LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT DIAMONDROCK
DiamondRock Hospitality Co. has announced leadership changes and a simplified organizational structure.
Jeffrey Donnelly, the former executive vice president and CFO, has been named as CEO. He will join the company’s board of directors following this year’s annual meeting of stockholders, scheduled to be held in May. Donnelly succeeds Mark Brugger, who is departing the company after two decades of service.
“I am excited to be CEO at the dawn of a new era for travel. With our high-quality portfolio of unique lifestyle properties, we are poised to capitalize on the long-term secular demand drivers in the travel industry and deliver sustainable, profitable growth. The streamlined executive structure announced today ensures we have the talent to capture this upside,” Donnelly said.
Briony Quinn, formerly senior vice president and treasurer, has been appointed executive vice president, CFO and treasurer. Quinn steps into Donnelly’s former roles.
Justin Leonard, previously executive vice president and COO, has been appointed president. Leonard will maintain his role as COO and will assume the roles earlier overseen by Troy Furbay, executive vice president and chief investment officer, who is leaving the company.
DiamondRock is also reducing its executive team size from six to four members, including the executive vice president and general counsel.
CONCORD’S NEW EVP
Concord Hospitality has welcomed Marsha Ray as the new executive vice president of operations. Concord is preparing to expand and is enhancing its executive team to meet the requirements of its individual properties.
Ray will be in charge of opening and expansion of Concord’s new full-service hotels and resorts in North America, while focusing on brand and owner relations, financial oversight and talent management.
With more than three decades of hospitality experience, Ray’s background spans hospitality sectors in Canada and the U.S. She has experience in all operational aspects, from food and beverage management to front office pre-openings, transitions, conversions and beyond.
FUSION’S NEW COO
Fusion Hotel Group has appointed David Roberts as its new chief operating officer. With around 20 years of experience in the Asian hospitality sector, Roberts joins the Vietnam-based Fusion from his former base in Thailand, where he spent nine years with Onyx Hospitality Group.
In his most recent role, he spearheaded global development for Dusit International, where he focused on growth in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe.
MATT SCHUSTER TO LEAD FIRST HOSPITALITY’S FINANCES
First Hospitality has named Matt Schuster as the chief financial officer. He will report to First Hospitality President & CEO David Duncan and will be responsible for the company’s financial services functions, including all financial reporting, treasury operations, corporate financial planning and analysis.
Schuster will play a key role in further developing the company’s long-term strategy and execution.
Before this new role, Schuster spent over five years in leadership roles at Club Quarter Hotels, where most recently he served as the chief financial officer. Prior to that, he began his career at EY, where he spent 15 years and represented numerous buyers and sellers of hotel real estate and hospitality companies in an advisory role managing several transformative transactions totaling over $10 billion dollars to date.
PEACHTREE GROUP EXPANDS EXEC TEAM
Peachtree Group has elevated three senior executives, expanding their roles to strengthen the company’s executive leadership team. Promotions include Michael Harper to president of hotel lending, Jared Schlosser to executive vice president of hotel lending and head of CPACE and Michael Ritz to executive vice president of investments.
As president of hotel lending, Harper will lead Peachtree’s credit platform for hotels, guiding all facets of the credit business. He joined Peachtree in 2014 and has directed the company’s credit business, particularly in loan originations and strategic acquisition of credit portfolios.
With knowledge of the hotel loan origination processes and the firm’s Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) program, Schlosser joined Peachtree in 2019 and has played an important role in advancing the company’s CPACE program.
Ritz, who joined Peachtree in 2017, will be in charge of Peachtree’s credit and equity investments across commercial real estate and other ventures.
NEW CEO AT HOTSTATS
HotStats, a data firm that focuses on profitability data, has promoted COO Michael Grove to the position of CEO. He replaces longtime CEO Pablo Alonso, who is relinquishing his the role to start a new chapter as a non-executive board member and senior consultant.
In a concurrent move, Tanya Venegas has been promoted to the role of chief experience officer.
Grove joined HotStats six years after stints working for various hotel companies and has been instrumental in the company’s drive to become a leader in providing the hospitality industry with actionable profit and loss data.
Commenting on the changes, Jonathan Langston, chairman of HotStats, said: “Pablo has been key to HotStats’ development from a UK-focused business to its status as the leading global provider of monthly hotel profit and loss benchmarking. He has remarkable vision and insight into this world and I am delighted that he will continue to have a deep and significant involvement in the business. The team that Pablo has built shares the same passion and commitment to the continued development of the business and to serving our clients.”
SHANE PATEMAN’S NEW ROLE AT LANGHAM HOSPITALITY
Shane Pateman has been appointed as managing director of The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, Los Angeles and regional vice president, operations – North America.
With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Pateman has a background in hotel management and operations. Most recently, he served as SVP, sales and marketing at Langham Hospitality Group, based in Hong Kong. He has held other senior roles with Langham Hospitality Group and before that with their Cordis and Eaton brands.Â
NEW DIRECTORS
Adagio, the European aparthotel company, has appointed Stéphane Ormand, as the new sales and revenue director, member of the management committee.
Ormand will be in charge of driving Adagio’s distribution and commercial strategy and collaborate with the operational team. His role will include supporting the Next Adagio acceleration plan, with a special focus on the new revenue management and pricing organization. He will strengthen the commercial strategy by developing relationships with existing customers and target new segments. He will also develop a sustainable and profitable distribution strategy to ensure the sustainability of the economic model focused on medium and long-term stays.Â
Viceroy Los Cabos, the oceanfront resort in San Jose del Cabos, has appointed Susan Williams as director of sales and marketing. She will lead sales, revenue management and strategic and tactical marketing.
Most recently, Willams served at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, where she oversaw sales and marketing for Hyatt’s lifestyle brand, Thompson Zihuantanejo, in Mexico.Â
NEW GMs
Oetker Collection has named Jean-Marie Le Gall as the general manager of The Woodward in Geneva.
In his most recent role, Le Gall served as the general manager for Hotel Fouquet’s Paris, where he took the responsibility of acting general manager for the opening of the hotel brand’s New York property.
Auberge Resorts Collection has welcomed George Georgousis as the general manager of Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, the brand’s first European hotel located in Santorini, Greece.
Georgousis most recently served as the general manager of Andronis Arcadia in Santorini, a position he held since 2022. Born and raised in Athens, Geogousis has held leadership roles at The St. Regis Rome and The St. Regis Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.