OMNI HOTELS’ NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Omni Hotels & Resorts has appointed Trip Riggs as its new chief financial officer.
He will report to Omni’s President Kurt Alexander. Riggs will be in charge of the group’s finance and accounting functions and play a crucial role to improve growth and performance within the executive leadership team.
Riggs’ appointment comes at a pivotal time for the Dallas-based hospitality company. He will be shaping Omni’s growth strategy and be instrumental to drive its implementation by leveraging his expertise alongside other members of the executive team.
“Trip has a demonstrated track record of leading high performing teams that support the business in generating best in class returns. We are excited to have him on the team and we believe his expertise will allow Omni to further strengthen our unique owner-operator-brand position in the industry,” said Alexander.
Prior to this, Riggs served as co-president and CFO at Balfour Senior Living in Louisville, Colo. His gained experience from his prior roles as divisional CFO for hospitality as well as real estate at Vail Resorts and in development and portfolio management at Stonebridge Companies.
VINCENT BILLIARD’S NEW ROLE AT ROSEWOOD HOTELS
Vincent Billiard, managing director of HĂ´tel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris has been promoted as regional vice president, central and north Europe for Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.
This new role is in addition to his existing role as Hôtel de Crillon’s managing director, a position he has held since January 2020. In his new role, Billiard will also lead Rosewood’s hotels in London, Munich and Vienna, along with supervise the two new openings slated for Amsterdam and Shloss Fuschl in Austria later this year.
Hailing from Paris and an alumnus of the EHL Hospitality Business School, in 2013 Billiard became the Ritz-Carlton group’s youngest general manager when he was first appointed in that role. In 2016, he joined the Bulgari Shanghai Hotel & Residences as general manager, before becoming hotel general manager of the St. Regis Singapore in 2019.
NEW GMs
Minor Hotels has appointed Estelle Vassallo as general manager at Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel.
With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Vassallo most recently worked as hotel manager at sister property Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam. Before this, held senior operational and commercial positions in Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy and France in companies such as Hilton, Deutsche Hospitality; and within the Minor Hotels portfolio at NH Collection in New York and Barcelona.
Sam Jagger has been named as general manager of The Maybourne Beverly Hills, the first property in the U.S. by Maybourne, operators of Claridge’s, The Connaught and the Berkeley in London.
Bringing over two decades of luxury hospitality experience from leadership positions across the U.S., Jagger most recently held the position of general manager at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, Calif., where he was previously the director of sales & marketing from 2008 to 2010. Hailing from the U.K., Jagger has been living in the U.S. for the past 25 years and considers Los Angeles as his home.
Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Ill., has announced James Barnett as general manager and innkeeper.
In his new role, Barnett will combine his hotel management experience with his knowledge of F&B to develop the hotel’s dining program. Born in Australia, Barnett began his career at the Thredbo ski resort in New South Wales. Most recently, he was the VP of hospitality at Bonhomme Hospitality.
Spire Hospitality has named Ryan Phillips as the general manager of TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver West/Federal Center.
Phillips will oversee hotel operations, including revenue management and administration, and report to Steve Neth, Spire Hospitality’s VP of operations. Phillips joined Spire in 2021 as the front office manager for the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Tech Center North.
W Aspen has appointed Martin Magdeburg as general manager.
Magdeburg will oversee operations of the hotel, which includes the year-round rooftop bar and après destination and the signature restaurant. Beginning his career as an apprentice in his hometown of Berlin at The Ritz-Carlton Schlosshotel, he went on to work at Hôtel Plaza Athenée in New York, l’Ermitage in Beverly Hills and The Setai Miami Beach. He joined W Hotels and led the culinary and F&B operations at W Singapore on Sentosa Island until 2017.
HOTEL HERON’S EXEC TEAM
Hotel Heron, which is slated to open this spring in Old Town Alexandria, Va., has announced its executive team:
- Phillip Blane joins as general manager of the hotel.
- Harry Francis as the hotel’s director of lifestyle.
- Heather Rodgers as director of sales.
GM MOVEMENTS AT TFE HOTELS
TFE Hotels has announced several key general manager appointments across its Australian and New Zealand portfolio:
- Nigel Maxey — General Manager, Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands
- Christian Price — General Manager, Destination Pentridge
- Lucy Ockleston — Cluster hotel general manager, Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront / Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront and Travelodge Resort Darwin
- Diana Quinones-Silva — General Manager, Hotel Kurrajong Canberra
- Andrew Edwards — General Manager, Quincy Hotel Melbourne
- Ben Saxton — General Manager, A by Adina Canberra
- Sid Bhatia — General Manager, Vibe Hotel Gold Coast
- Jolanta Prusek — General Manager, Adina Apartment Hotel Surry Hills