Danilo Zucchetti has been appointed vice president operations of Baglioni Hotels & Resorts, Venice, Italy.
After starting his formal career in the hospitality industry with Four Seasons in 1993, he helmed Bauer Hotel & Il Palazzo in Venice, Italy, for six years. Most recently, he was the managing director of Villa d’Este Hotels, Como, Italy, where he had served in leadership roles since 2005.
Zucchetti is a winner of multiple awards and accolades, including Independent Hotelier of the World for 2020 by HOTELS; 2019 Award of Excellence – Top General Manager Worldwide by Luxury Travel Advisor; and Best Hotelier of the year 2012 by Virtuoso.
“I am very pleased to continue my path matured in the excellence of iconic structures in a hotel reality such as Baglioni Hotels & Resorts, which has always been an emblem of Italian hospitality and an expression of uniqueness and authenticity in the panorama of luxury hotels,” Zucchetti commented on his new role, which will primarily focus on overseeing the operations of Baglioni Hotel Luna, Venice, and Baglioni Resort Sardinia.
Romain Chanet has been named general manager of Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Prior to joining Four Seasons, Chanet served as cluster general manager of Le Meridien Noumea and Le Meridien Ile des Pins, New Caledonia.
Ambassador Chicago, a JdV by Hyatt Hotel, has named Keith Cestare its new general manager. Prior to joining Ambassador Chicago, Cestare worked for a multitude of hotel properties across the country, including Boca Raton Resort and Club, Florida; London House Chicago, Illinois; and The Porter Portland, Curio Collection by Hilton, in Oregon.
The Kimpton Sawyer, Sacramento, California, has appointed Eric Scott Cohen lead bartender for its signature restaurant and lounge, Revival at the Sawyer. Cohen joins Revival most recently from Burgers and Brew, West Sacramento, California.
Innisfree Hotels has promoted longtime team member Paul Durant to food and beverage director at Hilton Pensacola Beach, Florida. Having started his 19-year career at Hilton Pensacola Beach as a banquet server, Durant most recently served as the property’s director of convention services and banquets.
The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, has appointed three new executive members to its team: Oscar Fonseca as executive chef; Don Brookshire as director of food and beverage; and Ricardo Lutchman as director of rooms. Fonseca comes to The Joseph Nashville with a 13-year culinary experience at various West Coast hotels, including The Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills, California; The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach, California; and Montage Beverly Hills, California. Brookshire has previously led hotel operations and food and beverage teams at Waldorf Astoria and Omni Hotels & Resorts, as well as The Plaza, New York. Lutchman has most recently served as director of operations for Hotel Emeline, Charleston, South Carolina.
Nany Fullmore has been appointed general manager of The Clancy, Marriot Autograph Collection, San Francisco, California. Fullmore’s career began with Marriott in finance leadership. In 2013, she was promoted to general manager at the San Ramon Marriott, California, where she led the team for eight years.
Prince Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, has hired Aaron Furuto as chef de cuisine at its signature restaurant 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar. Chef Furuto joins the property from Orchids Restaurant, Halekulani Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii.
El Capitan, a JdV by Hyatt hotel, Merced, California, has appointed the new executive culinary team to the property and its fine-dining destination, Rainbird. The newly opened restaurant is led by Executive Chef Quentin Garcia;Director of Food and Beverage Benjamin Burnett; and General Manager Daniel Adeh.
Ana Henriques has taken the helm of Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico, as general manager. She joined Ritz-Carlton Hotels in 2005 and was named pre-opening general manager of Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali, in 2016.
Following its return to an independently owned and operated hotel, Daxton Hotel, Birmingham, Michigan, has promoted Rece Hogerheide to executive chef. Prior to his work at Daxton Hotel, Chef Hogerheide held positions at local Michigan restaurants.
Palladium Hotel Group, Ibiza, Spain, has appointed Rhoda Jiménez sales manager for the West Coast. Jiménez joins Palladium Hotel Group from ALG Vacations, where she spent 17 years of her career and most recently served as business development manager.
Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek, Denver, Colorado, has added new leadership talent to its culinary team – Kathleen Meadow Killoran as general manager of food and beverage; Maureen Bell as assistant general manager of food and beverage; and Isaac Gustafson as general manager of Local Jones, the hotel’s restaurant. Most recently, Killoran was the director of food and beverage at the Dewberry Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina. Bell was the general manager for Santa Barbara Inn’s signature restaurant Convivo, Santa Barbara, California. Gustafson has been elevated from his previous role as a server at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek’s signature restaurant Local Jones.
