IHG appointed Daniel Blanchard chief technology officer. Blanchard has more than 25 years of experience in IT business management, strategy, transformation, architecture governance and program management. In his new role, Blanchard will oversee infrastructure and operations, enterprise architecture, IT security operations, application development and corporate support. He’ll be based in IHG’s Americas headquarters in Atlanta.
Blanchard previously was vice president, IT infrastructure and reliability at Delta Air Lines, where he led the overall IT reliability transformation for Delta’s worldwide operation. Prior to Delta, Blanchard spent more than 20 years at Marriott International in a variety of IT leadership roles.
Kempinski Hotels appointed Richard Appelbaum general manager of San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice in Venice, Italy. Appelbaum comes to Venice from Istanbul, Turkey, where he was CEO of the Divan Group.
Vakkaru Maldives on Vakkaru Island, Maldives, named Bruno Cerdan culinary director and Jean-Noel Sangaraille resort manager. Cerdan recently worked at The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore in Bengaluru, India. Sangaraille was at Amilla Fushi Resort and Residences in Maldives, where he was resort manager.
Michael Cheng is dean of Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. Cheng has been interim dean of the Chaplin School since December 2017.
The St. Regis San Francisco appointed Ryan Cunningham director of food and beverage. This is Cunningham’s third hiring at the property. He most recently was a member of the opening team of the San Francisco Proper Hotel.
Chintan Dadhich is general manager of Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. Dadhich joined the team after opening Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia, promoted Paul D’Amelio to executive chef and hired Mark White as director of sales. D’Amelio joined the team in August 2018. Prior to this, he was sous chef at Glenmore Country Club in Keswick, Virginia. White spent 10 years as director of group sales and marketing at Wintergreen Resort in Nellysford, Virginia.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague in Prague, Czech Republic, named Martin Dell general manager. Born and raised in the Czech Republic, Dell most recently was resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii.
Anthony Duggan is general manager of Miraval Austin in Austin, Texas. Duggan joined Miraval Austin after working in resorts including L’Auberge de Sedona in Sedona, Arizona, and Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah.
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, named Patrick Faas food and beverage director. Faas has 30 years of food and beverage experience, which includes opening properties for Disney Resorts and Hilton Hotels.
Basin Harbor in Vergennes, Vermont, named Brock Gleeson director of food and beverage. Gleeson spent five years with Four Seasons properties in Austin, Texas, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Hyatt Centric Las Olas, opening in April in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, named Eyal Goldberger general manager and Katherine Beja-McLennan director of sales and marketing. Prior to joining the team, Goldberger was general manager of Hyatt Centric South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. Beja-McLennan recently was director of sales and marketing at Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina in Fort Lauderdale.
Spire Hospitality promoted Shozib Khan to vice president of hotel performance and analytics. Prior to his promotion, Khan was Spire’s director of financial planning.
Banyan Tree Phuket in Phuket, Thailand, named Michelle Lee director of sales and marketing. Lee has extensive experience in sales and marketing across Asia, including as director of sales and marketing at the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi in Hanoi, Vietnam, and at Four Seasons Singapore.
Blue Sky Hospitality named Amanda Lynch vice president of revenue management and promoted Michael Newman to corporate director of sales and marketing. Lynch had been corporate director of marketing and revenue management with The Dow Hotel Co. Prior to his promotion, Newman was director of sales and marketing at Hilton Long Island in Melville, New York.
New Castle Hotels and Resorts named Matthew Mackenzie general manager of Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, Canada. He had been general manager of the New Castle-owned Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews, Canada.
Houston’s newly rebranded The Moran CityCentre, formerly Hotel Sorella CityCentre, appointed Jamal Mazhar director of sales and marketing. Prior to this, Mazhar was director of sales, marketing and revenue optimization at Sheraton Suites Houston.
Solé?Miami, A Noble House Resort?in Miami, named Nick Miller executive chef. Miller has worked for Noble House for two years, including at the company’s Kona Kai Resort & Spa in San Diego.
Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano, Autograph Collection, opening this spring in San Juan Capistrano, California, named Aaron Obregon executive chef. Obregon previously led Bohemian lifestyle restaurant Albaca at Coronado Island Marriott & Spa in Coronado, California.
NewcrestImage named Manuel Ortiz vice president, investor relations, a newly created position. Ortiz has almost 20 years of finance experience working in global markets in both the public and private sectors, most recently as director, investor relations with Civitas Capital Group.
Fairmont Royal Pavilion in St. James, Barbados, named Timothy Palmer executive chef. Palmer brings 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, predominantly with the Fairmont brand, where he started his career in hospitality with Fairmont Jasper Lodge in Jasper, Canada.
Brandon Peterson is general manager for the Hampton Inn Denver West/Golden in Golden, Colorado. Peterson most recently was general manager at the Holiday Inn Express in Kalispell, Montana.
John Remmers is general manager of Houston’s Hotel Derek. Remmers relocated to Houston from San Francisco, where he was an area general manager, presiding over Hotel Vitale and The Marker.
Meliá Hotels International appointed Santiago Rivera area managing director for the Dominican Republic. This is a promotion for Rivera, who had been general manager of Meliá Caribe Beach and Meliá Punta Cana Beach, both in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Justin Robbins is general manager of Sage Lodge, an outdoors-focused resort in Pray, Montana. Robbins recently was director of operations for The Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana.
Outrigger Hospitality Group announced Brent Shiratori as vice president, global brand group, and Oswaldo Lopez as vice president, construction and project management. Previously with Outrigger for three years, Shiratori founded the brand strategy firm Aidia Marketing and was director of strategic planning at Matsumoto & Clapperton, as well as management supervisor at Carol H Williams Advertising. Lopez was development manager and executive architect for Selena International.
Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA appointed Hamid Sidine managing director for Saudi Arabia. He is also chief operating officer for Turkey and Africa. Sidine has three decades’ experience working with global brands including Sofitel, Pullman, Coralia Club and Novotel in countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, France and more.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas, welcomed Sutti Sripolpa as executive chef. Sripolpa recently was executive chef at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.
Memories Group named Thibaut Stettler hotel manager at Awei Metta hotel in Yangon, Myanmar, while the property’s outgoing general manager Eric Laurent became general manager at sister resort, Awei Pila, in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago. Stettler joined Memories Group in 2016, originally as a business development associate before becoming hotel manager at Keinnara Hpa-an, an eco-lodge in Hpa-an, Myanmar.
Hotel Drover, opening this fall in Fort Worth, Texas, named Morgan Yearout director of revenue management and Marian Wilson executive director of sales and marketing. Yearout recently served as the regional senior director of revenue for The Joule in Dallas, while Wilson was part of the team at The Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Odessa, Texas.
Wafik Youssef is vice president operations, Middle East and Africa, at Kempinski Hotels. Youssef has been with the group for the past 10 years, most recently in the role of regional director of operations, Middle East and Africa.