Accor appointed Brune Poirson chief sustainability officer and member of the executive committee. Poirson is tasked with defining, driving and monitoring the commitments, strategy and rollout of the group’s sustainable development action plans. She is also responsible for the Accor Solidarity Foundation and the ALL Heartists Fund.
Until recently, Poirson was a member of the French Parliament and spent three years as Secretary of State for the Environmental Transition. She worked within the French government to champion an anti-waste law and was the first French person to be elected vice president of the United Nations Environment Assembly. Poirson’s career began in London with U.K.-based Nesta, the Innovation Foundation. She moved on to the French Development Agency and the Veolia group in India, then to a green start-up incubator in Boston.
“For more than 25 years, Accor has been at the forefront of efforts to address the environmental and human challenges related to the development of travel and tourism,” said Sébastien Bazin, Accor chairman and CEO. “With [Poirson’s] appointment, I want us to scale up our commitments in terms of environmental protection, give fresh impetus to our efforts to support our local communities and uphold, wherever we operate, our strong beliefs and our actions. Taking positive action to support the environment and the men and women who drive our industry on a daily basis is a must. In this area too, I want us to set an example by being both daring and trailblazing.”
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Hilton named Colette Baruth vice president and commercial director for all-inclusive hotels and resorts in the Americas. Baruth will lead a newly formed cross-functional commercial team that will share direct reporting lines with sales, marketing, distribution and regional sales. She most recently served as senior vice president, global commerce and distribution for the Americas with AMResorts, and previously acted as vice president of global product development, Latin America, for Flight Centre Travel Group USA.
Andy Blair is director of finance for Snow King Resort, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property in Jackson, Wyoming. Blair previously was director of finance at Cheyenne Mountain Resort of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Prior to this, he was director of finance for Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Florida, and regional controller for Destination Hotels and Resorts.
Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada, Florida, named Juan Caudra executive chef. Caudra, a proponent of local and sustainable cooking, has more than 15 years’ experience and has studied French and Hispanic cuisines. He previously served as executive chef in a variety of restaurants across the U.S.
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California, named Karen Chastain general manager. Chastain joined the resort from Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino in Palm Beach, Aruba, where she was complex general manager. Previous roles in her 28 years in the industry include multi-property general manager for the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains and the Scottsdale Marriott Old Town Suites in Scottsdale, Arizona, and general manager of the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Amanda Cottome is hotel general manager and brand experience manager at A by Adina Sydney, Australia. Most recently, she was Ovolo Hotel Group’s director of brand experience and operations, Australia. Earlier in her career, Cottome managed the Sydney 2000 Technical Official’s Village, overseeing operational requirements in tandem with developing a property management system for the main Olympic Village to check athletes in and out.
Carly de Jong is curator/general manager of Radisson Red Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to her appointment, she spent two years as general manager of Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa. She first joined Radisson Hotel Group in 2003 as the service manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town, the group’s flagship hotel in Africa. She has also worked for hotels in the Johannesburg and Cape Town regions.
Los Angeles-based Stockdale Capital Partners welcomed William Doak as managing director and head of Stockdale Hospitality. Doak has more than 30 years of hospitality experience with senior leadership roles in operations, marketing, product development and asset management with real estate investment and hotel firms including: CIM Group, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Ian Schrager Company, JRK Hotel Group, Loews Hotels and Morgans Hotel Group. With CIM Group, Doak oversaw asset management activities for the company’s US$2 billion hotel portfolio. He developed the firm’s in-house hotel management platform, which grew to include 1,300 guestrooms.
Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City appointed Jarrod Finley opening director of sales and marketing. Prior to joining Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City, Finley was vice president of sales for the San Diego Tourism Authority. He’s also held sales and marketing leadership positions at the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California and Marriott International’s U.S. account sales team.
Kimpton Pittman in Dallas named Rajeev Gopalakrishnan general manager. Gopalakrishnan most recently was interim general manager of the InterContinental Los Angeles Beverly Hills. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade with Ritz-Carlton, working in Jamaica and the Washington, D.C. area before becoming the cluster director of the InterContinental hotels in Cleveland.
The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, named James Gregg director of sales and marketing. Gregg joined the property following a role as director of group sales at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Throughout his career, Gregg has navigated the opening and repositioning of numerous properties, including Hotel Nikko San Francisco and InterContinental San Francisco where he led the respective sales teams.
