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 2011.

THE AMERICAS

Ali Kasikci is joining Orient-Express Hotels as Regional Managing Director for North America, Mexico and the Caribbean.  He was most recently with the Hillcrest Country Club as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager. He is the former Vice President of Strategic Planning & Development for Montage Hotels & Resorts, the former Managing Director of the Montage Beverly Hills, and spent from 1991 – 2007 overseeing the Peninsula Beverly Hills.

Thomas Pauly has been promoted to Vice President with Landmark Hotels, overseeing projects in Mexico. He was most recently in Honolulu as General Manager of the Kahala. He is the former General Manager of the Embassy Suites Mexico City.

Chuck Pomerantz has joined Denihan Hospitality as Regional Vice President, Operations based in New York. He was most recently with Redmont Hospitality and is the former Vice President of Operations and Managing Director of the Innisbrook Resort in Tampa.

Andreas Oberoi has joined the Trump SoHo® New York as general manager, taking over the spot left vacant by David Chase who went to the New York Palace. Oberoi is the former General Manager of the St. Regis Bangkok and the Hotel Romazzino in Sardinia.

Tony DiLucia has returned as General Manager of the Hotel Jerome. He had previously managed the Aspen resort for fifteen years before departing in 2007 to join Aspen Associates Realty Group. The Hotel Jerome is now operated by Auberge Resorts.

Denihan Hospitality has appointed Claudia Eggspuhler General Manager of the Liaison Capitol Hill. She replaces Dani Elhachem, who has been named Managing Director for Denihan based in New York City. For the past three years, Eggspuhler had served as General Manager at the Affinia Chicago.

Rancho Valencia has appointed Simon Chen General Manager. He is the former General Manager for the Peaks Resort and Spa in Telluride, the Beaver Creek Lodge and El Monte Sagrado in Taos. Chen, an Australian, also had a thirteeen-year career with Ritz-Carlton.

David Bernand has been named General Manager of the Four Seasons Jackson Hole. He was most recently the Resort Manager at the Four Seasons Scottsdale and is the former Hotel Manager for the Four Seasons Washington, D.C.

Loews Hotels has named Michael Palmeri Vice President of Acquisitions, Development. He was most recently a Vice President and Principal with Chicago-based Abacus Lodging Investors.

Rosewood's Little Dix Bay has promoted Duncan Hogarth to Managing Director. He was most recently serving the hotel as Resort Manager and had previously spent fourteen years with Orient Express Hotels, most notably as Resort Manager at La Samanna.

Virgin Gorda's Bitter End Yacht Club has named Mohammed Sallah General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Lighthouse Bay Resort in Barbuda. He is the former General Manager of the Beach House in Palmetto Point.

Don Jacinto has joined King & Grove Hotels as Regional Vice President - Los Angeles. He was previously with the Hollywood Roosevelt as General Manager and is the former General Manager of the Mondrian Scottsdale.

Antoine Berberi takes over from Jacinto as General Manager of the Hollywood Roosevelt. Berberi was most recently overseeing the Thompson Beverly Hills and is the former General Manager of the Gild Hall for Thompson Hotels.

Bart Van Deventer is now in Wisconsin as General Manager for Riverbend at Kohler. He was most recently in Anguilla as Resort Manager of Malliouhana.

Kevin Robinson has come on as pre-opening General Manager for the Langham Chicago slated to open in 2014. He was most recently overseeing the Elysian Chicago. He is the former Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Alexandria. 

Marc Rodriguez has been named General Manager for Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas. He was most recently in San Miguel de Allende, overseeing La Casa De Sierra Nevada. Rodriguez is the former Executive Assistant Manager at the Ritz Madrid and spent nine years with Four Seasons.

Valérie Faivre has been appointed Regional Director of Residences for Four Seasons, based in Toronto. She was most recently the Regional Director of Residence Services at the Four Seasons Punta Mita. A Lausanne graduate, Faivre had joined Four Seasons in 2005 after a stint in Dubai with Jumeirah International.

David Lang has joined SBE Entertainment as General Manager of the Redbury. He is the former General Manager for Le Montrose Suite Hotel and Director of Operations for the Chamberlain West Hollywood.

The Four Seasons Scottsdale has named Ben Shank Resort Manager. He has been with the company since 2001, most recently as Food and Beverage Director for the Four Seasons Maui. He was previously the Food and Beverage Director at the former Four Seasons Aviara.

Anthony Tyler has been named Hotel Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. He was most recently with the Four Seasons Costa Rica as Resort Manager.

Matthew Stuhl has joined Kimpton Restaurants as Regional Director of Operations. For the past six years, he had been with Joie De Vivre Hotels, most recently as Regional Director of Food and Beverage Operations.

