Noteworthy, recent executive-level hires and promotions from around the world:
Benchmark has appointed John Annicchiarico vice president, sales operations. Though he most recently was vice president, sales for Salamander Hotels & Resorts, immediately prior he served as Benchmark’s director of sales and marketing at Villas of Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida. Annicchiarico was director of marketing for Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, California, and held multiple sales positions with luxury properties in Florida and California.
Kempinski Hotels appointed Richard Appelbaum general manager of San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice in Venice, Italy. Appelbaum comes to Venice from Istanbul, Turkey, where he was chief executive officer of the Divan Group.
IHG appointed Daniel Blanchard chief technology officer. Blanchard has more than 25 years of experience in IT business management, strategy, transformation, architecture governance and program management. In his new role, Blanchard will oversee infrastructure and operations, enterprise architecture, IT security operations, application development and corporate support. He’ll be based in IHG’s Americas headquarters in Atlanta. Blanchard previously was vice president, IT infrastructure and reliability at Delta Air Lines, where he led the overall IT reliability transformation for Delta’s worldwide operation. Prior to Delta, Blanchard spent more than 20 years at Marriott International in a variety of IT leadership roles.
Marc Brugger is senior vice president Asia Pacific luxury hotel operations for Marina Bay Sands/Las Vegas Sands Corp. His previous position was managing director of Rosewood Hong Kong.
IHG strengthened its Americas senior leadership team by promoting from within, naming Jay Caiafa chief operating officer, Americas, and Brian Hicks senior vice president, commercial and revenue management, Americas. Caiafa has been with IHG since 2013, holding multiple leadership roles within the company, including his previous station as senior vice president, hotel lifecycle and growth. Hicks has more than 30 years of international hospitality experience, the majority of which has been with IHG. He was promoted from his previous role as vice president, global revenue management strategy.
Chintan Dadhich is general manager of Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. Dadhich joined the team after opening Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague in Prague, Czech Republic, named Martin Dell general manager. Born and raised in the Czech Republic, Dell most recently was resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii.
Anthony Duggan is general manager of Miraval Austin in Austin, Texas. Duggan joined Miraval Austin after working in resorts including L’Auberge de Sedona in Sedona, Arizona, and Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah.
Bryan Gabriel has joined Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Bangkok, as chief commercial officer. In this role, he will oversee the group’s sales and marketing department, implementing the most effective ways and systems to support the brand’s expansion. Gabriel’s most recent role was based in Atlanta, where he was head of commercial for America, for InterContinental Hotels Group from 2016. He worked for IHG for 15 years and in 2011 he oversaw the opening of Hotel Indigo Hong Kong Island as the general manager. He then moved to Shanghai to support the brand management team for IHG Greater China. In 2014, Gabriel relocated to Delhi to take up the position of director of commercial for IHG South West Asia.
Marriott International announced that company veteran Neal Jones has taken on the role of chief sales and marketing officer, Europe, Middle East and Africa as part of the company’s EMEA leadership team led by Liam Brown, group president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Jones began his career with Marriott in London more than 20 years ago and most recently served as chief sales and marketing officer for Middle East and Africa based in Dubai. Prior to this, Jones served in various sales and marketing leadership roles across the globe, including a tenure as vice president of global sales for Europe.
Spire Hospitality, Northbrook, Illinois, has promoted Shozib Khan to vice president of hotel performance and analytics. Khan brings over 20 years of experience working in various positions in hotels and in corporate capacity. Most recently, he was Spire’s director of financial planning.
HEI Hotels + Resorts, Norwalk, Connecticut, has promoted Ginger Martin and Pam Kirby to vice presidents. A 20-plus-year hospitality industry veteran, Martin became general manager of HEIs Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh in 2013. She held the position for seven years before being promoted to regional vice president of operations. In her new role, Martin will oversee several upper upscale hotels primarily located in the western U.S. region. Kirby joined HEI in 2015 as vice president of ownership services and analytics. Prior to joining HEI, Kirby held key executive positions with Interstate Hotels and Crestline Hotels + Resorts, where she last served as vice president, hotel finance. In her new role as vice president of hotel transitions and finance, she will lead newly managed HEI hotels after opening and during the transition process.
Oetker Collection CEO Frank Marrenbach has decided to leave the company on May 1 to take on a new role as managing partner of Althoff Hotels, Cologne, Germany. Marrenbach will pass his responsibility to Timo Gruenert, who has served as Oetker’s CFO and co-managing director since 2009.
Henning Matthiesen has been appointed managing director of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, the principal hotel of the Oetker Collection in Baden-Baden, Germany. The 47-year-old hotelier succeeds Frank Marrenbach who will now devote all his time to his role as CEO of the Oetker Collection. Matthiesen’s CV includes posts in prominent hotels such as Claridge’s in London and Le Royal Monceau in Paris. He continued his career at a number of Kempinski Group hotels, including the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich and the Adlon Kempinski in Berlin. His first appointment as general manager was in 2007 at Coombe Abbey Hotel, a historic English country house close to Coventry. He then opened The Augustine Hotel for the Rocco Forte Collection in Prague, a hotel which he ran until 2011. For the past seven years he has sat on the board of the Excelsior Hotel Ernst AG in Cologne.
Meliá Hotels International has appointed Santiago Rivera as area managing director for hotels in the Dominican Republic. In his new role, Rivera leads the resorts in the Dominican Republic and other Meliá businesses such as the casinos, golf and club operations. Most recently general manager of Meliá Caribe Beach and Meliá Punta Cana Beach, Rivera brings almost two decades of experience.
Outrigger Hospitality Group, Honolulu, announced Brent Shiratori as the new vice president, global brand group and Oswaldo Lopez as vice president, construction and project management. Shiratori will champion brand strategy through creative development and content strategy as well as oversee the brand intranet environment and media asset management. Previously with Outrigger for three years, Shiratori founded the brand strategy firm, Aidia Marketing and was director strategic planning at Matsumoto & Clapperton and management supervisor at Carol H Williams Advertising in Oakland. Lopez will identify, manage and coordinate the implementation of major capital projects for Outrigger Hospitality Group, including FF&E, budgeting, bidding, construction contracts, project management and scheduling. Lopez was the development manager and executive architect for Selena International.
Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA has appointed Hamid Sidine managing director for Saudi Arabia, responsible for achieving its recently announced goal of operating 25 hotels countrywide by 2025. At the same time, Sidine has been appointed chief operating officer for Turkey and Africa, two fast-growing regions where the hospitality company has identified strong development potential as part of its strategic expansion plans. Sidine’s three decades of experience include roles with Sofitel, Pullman, Coralia Club and Novotel in countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon in the Middle East; Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Chad and the Ivory Coast in Africa; and France in Europe.
Wafik Youssef has been appointed vice president operations, Middle East & Africa at Kempinski Hotels, taking over from his predecessor, Michael Sorgenfrey. Wafik has been with the luxury hotel group for the past 10 years, more recently as regional director of operations, Middle East & Africa. Wafik started his hospitality career in Egypt almost 20 years ago and joined Kempinski in 2006 as part of the opening team at the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dubai.