NEW GM AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Greg Liddell as general manager of the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and area vice president, operations, overseeing Mandarin Oriental, Macau and Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo.
A hotelier with over 25 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Liddell began his career with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in 2009 as general manager of the then Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai. Lidell led the reopening of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, in 2022 and the historic renovation of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, in 2020. Previously, he had been general manager and area vice president, operations for Mandarin Oriental hotels in Madrid, Barcelona, Canouan Island, Costa Navarino (opening in Summer 2023), Bangkok and Taipei. Liddell was also the general manager of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, back in 2012.
FIRST VP OF WELLBEING AT JUMEIRAH GROUP
As more hotels establish entire departments to tailor wellness experiences and appoint executives to oversee these operations, wellness is starting to take center stage in the hospitality industry. One of these appointments is Jumeirah Group’s first vice president of wellbeing, group and corporate, Niamh O’Connell.
With nearly three decades of experience in luxury wellness and hospitality across Europe, the United States and the Asia Pacific region, O’Connell will work alongside Jumeirah Group’s hotel and operations teams to craft an all-encompassing wellbeing strategy. This will include spa services, fitness offerings, longevity programs, therapies and holistic wellness, as well as branding, design and programming.
SOON-TO-OPEN HYATT PLACE ALBANY NYC WELCOMES GM AND DIRECTOR OF SALES
HEI Hotels & Resorts has named Catlin Ptak as general manager and Mina Gagraj as director of sales of the 110-room Hyatt Place Albany in New York. The under-construction hotel is expected to open on August 31, 2023.
With 16 years of hospitality experience, Ptak began her career in the hospitality industry as a night auditor at the Holiday Inn, Middletown, NY. Since then, she has been the night manager at the Hilton Albany and, most recently, the New England area manager with Visions Hotels.
With 12 years of hospitality experience, Gagraj most recently was area director of sales with Marriott at Residence Inn and Courtyard in the Albany and Kingston market, where she oversaw both hotels. She has held multiple property-level positions, such as marketing and catering sales manager with the Double Tree by Hilton in Schenectady, NY.
MORE MOVES
Las Alcobas, the luxury boutique hotel in Mexico City’s Polanco district, has appointed Michaël Chiche as managing director. Together with Las Alcobas founder and CEO they will work on the brand’s expansion.
Michaël Chiche comes to Las Alcobas with more than 20 years of leadership experience in the hospitality industry. Most recently, he worked at Las Ventanas Al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort, in Los Cabos, Mexico. Additionally, he previously worked on the Alila Napa Valley opening task group in California and spent ten years as the general manager of Las Alcobas.
Park Hyatt New York has announced the appointment of Denise Florio as director of sales & marketing. Florio joins the property with nearly 20 years of Hyatt experience: Before joining the Park Hyatt New York team, she served as director of sales & marketing at Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino. In 2013, she joined Andaz 5th Avenue as director of sales and was later appointed director of sales, marketing and events for Hyatt Regency Greenwich in Connecticut. Florio also served as corporate director of L&D for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
Terranea Resort, a luxury 582-room oceanfront resort on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, has named hospitality industry veteran Chad Bustos its chief marketing officer. In his new position, Bustos will direct all strategy and brand development for the property. Bustos has over 25 years of experience leading luxury hotel sales and marketing programs; most recently, he was the vice president of sales and marketing operations at Denver’s Sage Hospitality Group. He was also chief marketing officer for Noble House Hotels & Resorts and for 12 years held executive positions with the Irvine Company’s Resort Properties Division.