Ben Trodd has been appointed chief operating officer at Aman. Trodd brings over 25 years of experience to the position and will oversee all facets of Aman’s hotel and resort operations, working closely with Chairman and CEO Vlad Doronin.
Previously, Trodd served as the senior vice president, sales & hotel marketing at Four Seasons and as regional vice president and general manager of the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel. He also oversaw nine additional Four Seasons properties. Before that, he played a crucial role in opening the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Seattle, WA and Palo Alto, CA, and led operations for the brand in Los Angeles and Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Expressing his enthusiasm for joining Aman, Trodd shares: “Aman is a brand that I have long admired and respected. The exceptional achievements in setting industry benchmarks for guest experience, employee value proposition, brand loyalty and strong commercial acumen present a strong foundation to further propel growth and success.”
Mandarin Oriental has announced the appointment of Robert Lowe as general manager of Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid. Lowe will retain his position as area vice president operations, in which he will now oversee operations at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, Mandarin Oriental, Canouan and the opening of Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino. He was previously general manager of Mandarin Oriental, New York, and area vice president, operations, overseeing Mandarin Oriental, Boston, and Mandarin Oriental, Santiago, as well as The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Fifth Avenue New York and Beverly Hills.
Lowe has over 30 years of industry experience, and his career with the Mandarin Oriental began in 1999 as director of sales and marketing, San Francisco before he was appointed hotel manager in 2005. He held several hotel manager roles within the company in Washington and New York before being appointed general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta, and subsequently general manager of Mandarin Oriental Miami in 2016.
Choice Hotels EMEA has appointed Marielle Vroemen as director of franchise performance and revenue management. Based in Amsterdam, Vroemen will lead Choice Hotels EMEA’s Franchisee Performance Department, which works to support franchisees in revenue management, brand training and performance optimization.
Vroemen has over 15 years of experience in hotel revenue strategy and optimization. She joins Choice Hotels EMEA from Marriott International, where she most recently served as the company’s market director of revenue strategy in Doha.
H World, the shareholder of Deutsche Hospitality, seeks to strengthen its international business division by appointing Oliver Bonke, chief executive officer (CEO) of Deutsche Hospitality, as CEO of H World International. In his new role, Bonke will focus on the company’s growth and commercial success outside its core market China, in addition to driving the further expansion of Deutsche Hospitality beyond Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Furthermore, Choon Wah Wong has been appointed managing director of Steigenberger Hotels GmbH/Deutsche Hospitality and SVP finance of H World International, effective October 1, 2023.
Wong, a Singaporean national, joins the company from Shangri-La International Pte Ltd in London, where he spent the last five years and most recently as co-head for the Middle East, Europe, India & America region. He is succeeding Dr. Ulrich Johannwille, Deutsche Hospitality’s former chief financial officer and managing director, who decided to leave the company at the end of March.
Ennismore, the London-based hotel and hospitality firm, has appointed Jesper Soerensen as the general manager of the brand-new resort SO/ Maldives, opening in Maldives in 2023. Soerensen will be responsible for overseeing the pre-opening of the resort, set to open in Q4 2023.
Soerensen is rejoining Ennismore after a hiatus at The Standard, Maldives, where he has been the general manager for the last three years. Before that was the General Manager of the Six Senses in Singapore.
SO/ Maldives will join Accor’s collection of five resorts in the Maldives, which include the midscale Mercure brand, premium Pullman and Mövenpick brands and the luxury Raffles and Fairmont brands.
Springboard Hospitality has appointed five new executives to expand its team:
- Jason Pirock as corporate director of marketing. He will be responsible for brand and performance marketing of Springboard, its brands and its collection of properties. Pirock brings over 15 years of experience in marketing, working in both hospitality and retail for brands like Hyatt, Target and Sears. Most recently, Pirock was head of marketing for Aparium Hotel Group, an owner, operator and developer of boutique hotels, restaurants and bars.
- Casea Rose as chief experience officer. Rose will lead experience design, strategic partnerships and community for Springboard’s collection of hotels. Before Springboard, Rose worked as an advisor and consultant for the design, creative direction, and community activation for bespoke hotels, conferences, and organizations around the world.
- Dan Olsen is the new director of digital marketing. With 15 years of experience in the digital space across the education, professional services and hospitality industries, Olsen will oversee Springboard’s digital marketing strategy, including paid and organic efforts and portfolio website health, amongst other initiatives.
- Elena Schroth is the new area general Manager based in Jackson, WY, overseeing the Anvil Hotel. Previously, Schroth held management positions across the U.S., from The Waldorf Astoria in New York City to the mountain resort company Vail Resorts.
- Ashley Moore as the new regional director of revenue after working in Viceroy Hotel Group, where she served as area director of revenue management. Before that, she held management roles with Westin St. Francis on Union Square and Omni San Francisco.