The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, Charleston, South Carolina, has expanded its senior leadership team. Jennifer Krapp has returned to the company as director of restaurant operations, after having started her own restaurant consulting company. Justin Shoener has been appointed director of restaurant financial operations. He was previously a general manager for the Charlotte locations of IRHG restaurants O-Ku and Oak Steakhouse. Scott Neslage has been elevated to director of lodging operations from his previous revenue management position. Kala Ellis has transitioned to beverage director of Oak Steakhouse Nashville and IRHG, following her role as beverage manager. Trevor Stough has been named Charleston area wine director following his tenure at Indaco Charleston as general manager. Gabriel Perez has also joined the IRHG team as a general manager for the Lodging & Lifestyle Adventures division.
Son Hoang Le has been named director of sales for Alma Resort Cam Ranh, Vietnam. Previously, he was the director of sales and marketing at Diamond Bay Vung Tau Resort & Spa and director of sales at Hotel Majestic Saigon, Vietnam.
Timothy Lee has joined Rosewood Phuket, Thailand, as hotel manager, after having served as director of rooms and director of front of house at Rosewood London, England, for nearly six years.
Valor Hospitality Partners, Essex, England, has appointed Michael Magrane as its new operations director. Magrane has over 25 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, including two years as chief operating officer at Leaf Hospitality, London.
The Watergate Hotel, Washington, D.C., has appointed Manuel Martinez to the position of managing director. Martinez was most recently the general manager of The Mark, New York City.
Dream Hotel Group, New York City, has named Stephen Meredith general manager at the new Dream Hotel & Residences, Doha, Qatar, opening in November 2022 and marking the brand’s first foray in the Middle East. Meredith previously held the same role at Taj Jumeirah Lakes Towers and the Steigenberger Hotel in Dubai, UAE.
Olivia Morrow has joined Jamaica Inn, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, as assistant director of sales and marketing for Europe. Most recently, she worked as a senior PR and marketing executive for Luxury Marketing House, London, England.
The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California, has appointed Ryan Paterson director of sales and marketing. A leader within Hilton for over 16 years, Paterson has previously worked in both boutique and large convention hotel sales and management roles.
Park Hyatt St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis, has appointed Lucas Curcio Perez the resort’s executive chef to oversee its three signature restaurants – The Great House, The Fisherman’s Village and The Stone Barn. Most recently, Chef Perez spent three years as the executive chef at Park Hyatt Jakarta, Indonesia.
Driftwood Hospitality Management, North Palm Beach, Florida, has made a number of internal promotions across its business divisions: Bryan Postema from regional director of operations to managing director Driftwood Capital Hotels; Richard Slutter from area general manager in Houston to regional director of operations Lifestyle Hotels;Dick Vreogindewey from general manager of Sheraton Salt Lake City hotel to regional director of operations; Justin Gammon from general manager at the Marriott Mission Valley San Diego to regional manager west; Pete Korsos from regional director of operations to managing director special assets; Andrew Pollock from area general manager to regional manager special assets; and Bill Toole from director of sales at the Hilton Durham to regional director of sales.
McKibbon Hospitality, Tampa, Florida, has appointed Anthony Sambrato Jr. corporate food and beverage director for extended-stay and select-service hotels. He joins McKibbon from Mainsail Lodging and Development, where he served as general manager of Luminary Hotel’s Silver King Brasserie, Fort Myers, Florida, and as assistant food and beverage manager at Fenway Hotel, Dunedin, Florida.
SLS Cancun Hotel & Residences has appointed Julián Smaldoni managing director of SLS Cancun, Mexico, which opened in February 2021. Previously, Smaldoni served as managing director of The Fives Downtown Hotel, Curio by Hilton, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Alexandros Tsiotinis has joined Calilo, Ios, Greece, as executive chef. He remains the owner and chef of CTC Urban Gastronomy, Athens, Greece.
Tony Yousfi has been named senior vice president of sales, catering, and conference services for Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Nevada, in advance of its global debut in the fourth quarter of 2023. Yousfi most recently served as chief growth officer for Carver Road Hospitality, Las Vegas, Nevada; and as vice president of sales, services, catering, group dining, and weddings at MGM Resorts International, where he served on the opening team of ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada.