New general managers stepped up in Malta, New York City and Bangkok. Crescent Hotels & Resorts, Denihan Hospitality, Hilton and Concord Hospitality all appointed vice presidents, while Mosaic Hotel Group named a president. Read on for more news about recent appointments and promotions across the hospitality industry.
Adrian Attard became general manager of Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa in San Anton, Malta. Attard, who worked as a pool boy at the property 25 years ago, previously served as general manager of the Radisson Blu Resort in St. Julian’s on Malta.
Summit Hospitality Management Group appointed Androse Bell general manager of the new Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach in Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to joining the property, Bell was the manager of the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton in Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Benchmark named Jerry Bindel general manager of Forest Suites Resort at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe, California. He had been general manager of the Aston Lakeland Village Resort, also in South Lake Tahoe.
Robert Butler is now executive vice president of operations at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, based in Fairfax, Virginia, with oversight of the company’s operations and culinary teams at all Crescent hotels and resorts. Butler had been executive vice president of operations at Sage Hospitality.
Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, New York City, appointed Thomas Carreras general manager. Carreras has been with the property since pre-opening in early 2016, and opened the hotel as hotel manager in September 2016. He has been with Four Season for more than 18 years.
Atrium Hospitality promoted Larry Cooper to regional director of operations for five Atrium hotels in Arkansas and Missouri. Cooper most recently was general manager at Atrium’s World Golf Village Renaissance Resort in St. Augustine, Florida.
The Pantheon Hotel in Rome, Italy, appointed Claude Costella opening general manager, and Francesca Gori director of sales and marketing. Costella joined the property from M. Gallery by Sofitel La Griffe, also in Rome, where he was general manager. Gori had been at Grand Hotel Plaza Rome where she was director of sales and marketing.
Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in River Ranch, Florida, promoted Amber Emmermanis to group sales manager. Emmermanis has been with Westgate Resorts for more than three years, most recently as a group sales coordinator.
Hilton Anatole in Dallas appointed Alan Enns senior sales manager. Enns formerly was account director at The Walt Disney World Sawn and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida.
The Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand, named Sicilian chef Frederik Farina executive chef and director of food and beverage. Farina spent most of the last seven years in similar roles at Hyatt Regency Danang in Da Nang, Vietnam.
The Doyle Collection named Joel Freyberg general manager of The Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., which is heading into an extensive renovation. Freyberg was managing director of the Royalton Park Avenue Hotel (formerly Gansevoort Park Avenue) in New York City.
Onyx Hospitality Group appointed Michael Gaehler general manager of Oriental Residence Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand. Prior to his appointment, Gaehler was group general manager at Regent Hotels and Resorts in Taipei, Taiwan, where he oversaw hotel projects in Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and Mainland China.
Hilton appointed Jorge Giannattasio senior vice president and head of Caribbean and Latin America operations. Giannattasio joined the company from SBE Entertainment Group where he was chief operating officer.
Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, named Cindi George catering manager and Lindsay Pletch executive meetings manager. George most recently was sales and marketing manager for Grateful Palate Catering and Events in Fort Lauderdale, while Pletch was sales manager of The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York.
Soneva marked the opening of Soneva Fushi’s sushi counter, So Hands On, by welcoming Kenji Gyoten for a two-week residency this August at the Maldives property. Gyoten is the youngest three-Michelin-starred chef in Japan.
Nadia Karmali joined Denihan Hospitality as vice president of revenue management while Michael Shiwdin joined as vice president of asset management. Karmali joined the firm from Marriott/Starwood Hotels and Resorts where she spent the past 13 years serving in various advanced revenue management positions. Shiwdin had been vice president of operations for SBE Entertainment Group.
Alpan Keskin became hotel manager for Park Hyatt New York in New York City. He recently was hotel manager at The Peninsula Beijing in Beijing, China, where he oversaw the rooms and public area renovation.
The Edwin Hotel, opening later this summer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, appointed Kevin Korman executive chef of the forthcoming restaurants Whitebird and Whiskey Thief. Korman most recently was executive chef and owner of Roselie Dining & Seafood Bar in Inlet Beach, Florida.
Dream Hotel Group appointed Sunny Li vice president of development for China and North Asia. Prior to joining Dream Hotel Group, Li was chief operating officer at Sinowood Hotels & Resorts.
Philip Meyer became director of Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, California. Meyer had been managing director of Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver, Canada.
Radisson Hotel Group named Tom Osborn director of franchise sales and development, based in Miami. Prior to joining Radisson Hotel Group, Osborn had an extensive career with Best Western International, where he was a regional director of North American development. Adrian François also joined the team in a consultant capacity as director of franchise sales and development. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, François will focus on growing the hotel group’s portfolio in South America.
Concord Hospitality named two regional vice presidents. Nicole Porter was promoted to regional vice president of sales, and Chris Tyner was promoted to regional vice president, both supporting Concord’s properties in the Mid-Atlantic region. Porter, who has been with the company since 2011, most recently was corporate director of sales and marketing. Tyner joined Concord Hospitality as the opening general manager of the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Springfield, Virginia, in 2012, and recently was with the Cambria Hotels & Suites Washington D.C. Convention Center.
Hospitality Ventures Management Group in Atlanta named Roxanne Rees director of asset management and analytics. Prior to joining the firm, Rees held a number of positions with InterContinental Hotels Group, including the role of manager, business support, for the Americas finance division.
Garden of the Gods Collection in Colorado Springs, Colorado, appointed Lauren Ripko senior sales and catering manager. Ripko founded Quintessential Weddings & Events, a boutique Colorado planning and décor company.
Suchitra Sirirak became general manager of U Chiang Mai in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She had been executive assistant manager of U Sathorn Bangkok, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa on the Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, announced Chrisie Smith as director of sales, marketing and events. With more than 21 years of experience with Hyatt, Smith joins the property from Hyatt Regency Dallas where she was director of events.
Resorts World Bimini in the Bahamas promoted Greg Stubbs to assistant general manager. A member of the management team since 2013, Stubbs previously served as the resort’s director of food and beverage and as assistant director of food and beverage.
Mosaic Hotel Group appointed Edmund Sulzman president of the hospitality management company, responsible for overseeing the group’s six boutique hotels and spearheading developments in California and Mexico. He joined Mosaic Hotel Group from Trust Hospitality in Miami, where he was senior vice president of operations.
Columbia Sussex, which owns and operates the Dallas Marriott Las Colinas, promoted Clifton Thiebaud to general manager of the Dallas property, which is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. He had been director of sales.
New York Hilton Midtown in New York City appointed Jason Tresh to hotel manager. Tresh had been hotel manager at Hilton San Francisco.
Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo appointed Pedro Villalobos food and beverage manager of the eco retreat in Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica. He had been food and beverage assistant director on the opening team for Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Sven Wassmer will lead a lifestyle restaurant concept opening in July 2019 at Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. The 31-year-old has two Michelin stars. Amanda Wassmer Bulgin will be the wine director and sommelier overseeing the property’s wine program.
Caroline Winter became director of sales at Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. In addition to her sales experience, Winter was executive housekeeper at the InterContinental Vienna in Vienna, Austria.
PPHE Hotel Group, which operates the Park Plaza brand in EMEA and owns the art’otel brand, promoted Sabina Wyss di Corrado to vice president, acquisitions and development, and named Stuart Pannell vice president, project and technical services. Wyss di Corrado has more than 15 years of development experience, as well as operational experience at luxury hotels and airlines in Europe, Central America and Australia. Pannell was with Yotel for five years as vice president design and development.