WARAMAUG HOSPITALITY NAMES NEW CEO
Waramaug Hospitality, a privately held hotel investor and asset manager in the U.S., has announced the promotion of current partner and principal Ferit Ferhangil to chief executive officer, effective January 1. Ferhangil will succeed Leslie Ng, who will assume the position of co-vice chairman. In addition to Ng and Ferhangil, the company board will include Evren Unver as co-vice chairman and Paul Nussbaum as chairman.
“It has been a pleasure for Evren and me to work with the talented and seasoned team at Waramaug for the past two years following our investment into Waramaug in 2021 and into its portfolio hotels since then. I look forward to working with my partners Paul, Leslie and Evren to further grow Waramaug,” said Ferhangil. “The Waramaug platform is built on the depth and quality of the relationships we have built with capital partners, lenders, hotel franchisors, management companies and the brokerage community. Our success is attributable to these relationships and our team’s integrity, reliability, expertise and acumen. I look forward to building upon Paul and Leslie’s decades of leadership and thank them and Evren for their trust in me to lead the next evolution of our business.”
With more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate, hospitality and finance, Ferhangil joined Waramaug in 2021 as a partner and principal, following HazelStream Capital’s investment in the company. He has previously been a CEO and board member of several real estate companies, hospitality industry groups and financial institutions.
NEW GMs
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills announces the promotion of Maykel Escalona to hotel manager, marking his second year with the property and tenth year serving luxury hotels in major U.S. markets.
Escalona has served as Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills director of food and beverage for the past two years. His first roles in the industry were at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach and Fontainebleau Miami Beach, where he served as general manager for the latter property’s Michael Mina 74 restaurant. From Miami, Escalona moved north to serve at The Beekman Hotel in New York City.
Valerie Cooper has been appointed general manager of the recently renovated Hilton Shreveport, located adjacent to the Shreveport Convention Center in Louisiana.
Cooper brings over 20 years of experience in leadership experience, operations, human resources and project management to her new role. Cooper joins Hilton Shreveport from Embassy Suites Santa Ana, where she served as general manager. Before that, she held a leadership role at Renaissance Dallas Plano at Legacy West as director of operations and an assistant general manager position at Renaissance Dallas Richardson.
Previously the director of sales & marketing at Sagamore Pendry Baltimore, Amanda Santiago has now been promoted to hotel manager. With over a decade of experience in group sales and hospitality, Santiago was previously with Mandarin Oriental, bringing refocused sales objectives and improving employee buy-in, ownership and engagement.
MORE MOVES
Viorica Coman has been appointed as director of spa Botánico at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Coman brings over 20 years of experience working in luxury spas to the role, where she will oversee operations, the development of new offerings and partnerships and training for the five-acre sanctuary.
Coman began her professional career in medicine, studying cancer, before pivoting to the world of wellness. She then moved to Mexico to learn about spa management and since then has trained teams and opened spas across the Caribbean and Latin American region. Most recently, Coman served as Spa Director Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve’s Alkemia Spa.
Malliouhana Resort in Anguilla welcomes Maria Daniel as its new director of sales, bringing over 20 years of hotel experience. Daniel has worked in many prominent brands, including The Ritz-Carlton, The Viceroy and SH Hotels and Resorts. Among her achievements is her role as one of a few associates to open all three five-star Ritz-Carlton hotels in Miami, Florida.