Resort manager, chef de cuisine, chief operating officer, director of mountain operations. The leaders in this week’s people on the move.
Sao Paolo-based Palacio Tangara named Silvio Araujo head of sales and marketing. He previously opened the Grand Hyatt Rio.
Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho, recently appointed Rob Batchelder as director of mountain operations. Batchelder previously worked as the mountain operations director for Waterville Valley, New Hampshire and held a variety of other roles in the outdoor recreation industry.
Lido House appointed Adam Beer general manager. Beer most recently spent three years overseeing the 1,053-room Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina as hotel manager.
HHM has tapped Jim Biggar (formerly of SIXTY Hotels) to lead its Independent Collection as executive vice president and has also brought on Josh Levine (formerly vice president of operations for STARR Restaurants) as senior vice president of restaurants and bars.
Montage Hotels & Resorts promoted Afsi Bird to resort manager at Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Bird joined Montage Deer Valley in 2015 as director of rooms where she was responsible for all guest relations.
The St. Regis San Francisco named T.J. Boyland chef de cuisine of the hotel’s signature restaurant, The Grill. Previously, Boyland served as executive sous chef at San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Michael Mina restaurant where he spearheaded menu development and managed the kitchen staff.
Bob Bula was named general manager at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel.
Cristiano Buono was named general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach. Buono has held various leadership positions in both residential and hotel management, at properties including The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, and The Ritz-Carlton Abama, Golf & Spa Resort in Tenerife.
Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino appointed Carlos Cabrera area vice president and general manager. Prior to his new role, Carlos acted as SVP All-Inclusive Operations Resorts as well as SVP of Operations in the Southern Division for Hyatt.
Robert Cheng has been appointed vice president of brand marketing and communications for Rosewood Hotel Group. Prior to joining Rosewood, Cheng was group vice president of marketing for The Peninsula Hotels following a year as director of sales and marketing for The Peninsula Shanghai.
Brian Czarnecki was named chief operating officer of Camelback Resort, located in the Pocono Mountains in Tannersville, Pennsylvania. Czarnecki’s previously served as vice president of sales and marketing.
New York-based Olshan Properties appointed Erik DeBeukelaer director of finance, hotel portfolio. Prior to joining Olshan Properties, DeBeukelaer served as director of Finance at Sage Hospitality.
Tricia Eschle was named director of sales and marketing at The Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Eschle returns to the hotel after most recently serving as its associate director of sales until last November when she became director of sales for The Inn at Laguna Beach and The Laguna Beach House.
The Resort at Pelican Hill appointed Robert Ford, PGA general manager of Pelican Hill Golf Club. In 1997, Ford was previously director of golf for Pelican Hill and its sister course, Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, California. Before returning to Pelican Hill, Ford spent 12 years as a corporate officer with Western Golf Properties, an Orange County, Calif.-based management and development company consulting for golf property clients worldwide.
Thomas Dante Foti was named general manager of The Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka‘anapali, Maui. Foti has a long history with the Marriott International family, including most recently as general manager of the Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott Maui, a position he assumed in May 2015.
Prior to the Atlanta-based Whitley’s opening on December 1, the Luxury Collection Hotel named David Friederich managing director. Friederich joins The Whitley after six years with the Kessler Collection, most recently as corporate vice president of operations.
Petra Götting was named vice president sales and marketing with Deutsche Hospitality. The German and Swiss national has 30 years professional experience in the hotel industry.
The Ramble Hotel appointed Andrew Guerra as general manager. Guerra, who began his hospitality career in Colorado, was most recently a director at Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah.
Concord Hospitality promoted Lila Hedlund to vice president of HR Operations. Hedlund began her career in the hospitality industry with Marriott, opening several hotels while cross training in operations.
Kansas City Marriott Downtown promoted Dustin Holcumbrink to sales and marketing director. Holcumbrink first joined the hotel in 2014 as senior sales manager with responsibility for Midwest and West Coast markets. He was promoted to associate director of sales in 2016.
Robin Korman was named head of loyalty marketing and CRM at global hotel alliance.
Caleb Lara was named executive chef for The Essex – Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa, a Gemstone Collection property. He was previously chef de cuisine for the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Karen LaRue was named director of human resources for Stonewall Resort, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in Roanoke, West Virginia. She was most recently a human resources consultant at the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Roanoke, Virginia.
Hotel El Ganzo in San Jose del Cabo made two food & beverage appointments: Rene Enrique Perez Lima as director and Omar Lopez Flores as executive chef.
The Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort appointed Mark Lindsey director of national accounts. Previously, Lindsey worked as director of sales and marketing at desert properties that include Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort and The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.
Willows Lodge, a Benchmark Property, recently promoted Joan L. Monson, CMP to sales manager. Monson has been with Willows Lodge since 2005 in a variety of roles, and received the honor of Benchmark Hospitality International Catering executive of the year in 2014.
Hard Rock Hotel Shenzhen made two recent appointments: Ben Ou as director of operations, joining from his most recent position as director of food and beverage with Fairmont Chengdu; and Glenn Peat as general manager, who joins the hotel from his previous role as hotel manager at Pudong Shangri-La.
Florida-based Zota Beach Resort appointed Roy Padgett general manager; Sandra Rios as director of marketing and communications, Elizabeth Cotner as human resources director, Elizabeth Brackman as guest services manager and Michael Malave as executive housekeeper.
Trump SoHo New York appointed two sales leaders: Bill Pierce as director of sales and marketing and Denise Fernandez as director of leisure sales.
Florida-based AC Hotel Gainesville Downtown, set to open in early 2018 and managed by Concord Hospitality, appointed Robert Plutto general manager. He previously served as general manager for the Courtyard by Marriott in Bridgeport West Virginia.
London-based Leeu Collection appointed Elle Reinink UK and European sales manager. Previously, since 1999, Reinink ran her own sales representation company out of her Edinburgh base, with a focus on working with luxury African clients.
Dallas-based The Adolphus hotel named Cassondra “Cassie” Rogers-Royael as spa director. Before joining The Adolphus, she held the position of director of spa and recreations at Lakeway Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas.
Aparium Hotel Group named Bob Shelley general manager of the St. Jane Chicago. Shelley is also vice president of hotel operations for Aparium. Prior to joining the company, Shelley served as general manager of Radisson Blu in Chicago and area managing director for Commune Hotels + Resorts in San Francisco.
Montage Beverly Hills appointed Paul Sposare as Director of Sales & Marketing. Most recently, Sposare was area director of sales and marketing at SBE New York.
San Antonio-based St. Anthony, a Luxury Collection Hotel, named Mark Yanke president and managing director and Libby Nations as director of sales and marketing.