Angelica Palladino has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage and joined the Four Seasons Vail. She was most recently with the Four Seasons Dallas at Las Colinas as Assistant Director of Food and Beverage.

Karan Jain has been promoted to Director of Food and Beverage at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain. Jain was most recently serving as Director of Outlets for the resort.

Raj Mohan has joined the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall as Executive Assistant Manager - Food and Beverage. He is the former Director of Food and Beverage for the Renaissance Sanya Resort & Spa, and the Beijing Marriott Northeast.

Justin Wilson is now in Aspen as Director of Food and Beverage at the Hotel Jerome. He was most recently in La Jolla overseeing food and beverage at La Valencia, formerly a sister Auberge Resort.

Tim Mullen has rejoined the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel as Food and Beverage Director. The CIA graduate was previously the Executive Chef of the hotel from 1995 to 2004, before leaving to take on the post of Executive Chef at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

Randall Obrecht has been appointed Director of Food and Beverage for the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle. He was most recently overseeing Palisade, also in Seattle.

MGM Resorts has promoted Mary Ann Sena-Edelen to the post of Director of Regional Sales-Diversity. Most recently, she was Director of Diversity and Training at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas.

Viviana Santisteban has joined Turnberry Isle Miami as Director of Human Resources. She was most recently with the Morgans Hotel Group as Regional Director of Human Resources – Southeast. She is the former pre-opening Director of Human Resources for the Mandarin Oriental Miami.

William Wiest is now in Miami as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. He was most recently in the same position for the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. Wiest is the former Director of Group Sales for the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage and the former Ritz-Carlton Huntington.

Nicole Young has moved into the post of Director of Marketing for the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Young joined the resort in 2008 as Director of Rooms before moving to her most recent position of Director of Revenue Management. She had previously spent seven years with the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, most recently as Front Office Manager.

Stacy Manzo has been appointed Director of Sales and Marketing for the Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose. She was most recently the Director of Catering and Tournament Events at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville. She is the former Director of Sales for the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu.

Carolyn Harber has been named Director of Sales and Marketing for the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. She was most recently with the Viceroy Hotel Group as Area Director of Sales and Marketing. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing at the Portofino Resort and Yacht Club.

Daniel Keyser has joined the Hilton Washington Dulles as Director of Sales and Marketing. He is the former Director of Sales and Marketing at Rancho Las Palmas and previously served as Director of Sales at La Quinta Resort and Club.

The Warwick Melrose Dallas has promoted Steve Sherman to the post of Director of Sales and Marketing. He joined the hotel in 2004 and was most recently serving as Associate Director of Sales.

David Zweifel has been named Vice President of Sales for the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He is the former Executive Director of Sales for the Bellagio, and Director of Northeast Sales for La Quinta Resort and Club.

The Gateway Canyons Resort has named Allison Grassetti Director of Sales and Marketing. She was most recently with the Crested Butte Mountain Resort as a National Sales Manager.

Allison Ante has moved to the Soho Grand as Director of Sales. She was most recently a Director of Sales and Marketing with Highgate Hotels and is a former Regional Director of Sales for the Morgans Hotel Group.

Heather Munro has been appointed Director of Sales for the Hotel Max in Seattle. She was most recently the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Hotel Bellevue in Washington.

CordeValle has named Marline Avelar Director of Group Sales. She was most recently serving as a Sales Manager at the Monterey Plaza Hotel.

The Langham Huntington has appointed Joyce Cachapero Associate Director of Leisure Business. She was most recently the Director of Transient Sales for the Alex in New York, based in California. Cachapero is the former Senior Sales Manager for the Hilton Times Square.

Lisa Blair has been named Director of Catering for the Sorrento in Seattle. She was previously the Director of Catering for the Edgewater, also in Seattle.
 
Nicole Andrews is the new Catering Sales Manager at the Langham Huntington. She is the former Senior Catering Manager for the New York Helmsley Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. She was most recently the Food and Beverage Director at the Beekman Tower Hotel.

Jeremy Fain has joined the Ojai Valley Inn Resort and Spa as Director of Revenue. For the past five years, he had been at La Costa Resort as Director of Revenue Management. He is the former Director of Reservations at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa and La Quinta Resort and Club.

Rainer Schwarz has joined the Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles as Executive Chef. He was most recently in the same position for the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and is the former Director of Food and Beverage at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.

Daniele Tonin has been named Head Chef of Sea Breeze at the St. Regis Punta Mita. He had previously served in the kitchens of the Presidente InterContinental Hotel Cozumel, the Hotel Villa del Palmar in Cabos San Lucas and, most recently, Da Marco Italian Restaurant in Shanghai.