Outrigger Hospitality Group appointed Brian Lynx area director of sales and marketing, overseeing Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger, Waikiki Malia by Outrigger and Ohana Waikiki East by Outrigger, and Rey Baysa as executive chef at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort’s Kani Ka Pila Grille in Honolulu. Prior to this, Lynx was senior director of sales, strategy and innovation at Grand Wailea on Maui. He also previously served as vice president of sales at the Hawai’i Tourism Authority. Baysa most recently was executive chef at Hilton Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, and prior to that, was chef de cuisine at Kapolei Golf Club while also assisting the Hawai’i Convention Center with its culinary program. He has experience in food production, purchasing, menu development, banquets and multi-restaurant operations at properties in Hawaii, California and Florida.
The Beaumont in London, England, appointed Duncan Palmer managing director. Palmer has more than 35 years of experience in the luxury hotel industry and was most recently managing director at The Murray in Hong Kong. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at Langham Hospitality Group where he oversaw the creation of its flagship property, The Langham, London. Other roles within Langham include regional vice president, Europe; regional director of operations in Indonesia; and vice president of design for the group worldwide based in Hong Kong.
Dalata Hotel Group appointed Carol Phelan group chief financial officer, effective July 1, 2021. Phelan joined the group in 2014 and was appointed group head of financial reporting, treasury and tax in 2017. During her time with Dalata, she has played a leading role within the finance team, responsible for developing the financial reporting function during a time of rapid growth and expansion. She also led the refinancing of the group’s debt facilities in 2018 and has been centrally involved in maintaining Dalata’s financial strength and liquidity during the pandemic. Prior to joining Dalata, Phelan held senior finance positions in Ion Equity and KPMG.
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio named Steven Smith general manager. Smith joined the property from Hyatt Regency Houston where he was general manager. Over the course of his 36 years in hospitality, Smith has held positions ranging from opening project manager at Hyatt Regency Reston, Virginia, to senior opening rooms executive at Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort. Smith has been general manager of Hyatt properties in Washington, California and Washington, D.C.
Mark Spadoni is managing director for The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. Spadoni spent the past 20 years serving as general manager for the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Course & Spa and Club at Savannah Harbor in Savannah, Georgia. Earlier in his career, Spadoni was general manager for Westin properties in Hilton Head, South Carolina; Stamford, Connecticut; New York City; New Orleans; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also held leadership roles at Westins in Pittsburgh and in Hawaii.
Jumeirah Group announced three senior leadership appointments: Marcus Sutton is general manager of Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Kirti Anchan is general manager at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai; and Luke James is general manager of Jumeirah Muscat Bay, Oman, opening later this year. Sutton spent three years at Jumeirah Emirates Towers as hotel manager and then general manager. Anchan joined the group in 2004 and most recently served as hotel manager of Jumeirah Zabeel Saray in Dubai. James first joined Jumeirah Group as assistant food and beverage Manager at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, in 2008. He went on to become director of operations at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in 2016, before moving to his latest role of General Manager at Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens.
Dominik Trimborn joined Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, France as director of sales and marketing. Prior to his new appointment, Trimborn led The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park’s repositioning. From 2016 to 2019, Trimborn led sales efforts at The St. Regis Bal Harbour in Miami and at the W Miami. Prior to that, he served as director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton Royal Orchid in Bangkok, Thailand, and held various roles during his nine years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, including deputy director of sales and marketing for two hotels in Bali, Indonesia.
Cora Cora Maldives, opening in the Raa Atoll this October, appointed Martin van der Reijden general manager. Van der Reijden has decades of experience with major hotel projects, including Crossroads, Lux* North Male Atoll, Per Aquum Hotels & Resorts and 16 years with Hilton International. He has worked in the Maldives for the past 10 years and is a former managing director for hotel interior design company, Miaja Design.
Scandic named Fredrik Wetterlundh chief human resources officer for Scandic Hotels Group, starting in August. Wetterlundh will also be a member of Scandic’s executive committee. Most recently, Wetterlundh held a global role within human resources for mergers and acquisitions at Ericsson. He’s also held senior HR roles at several large organizations, including Sobi, Pfizer, Kraft Foods (now Mondelez) and AstraZeneca.