LINDA PHILIP JOINS HVMG
Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) has named Linda Philip, CPA as its senior vice president and chief financial officer. She will lead the company’s accounting, financial reporting, tax, systems optimization/ technology and risk management functions.
Before her position with HVMG, Philip was the CFO of Universal Turbine Parts, LLC. She has previously served as CFO at Lodgian, Inc. and The Krystal Co.
“Linda brings with her a wealth of finance and accounting expertise that will not only provide support for our property-level general managers and directors of finance/controllers but will also serve as a strategic partner for our owners and investors. Leveraging her experience across hotel, restaurant, service and distribution companies, Linda will further strengthen our finance and accounting infrastructure to support HVMG’s anticipated growth,” said Robert Cole, CEO of HVMG.
DENNIS MITCHELL’S NEW ROLE AT OTO DEVELOPMENT
Dennis Mitchell has been promoted to vice president of development and construction at OTO Development. A 17-year company veteran, Mitchell has led several development and renovation projects at OTO. In his new role, he will be in charge of all development projects, with responsibility for entitlement and design and construction practices.
He will be based out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Spartanburg, S.C.
“Dennis has accrued a depth and breadth of construction experience, from prototypical projects to complex builds in environmentally sensitive locations. The expertise he brings to the OTO leadership team will be an incredible asset as we pursue both ground-up and redevelopment projects to grow our portfolio,” said OTO CEO Todd Turner.
IVY KWAN JOINS CAPELLA HOTEL GROUP
Capella Hotel Group has welcomed Ivy Kwan as senior vice president of sales and marketing. With a background in luxury hospitality, she will lead oversee the development and implementation of commercial strategies and consolidate the positioning of Capella Hotels & Resorts and Patina Hotels & Resorts in the luxury market.
In her 30 years of experience, Kwan has held leadership roles in several hotels across Asia and has experience in luxury hospitality intricacies, commercial strategies and guest engagement.
Prior to her role at Capella, she served as senior vice president of commercial strategy and business development at Urban Resort Concepts. Prior to that, she served was with Kerzner International as vice president of sales and marketing, Asia Pacific. She played a key role in positioning the One&Only and Atlantis brands in the Asia-Pacific region, including the re-branding and openings of One&Only resorts in Australia, Malaysia, and The Atlantis, Sanya.
APPOINTMENTS AT KAM HOSPITALITY
KAM Hospitality has made two leadership appointments in the company:
- Adeline Colon has joined as the new vice president of sales and business development. Colon will be in charge of KAM’s initiatives to boost growth and expand service offerings. She has previously served as director of sales and marketing in luxury hotels across New York City since 2012 overseeing sales and marketing, rebrands and new concepts for investment companies like Blackstone and hotel brands like Hyatt, The London, The Helmsley, Tribeca Grand, The Gotham and Tillary.
- Emily Kamenitzer has been promoted to the position of corporate vice president and director of client services. In her new position, Kamenitzer will lead client relationships. She brings more than 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has experience in customer relations.
NEW GMs
Radisson Blu Aruba has announced the return of Luigi Wix as general manager. Luigi previously served as general manager during the pre-opening and opening of the resort and played a key role in navigating the resort when it opened amid the pandemic in 2021.
Luigi has experience in the Aruban hospitality sector and has held sales and management roles at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, IHG, Divi Resorts and Marriott Vacations Worldwide.
Pendry Hotels & Resorts has named John Rolfs as general manager of Pendry Park City, located at Park City, Utah. He will be responsible for all aspects of the resort’s operations.
Rolfs has over 28 years of experience in hospitality, including more than two decades with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Prior to his new role, he served as general manager of St. Regis Bal Harbour Hotel.
Dream Downtown, the lifestyle hotel in New York City, has appointed Sean Olmstead as general manager. With more than 24 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he will be in charge of maximizing revenue and overseeing daily operations.
Prior to his new role, Olmstead was the vice president and director of operations for PUBLIC, an Ian Schrager Hotel and the general manager at L’Auberge de Sedona & Orchards Inn and the Standard High Line.
The Prince Kitano New York has named Peter Yeung as general manager. Yeung will oversee daily operations and lead the onsite team to ensure highest service standards.
In the past, he has held managerial positions in several hospitality brands, including W Hotels and Westin. Most recently, he served as general manager of The Spiral and before that, served as general manager of Waler Hotels and Gramercy Park Hotel.
Justin Chapman has been appointed as general manager of Hilton Burlington Lake Champlain, which will rebrand to Hotel Champlain. With more than 14 years of experience in hospitality, Chapman has moved up through Aimbridge Hospitality and previously served as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton at Destiny USA in Syracuse, N.Y.
Chapman will lead the rebranding of the hotel and the recently opened all-day eatery, Lily May’s Coffee & Cafe, as well as the soon to launch signature restaurant, Original Skiff Fish + Oyster.
MORE MOVES
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills has appointed David Martins as director of sales and marketing. He will oversee all sales and marketing initiatives, along with achieving sales growth, creating new markets and boost commercial performance.
With his addition to the executive team, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is aiming to strengthen its executive commercial team. Martins will work with Jeffrey Petizon, who has moved to the role of director of revenue management. Martins most recently led sales and marketing at Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C.
Gulf Hotels Group has named Miguel Duarte Silva as corporate director of F&B operations. He will concentrate on developing F&B strategies, enhancing guest experiences and upgrading dining concepts for the company’s existing restaurants and upcoming projects globally.
Duarte Silva has held key roles at hotels such as Grosvenor House Dubai, A Luxury Collection Hotel and Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria. Most recently, he served as the corporate director of F&B for Rotana Hotels.