Craig Hopson, the Executive Chef at Le Cirque, is leaving in January. Olivier Reginensi will take over his post. Hopson had come from One if by Land, Two if by Sea. Reginensi, who has been the Private Chef to Henry Kravis, is a former Sous Chef from Daniel and Alain Ducasse.       

The Sonnenalp Resort in Vail has named Steve Topple Executive Chef. He is the former Executive Chef at Beano's Cabin in Beaver Creek.

The Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel has named Andrew Gould Executive Chef. He has been with Marriott since 1999, most recently as Executive Chef of the Gaithersburg Marriott.

Richard Gras has joined the St. Regis Bal Harbor as Chef de Cuisine for Jean-Georges Vongerichten's J&G Grill. He was most recently in the same position at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay for Navio. Gras is the former Chef de Cuisine for the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island.

After almost ten years, Executive Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini is leaving Jean Georges. He will continue his Top Chef Just Desserts duties while Joe Murphy moves over from the corporate arm of Jean Georges to take over for him.

Adam Thomas is now in Beverly Hills as Executive Pastry Chef for the Beverly Wilshire. He takes over from Romain Lenoir who is now at the Peninsula Beverly Hills. Thomas was most recently in the same position for the Capella Singapore. He is the former Executive Pastry Chef for the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt and the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey.

Benjamin Kallenbach has joined the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman as Executive Pastry Chef. He was most recently the Assistant Pastry Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa.

Jeff Siebold has joined the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel as Restaurant Manager. He was most recently the Restaurant Operations Manager of the Towson University Marriott Conference Hotel.

The Four Seasons Jackson Hole has named Mark Beevor Director of Rooms. He was most recently in the same position at the Hotel Terra, also in Jackson Hole.

Four Seasons is mourning the unexpected passing of Dean Hyry during a trip to China last month. A twelve-year company veteran, he was the Vice President of Residential Operation. He had originally joined Four Seasons in Hawaii in 1999 from the position of Director of Food and Beverage at the former Kahala Mandarin Oriental.

EUROPE

Accor has named Patrick Mendes Senior Vice President Operations, overseeing Mercure, MGallery and Pullman. He was most recently the Senior Vice President Global Sales for Accor.

Cédric Gobilliard takes over from Mendes as Senior Vice President Global Sales for Accor. Gobilliard joined Accor in 2009 as Senior Vice President Direct Sales and Loyalty.

Niklaus Leuenberger has been named Managing Director of the Alpina Gstaad, scheduled to open in December 2012. He was most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer for Resorts Development Company, overseeing the development of the St. Regis Hotel and Residences Doha.  He had previously spent twenty seven years with Peninsula Hotels in China, the Philippines and New York City.

Patricia Mahon has moved to the Hilton Green Park in London as General Manager. She was previously overseeing the Hilton Docklands.

Fabrice Afuta has moved to GLA-run Hotel Beauchamps in Paris as General Manager. For the past eleven years, he had been with the Hotel Napoleon in Paris, most recently as Deputy General Manager.

Will Oakley has been named General Manager at the Cadogan Hotel London. He is the former General Manager at the Bermondsey Square Hotel.

Kevin Rockey has rejoined the Morgans Hotel Group as General Manager of the Sanderson London. He was most recently overseeing the W London Leicester Square and had previously overseen London's St. Martins Lane.

Ian Ciappara takes over from Rockey as General Manager of the W London Leicester Square. Ciappara was most recently with Costa Navarino in Greece as Complex Director of Sales and Marketing.

The Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg has named Eric Pere General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager for the Corinthia Hotel Tripoli. He is the former General Manager of the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa.

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has named Jürg Siegenthaler Vice President of Marketing and Sales, taking over from Petra Götting, who is leaving the company at the end of the year. Siegenthaler was most recently the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Kempinski Hotels & Resorts.

Peter Lloyd has been appointed Executive Chef at the W London, replacing Tim Tolley. Lloyd had previously served in the kitchens at the Dorchester, Suka at the Sanderson and at Bank.

Uli Praeger, who pretty much reinvented food and beverage in Switzerland and saw his chain of Moevenpick Restaurants develop into a global hospitality player, has died at age 95.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Marc Dardenne has been named Chief Executive Officer Hospitality at Pontiac Land Group based in Singapore. He is the former Chief Operating Officer at Emaar Hospitality Group. A Lausanne graduate, Dardenne also spent several years with Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt in Asia and the Middle East.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort has promoted Roseann Grippo to General Manager to take over from Thomas Pauly. Grippo joined the resort in June as Resident Manager. She is the former Hotel Manager of the Sheraton Waikiki.

