US hospitality hires, promotions: Viceroy Hotels & Resorts appoints new CEO

Read the latest roundup of U.S.-based hires and promotions in the hotel industry.

Armbruster has been promoted as president of Casetta Hotels. Armbruster brings a deep, operations-led understanding of hospitality with over a decade of experience spanning a myriad of leadership roles with Four Seasons, Fairmont, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Relais & Châteaux–affiliated properties.

Azarbarzin has been appointed as chief executive officer of Viceroy Hotels & Resorts. At Highgate, he has played a pivotal role in the growth of the company’s luxury and lifestyle platform, overseeing design, programming and execution. His previous leadership roles include CEO of SH Hotels & Resorts, where he oversaw 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels, and Baccarat brands, and as a founding member and President of Sbe Hotel Group.

Bogucki has been appointed as vice president of revenue management for Modus by PM Hotel Group. Most recently, Bogucki held corporate level leadership roles with Springboard Hospitality, Provenance Hotels and HRI Lodging where he led multi-property revenue teams and implemented strategies that balanced analytics, creativity and guest engagement.

Bright has been appointed as senior vice president, head of information technology of Davidson Hospitality Group. Prior to Davidson, Bright served as vice president of IT operations, enterprise applications, security operations and data engineering at Aimbridge Hospitality, where he oversaw networking, cloud, systems administration, identity management, security, data warehousing and business applications.

Galligan has been appointed as chief financial officer of Peregrine Hospitality. Galligan joins Peregrine Hospitality from Embark, where she served as managing director and practice leader, overseeing finance and accounting consulting services for clients across multiple industries.

Panagopoulos has been appointed as vice president of development for North America at Minor Hotels. She joins Minor Hotels from IHG, where she played a key role in luxury and lifestyle brand development and growth across the Americas.

Agacbuken has been appointed as general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the property, Agacbuken was hotel manager at the 1,622-room Hilton New Orleans Riverside, where he oversaw an $80 million renovation.

Hatfield has been appointed as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In her most recent role, Hatfield served as complex hotel manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton International Drive Convention Center and DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando – Disney Springs Area.

Hilker has been appointed as general manager of the Virginia Guesthouse Hotel & Conference Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. His background includes the recent opening of The Loutrel in Charleston, South Carolina, which earned prestigious recognition from Travel & Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler, and the JB Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina, which earned a AAA Four Diamond Award during the hotel’s first year of operation.

Maeder has been appointed as general manager of the Montage Big Sky in Big Sky, Montana. Previously, he served as hotel manager at Montage Laguna Beach and held senior leadership roles at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, The Setai Miami Beach and Four Seasons Hotel New York.

Dupont has been appointed as national group sales manager of the Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, South Carolina. She returns to the resort, bringing more than 14 years of experience at Wild Dunes Resort, including a variety of leadership roles across multiple departments.

Keurajian has been appointed as director of sales and marketing of the Virginia Guesthouse Hotel & Conference Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. He brings an extensive background in hospitality sales and marketing to this new property, having successfully driven revenue growth and strategic initiatives at hotels, resorts and conference centers across the country, including Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia.

MacLean has been appointed as director of sales and marketing at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in San Diego. MacLean joined Hyatt in 2012 and quickly rose through the ranks, leading high-performing sales teams at several major city and resort properties. As director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, his team earned Hyatt’s 2019 Sales and Revenue Team of the Year.

Ng has been appointed as commercial director of the Hotel Commonwealth in Boston. Ng brings extensive expertise in commercial strategy, brand marketing and revenue optimization from leadership roles across luxury and upper-upscale hospitality, including Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Hilton and leading independent hotels.

Russell has been appointed as director of sales and marketing at Le Méridien Indianapolis in Indianapolis. With a career spanning leading hospitality organizations and working with major brands such as Marriott, Hyatt and Best Western, Russell has earned a reputation for combining strategic vision with hands-on leadership that strengthens client partnerships and maximizes profitability.

Coen has been appointed as pastry chef of the Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California. Her background includes pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Denver and winning first place in Denver’s Brunch Fest two years in a row.

Cox has been appointed as pastry chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Boston in Boston. Cox joins The Ritz-Carlton, Boston most recently from the Lakon Paris Patisserie in Boston where she served as executive pastry chef managing the pastry and bakery department and production of French pastries and desserts across four locations.

Jimenez has been appointed as executive chef of L'Auberge Del Mar in Del Mar, California. Over the years, he refined his skills in many of San Diego’s most celebrated kitchens, including Avant Restaurant at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, where he helped launch a successful culinary program and trained staff in modern service execution.

Perez has been appointed as executive chef of Sonesta White Plains Downtown in White Plains, New York. Upon returning to New York after a stint in Florida, Perez was an integral part of the culinary teams at some of the city’s most prestigious hotels, including The Parker Meridien, The Hyatt Regency and The Park Hyatt, where he refined his expertise in large-scale operations and elevated dining experiences.

Thaxton has been appointed as executive chef of the Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel, California. He brings a background rich with Michelin-level staging, James Beard dinners, and executive chef posts at Ritz-Carlton properties in Washington, D.C., and Cancun.

Ohlsen-Dukic has been appointed as executive assistant manager at Halekulani in Honolulu. Most recently, he served as general manager of The Century Residences in Los Angeles, leading a 100-member team and upholding Forbes-level standards of ultra-luxury residential service.

Click here to read more hotel news on CoStar News Hotels.