Executive chef appointments in Peru, Rhode Island, Mexico, South Africa, North Carolina and Beverly Hills round out this week’s lineup of industry professionals on the move.
Heivel Bedoya became executive chef at JW Marriott El Convento Cusco in Cusco, Peru. Bedoya opened the property as demi chef in 2012 before going on to work at Aqua Restaurant & Lounge in Grand Cayman and JW Marriott Lima in Lima, Peru. He returned to JW Marriott Cusco in 2016 as sous chef.
Grace Hotels named Alice Bouman general manager and Anthony Theocaropoulos executive chef at Grace Vanderbilt in Newport, Rhode Island. Bouman joined the Grace team from her former role as resort manager at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich, Massachusetts. Theocaropoulos previously opened his own restaurant in Brooklyn, New York.
JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida named Jamie Caraher resident manager of the 1,000-room hotel. Caraher has more than 20 years of sales and management experience at Marriott, most recently as general manager of Marriott MSB, Orlando at Sea World, also in Orlando.
Live! Casino & Hotel appointed Brian Coughlin general manager of the flagship Live! Hotel, which will open this spring in Hanover, Maryland. Coughlin formerly was director of rooms at Caneel Bay Resort on the island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino in Palm Beach, Aruba named Ruthsela De Lannoy director of catering and events. De Lannoy, who speaks five languages, held multiple management positions at Marriott Resorts & Hotels over the past 20 years.
The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina named Jon Farace general manager. Farace had been director of operations at the property.
Anne Frye, regional director of sales and marketing at Denver-based Stonebridge Companies, joined the board of directors of the Cherry Creek Chamber of Commerce. At Stonebridge Companies, Frye oversees the sales and marketing efforts of 12 hotels across Colorado and in New York City.
Benchmark welcomed Eric Garvin back to the company in the role of senior vice president, sales and marketing. He formerly was chief marketing officer for Salamander Hotels & Resorts and had previously worked at Benchmark as regional vice president sales and marketing.
Sage Hospitality appointed Pierre-Louis Giacotto general manager of The Blackstone in Chicago. Prior to this appointment, Giacotto was general manager at Hotel Arista in Naperville, Illinois.
Denihan Hospitality promoted Gul Goknar Turkmenoglu to regional vice president of operations. Goknar Turkmenoglu also will continue to serve as general manager of The Benjamin, a boutique hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Prior to joining Denihan in 2016, Goknar Turkmenoglu was assistant general manager of the Hudson New York, New York City.
Bettina Haeberle is now area director of sales and marketing for the Bürgenstock Selection that encompasses the Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne, the Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa in Lausanne and the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & The Spa, all in Switzerland. Haeberle formerly was area director of operations, continental Europe for the InterContinental Hotels Group, responsible for 105 hotels across three brands.
TRVL’s board of directors appointed Arthur Hoffman as its CEO. Hoffman is succeeding Jochem Wijnands, the company’s founder, who is now chairman of the board. Hoffman is the former president of Expedia’s Affiliate Network and former COO of TRVL.
The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New Orleans, named Myles Holdsworth assistant director of food and beverage, overseeing all restaurant, bar and banquet operations. Holdsworth has worked at the Omni Royal New Orleans Hotel as director of outlets and also at Windsor Court Hotel, both in New Orleans. The hotel also announced Hadi Ktiri as beverage manager of the hotel’s bar program. Ktiri acquired mixology experience at Arnaud’s Restaurant in New Orleans, where he started as a front waiter and worked his way up to captain.
Fairfield Inn & Suites New Orleans Downtown French Quarter Area in New Orleans named Nikki Jackson senior sales manager. Formerly, Jackson was group sales manager for the Le Meridian and W French Quarter hotel group.
Aimbridge Hospitality named Dave Johnson chairman in addition to his current position of CEO. Robert Burg took on the role of president in addition to his current position of COO. Johnson has been CEO for 15 years while Burg has been COO for 10 years.
Mainsail Lodging & Development promoted Neisja Jones to general manager of Mainsail Housing of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. For the past 17 years, Jones has held positions as director of sales and general manager of Mainsail Suites Hotel & Conference Center and most recently was the director of sales at Epicurean Hotel, both also in Tampa.
Sheraton Grand Los Cabos, Hacienda del Mar in Los Cabos, Mexico promoted Manuel de Luca from executive chef to director of food and beverage. The property also promoted Cristian Schwuger, former executive sous chef, to the role of executive chef.
The Blackburn Inn, a boutique hotel opening late spring in Staunton, Virginia, named John Maly general manager and Blake Fisk director of sales. Maly most recently was general manager of The Ivey’s Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Fisk served as resort sales manager for the Keswick Hall and Golf Club in Keswick, Virginia.
Associated Luxury Hotels appointed Hugh Merryweather executive vice president, chief financial and administration officer, Jerry Rash general manager of loyalty and customer strategy, and Liz Adams director of corporate marketing and brand communications. Merryweather spent more than a decade as the global CFO of Circles, a concierge services provider, while Rash has more than 25 years of marketing experience. Adams most recently was director of sales and marketing for the Fifteen Beacon Hotel in Boston.
The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California appointed Matthew Morgan executive chef, overseeing the menus and operations for the hotel’s events and galas, including the Golden Globe Awards Show, Oscar Nominee Luncheon and more. Morgan previously was the property’s executive sous chef, running all of the hotel’s banquets.
Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank in Johannesburg, South Africa named Kenneth Ngubane executive chef. Prior to this role, Ngubane was executive chef at Tsogo Sun’s Montecasino Hotel, also in Johannesburg.
Bluegreen Vacations Corporation named Jorge de la Osa executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer. Prior to joining Bluegreen, de la Osa was executive vice president and general counsel at Wyndham Vacation Ownership.
Four Seasons Resort O’ahu at Ko Olina in Kapolei, Hawaii named Charlie Parker general manager. Parker formerly was general manager at the Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square in London, England.
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa in Cedar Creek, Texas named Erin Patin its director of sales and marketing. Patin joined the resort from Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Lahaina, Hawaii where she was director of group sales.
Radisson Blu Hotel N’Djamena in N’Djamena, Chad named Christian Quemener general manager. Throughout his career, Quemener has held the position of general manager and cluster general manager for upscale hotels and has worked in Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Indies, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Azerbaijan, France, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Benchmark named Sean Ruddy executive chef for High Hampton Resort in Cashiers, North Carolina. Ruddy was previously the executive chef for the Greystone Inn of Lake Toxaway, North Carolina.
Omni Hotels & Resorts promoted Daniel Surette to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Since joining Omni in August 2017, Surette has overhauled the company’s sales compensation model, developed a new group marketing campaign and motivated sales teams through promotional and recognition programs.
Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island named Erin Swain director of wine education and Ryan Beaudoin as director of culinary education/food forager. Swain came to the property from Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa in Montauk, New York where she was sommelier/manager. Beaudoin, a certified fishmonger, chef and baker, most recently worked at Rustic Roots Baking in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts named Emiel Van Dijk general manager for both Swissôtel Al Ghurair and Swissôtel Living Al Ghurair in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Van Dijk has worked at Swissôtel properties in England, Switzerland and most recently, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Wyndham Hotel Group welcomed Tad Wampfler as senior vice president, global sourcing, design and construction. Wampfler left Starwood Hotels & Resorts where he was chief procurement officer.
Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris appointed Mark Wernich general manager of Taj Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to joining the property, Wernich, a Cape Town native, worked in hotel management, most recently with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Onyx Hospitality Group appointed Gina Wo senior vice president and head of greater China. Wo joined the company after 16 years at InterContinental Hotels Group.