels & Resorts has named Harry Kerr Revenue Manager. He was most recently the Director of Revenue Management for the Turtle Bay Resort.

The W Maldives Retreat & Spa has appointed Mauro Gomez Executive Chef. He had previously served in the kitchens of the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, the Westin Copley Square and the W Atlanta Midtown.

Deepak Bhatia has been appointed as Executive Chef at the Leela Kempinski Mumbai. He had previously spent sixteen years with Hyatt International in Executive Chef positions at the Park Hyatt & Hyatt Regency Baku, the Hyatt Regency Mumbai and the Hyatt Regency Kolkata.

The Soneva Fushi by Six Senses in the Maldives has named Bjorn van der Horst Executive Chef. He had previously served as Chef for the Eastside Inn, La Noisette and the Greenhouse in London.

The Four Seasons Macao has brought Ho Pui Yung out of retirement to serve as Executive Sous Chef, Chinese Kitchen. He had previously served seventeen years as Executive Chef for the Peninsula Hong Kong before announcing his retirement in 2006.

Lin Lin Yang has joined the Claridges New Delhi as Chinese Chef. He was previously in a similar role for the Oberoi Bangalore.

Gerrit Thesing is now in Cambodia as Rooms Division Manager for the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh. For the past two years, he had been in New York as Director of Rooms for the Lowell. He is the former Front Office Manager for the (former) Regent Bal Harbour and the Al Maha Rotana Suites in Abu Dhabi.

Farah Jaber has joined Kanuhura on Maldives as Front Office Manager. Jaber was most recently the Deputy General Manager at Chateau de Feuilles on the Seychelles.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Ignace Bauwens Vice President of Operations for the Gulf, based in Dubai. Bauwens takes over from Pascal Gauvin who moves to the position of Vice President of Operations for the Near East and Africa. Bauwens is a former Senior Vice President for Sofitel.

In addition, IHG has named Taras Ettl Vice President of Development, Middle East and Africa. He was most recently the Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions, for Kingdom Hotel Investments. He had previously worked for Mövenpick Hotels as Corporate Development Director, based in Zurich.

Luigi Romaniello has been appointed Managing Director of Rosewood Abu Dhabi. He has been with the company for over eleven years, most recently as Managing Director of the Mansion on Peachtree. He is the former Resident Manager of Caneel Bay and Hotel Manager of Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas.

Oliver Bruns has been promoted to Hotel Manager and moved over to the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza. He was previously the Director of Rooms for the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh and the Four Seasons Great Exuma.

Michael McBain has returned to Johannesburg to the post of General Manager at the Hyatt Regency, taking over from Yann Gillet. McBain ran the then Park Hyatt Johannesburg between 2002 and 2006. He is the former General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh.

Gabriel Lousada has joined the Amanruya in Turkey as General Manager. He was most recently in Morocco, overseeing La Renaissance. He is a former General Manager of Le Touessrok on Mauritius.

Oliver Kesseler has moved to head the team at the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Residence, scheduled to open later this year. He was most recently in Bulgaria, as Director of Operations at the Hilton Sofia.

Philippe Bonnot is the new General Manager of the Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel. He was most recently the General Manager at the Mövenpick Tower & Suites Doha.

Boris Guerov has been named Director of Operations for the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah. He was most recently the Director of Operations at the Waldorf Hilton in London.

Henny Schaeffer has been named Hotel Manager of the Fairmont Dubai. He had previously been with the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai and the Ritz-Carlton Miami.

Fairmont The Norfolk, Nairobi has named Rana Mukherji Director of Operations. Most recently, he was the Director of Operations with the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.

Francois Kassab has moved up to the position of Director of Finance for IHG's 23 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has been with the company for the past five years, most recently as Director of Finance, Gulf Region.

The Four Seasons Amman has promoted Khaled Bseiso to Director of Food and Beverage. He had originally joined the property in 2002 as Restaurant Manager before taking on food and beverage management posts for the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, then the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at First Residence. He returned to the Amman property in 2010 in his most recent role as Assistant Director of Food and Beverage.

The Al Bustan Rotana Dubai has appointed Alban Daubenton Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently overseeing food and beverage for the Elysium Hotel Paphos in Cyprus. He had previously served in food and beverage management positions for Le Méridien Bora Bora, Le Méridien Piccadilly and Le Méridien Mandji.

Etienne Joguin has joined the Gulf Hotel in Bahrain as Director of Food and Beverage. He had previously served as Director of Food and Beverage at the Hotel Semiramis InterContinental Cairo, the Sofitel City Centre and Residence Dubai and Le Méridien Kuwait.

James Britchford has taken on the role of Director of Sales for the Middle East and Africa for InterContinental, based in Dubai. He joined IHG in 2005 and most recently held the role of Senior Account Director, Europe Middle East and Africa, based in England.

Israel-based Dan Hotels has appointed Eitan Sasson Director of Marketing and Sales, North America. He was previously with Unitours Israel and IsramWorld.

Magdi Gamil has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing with the Fairmont Nile City, Cairo. Gamil was most recently serving the hotel as Director of Sales. Gamil is the former Associate Director of Sales of the Fairmont Heliopolis, Cairo. 

The Grand Hyatt Dubai has appointed Felicia Samuel Director of Sales. She was most recently at the Grand Hyatt Muscat as Associate Director of Sales.

Jesse Olsen has been named Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Seychelles. He is the former Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Alexandria at San Stefano. He had served in culinary roles for the former Four Seasons Olympic, the Four Seasons Santa Barbara and the Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza.  

Stéphane Puverel has joined the Ritz-Carlton Dubai as Executive Chef. He is the former Executive Chef for the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai.

The Mövenpick Jumeirah Beach has appointed Stefan Borchardt Executive Chef. He was most recently the Executive Chef at the Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay.

Christopher Stephens has joined the Fairmont Clock Royal Tower in Makkah as Executive Chef. He is the former Executive Chef for the Leela Kempinski Mumbai, the Shangri-La Guangzhou, and the Four Seasons Damascus.

The Four Seasons Amman has promoted Anas Qsairi to Pastry Chef. He joined the property in 2008 as Pastry Sous Chef. He had previously served in pastry role for the Amman Marriot Hotel and Sweet Dreams Shop in the US.

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

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