Marie-Laure Fleury has been named General Manager of the Boathouse Phuket.  The Lausanne graduate was most recently the Resort Manager for the Trisara Phuket.

Marco Saxer has been appointed General Manager of the Swissôtel Kolkata in India. The Lausanne graduate is the former General Manager of the Amari Atrium Hotel in Bangkok and Mövenpick Kuwait. 

Pierre Barthes has moved to take over the post of General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Pudong. Joining the group in 1998 as Director of Food and Beverage at the (then) Kahala Mandarin Oriental, he was most recently serving as General Manager at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, after a major fire stopped construction of the Mandarin Oriental Beijing.

Frank Stocek takes over from Pierre Barthes as General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. Since 2001, he had served as General Manager at Elbow Beach in Bermuda.

Ilkin Ilyaszade is the new Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Bali at Jimbaran Bay. For the past eleven years, he had been with Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts in various positions.

Quinton Lu has moved to the Four Seasons Shanghai Pudong as Hotel Manager. He was most recently across the Huang Pu River in the same position for the Four Seasons Shanghai. Lu has been with the company since 1999 and is the former Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons Hong Kong.

Alice Bouman has been appointed Resort Manager of Four Seasons Resort Lanai. She has been with the company for over fifteen years, most recently serving as Director of Rooms at the Four Seasons St. Louis.

Noelani Cashman-Aiu has been named Hotel Manager for the Fairmont Orchid. She was most recently with the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel as Hotel Manager.

Bharath Bangalore is now in China as Director of Finance for the Peninsula Hong Kong. He was most recently in the same position for the Peninsula Beverly Hills. Bangalore is the former Director of Finance for the Montage Beverly Hills, the Resort at Pelican Hill and the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common.

Milan Drager has been named Executive Assistant Manager, Food and Beverage at the Tokyo Shangri-La. He is the former Assistant Food and Beverage Director at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and had previously served as Director of Food and Beverage for the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco.

The Four Seasons Maui has named Stephane Castera Director of Food and Beverage, taking over for Ben Shank. Castera has been with the company for over thirteen years, most recently at the Four Seasons Vancouver as Director of Food and Beverage.  

The Four Seasons Koh Samui has named Alex Gares Executive Chef. He had previously served in the kitchen of el Bulli, and Celler de Can Roca.

Giovanni Speciale moves to the Four Seasons Singapore as Executive Chef. For the past three years, he had been the Executive Chef at the Regent Singapore. He is the former Italian Chef at the Four Seasons Bangkok and Executive Sous Chef at the Four Seasons Shanghai.

Kenji Salz has joined the Sands Cotai Central in Macau as opening Executive Chef. He had previously spent twenty years with Four Seasons serving as Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Doha, the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh, and the Regent Jakarta.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Jurgen Baumhoff takes over from Marc Dardenne as Chief Operating Officer at Emaar Hospitality Group in the UAE. He is the former General Manager of the Semiramis InterContinental.

Alex Porteous has been named General Manager of the Four Seasons Seychelles. He was most recently the Hotel Manager at Four Seasons Singapore. Porteous is the former Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Koh Samui.

Lorenzo Amaglio will be the opening General Manager at the Selman Palace, slated to open in Marrakech early 2012. He spent the past eleven years as Deputy General Manager at Rome's Hotel Majestic, following several years at Rome's Hassler and Paris' Plaza-Athénée and Ritz hotels.

Jean-Francois Gouvrit has been appointed General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheikh. He was most recently in the same post for the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul.

Fabrice Collot has been named General Manager in Mauritius for Maradiva, the former Taj Oriental. He was most recently the General Manager for Angsana Riads in Morocco. Collot is the former Hotel Manager of the Banyan Tree Morocco and Director of Food and Beverage of the Banyan Tree Al Areen in Bahrain.

Shaun Wheeler has joined The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City in South Africa as General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Table Bay Hotel. He is the former General Manager of the InterContinental Johannesburg and the InterContinental Taba Heights Resort in Egypt.

Sherwin Banda takes over from Shaun Wheeler as General Manager of the Table Bay Hotel. Banda was most recently the General Manager of Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, and the former Director of Operations at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel.

Oliver Bruns has been named Hotel Manager of the Yas Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi. He is the former Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Cairo At Nile Plaza and Director of Rooms of the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed Jean Michel Offe as Vice President, Food and Beverage based in Dubai. He was most recently Group Director, Food and Beverage for Shangri-La Asia.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi slated to open late 2012 has appointed Wolfgang Eberle Executive Chef. He was most recently with the Hotel Al Khozama in Riyadh as Executive Chef.

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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