ROSEWOOD APPOINTS NEW COO & MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR ROSEWOOD VIENNA
Rosewood Hotel Group announced today the appointment of Joerg Zobel as chief operating officer, effective September 25, 2023. He will report directly to Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer.
An executive with over 25 years of global experience, Zobel will head Rosewood Hotel Group’s global operations across the group’s four brands, including Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, New World Hotels & Resorts, Asaya and Carlyle & Co.Â
In his most recent role, he served as the CEO and chairman of the Board of Eschenbach Optik GmbH, one of Europe’s largest eyewear groups. Before that, he served as general manager, Asia Pacific for PUMA. Zobel is also a published author who has written on a wide range of subjects, from industry disruption to the pursuit of happiness.
Rosewood has also appointed Roland Hamberger as the new managing director of the luxury hotel Rosewood in the heart of Austria’s capital. Rosewood Vienna opened in August 2022, making it the fifth European property in the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts portfolio and the brand’s first in the German-speaking market.
Having spent over a decade as general manager at Palais Coburg Hotel Residence Vienna, part of The Leading Hotels of the World, Hamberger brings extensive experience to his new role. He has also held significant roles in other prestigious properties such as The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna, and the Grand Hotel Wien.
OMNI’S CHAIRMAN NOW IN TECH
Aiming to expand its presence in the Americas, India-headquartered travel tech firm RateGain has appointed Peter Strebel, the chairman of Omni Hotels & Resorts, as president for the Americas region. Strebel will replace the current president Chinmai Sharma.
Strebel previously served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for the Wyndham Hotel Group, having become president before returning to Omni. He has also served on the boards of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Incarnation House in Dallas, Texas.
“Having built a career by continuously identifying new areas of investment and innovation to change the status quo, I believe that RateGain is also trying to do the same for the hospitality industry. The opportunity to do that for over 100,000 hotels excites me about this opportunity”, Strebel said.
SONESTA’S NEW APPOINTMENTS
Sonesta recently appointed Michelle Steffens as vice president of operations and Jim Mooney as vice president of sales.
Steffens will be responsible for the managed portfolio of full-service hotels and oversight of the full-service regional operations team. She joins Sonesta with more than 17 years of hospitality industry experience. Most recently, she was senior vice president of operations at Aimbridge Hospitality. Steffens’ previous roles included senior-level and regional leadership positions at Interstate, Island Hospitality and White Lodging.
Mooney joins Sonesta with more than 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Most recently, he was general manager at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in New York. Previously, he was vice president of sales with Interstate Hotels, directing the Marriott Residence Inn & Courtyard brands and leading a portfolio of hotels in greater New York. He also worked as director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, working at the Westin New York Times Square and the Sheraton Times Square Hotel.
MORE MOVES
CBRE, the Dallas-based commercial real estate services and investment firm, has appointed Andrea Grigg at CBRE Hotels as senior managing director and global head of hotel asset management to develop and lead the firm’s global hotel asset management and operator selection practice.
Based in Atlanta, Grigg will focus on bringing cross-border hospitality solutions and ownership representation to global hotel investors. She will also oversee operator and brand selection and management contract negotiation services. Grigg joins CBRE from JLL, where she spent the last 16 years as a leader in the firm’s hotel asset management practice.
InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, the luxury hotel in Atlanta’s Buckhead community, has appointed George Terpilowski as general manager. Boasting over three decades of industry experience, Terpilowski has worked in luxury hotels and resorts across the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Terpilowski started his career at Grand Heritage Hotels, managing The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, Fla., The Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. and The Clift in San Francisco. After joining Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2002, he held several leadership roles, including general manager of the Fairmont in Washington, D.C., and Managing Director of The Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda, with regional oversight of the Hamilton Princess, Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Barbados and the Fairmont Mayakoba in Mexico. He most recently hails from the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, where he also had regional oversight of Raffles Boston and The Plaza Hotel and Sofitel in New York and Sofitel Philadelphia at Rittenhouse Square.