A Roundup of US Hires, Promotions

Hotel News Now twice a month features a roundup of new hires and promotions in the hotel industry for U.S.-based positions. To be included in the next roundup, email HNN’s Dan Kubacki.

In the Spotlight
-	Charles Snyder, VP of business development, Charlestowne Hotels 24 August 2017 New hire Snyder previously worked as VP of acquisitions and development at New Castle Hotels & Resorts.
Executives
-	Matt Jacobs, president, Swift Hospitality Group 18 August 2017 Promotion Jacobs joined Swift Hospitality Group in 2004, and his most recent position was EVP of operations.
-	Margaret Yeung, VP of brand management and communications, Rosewood Hotel Group 10 August 2017 New hire Yeung previously spent the past seven years as partner and director of Kalli Strategic Consulting.
-	Howard Wu, President of North America and Chief Technology and Solutions Officer, Millennium Hotels 8 August 2017 Promotion Wu was promoted from Millennium’s independent non-executive director position. In his new role, Wu will be based in New York City.
-	Daniel Surette, VP of sales, Omni Hotels & Resorts 7 August 2017 New hire Surette spent more than 15 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide before joining Omni. His most recent position was VP of North America sales and field marketing.

GMs
-	John Henry, GM of Cambria Durham; Durham, North Carolina 24 August 2017 New hire Henry has past hospitality experience in sales, marketing, operations and food and beverage from positions at Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt.
-	John Imaizumi, managing director, Omni Dallas Hotel; Dallas 22 August 2017 New hire Imaizumi previously worked as founder and CEO of Zoom Golf. Before that, he worked for 11 years as GM of the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel & Convention Center.
-	Effie Tsavalias, GM of Pod Brooklyn; Brooklyn, New York 22 August 2017 Promotion Tsavalias’ most recent position was director of housekeeping at The Maritime Hotel.
-	Michael Murphy, GM of Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino; Incline Village, Nevada 18 August 2017 New hire Murphy’s most recent position was GM of the Hyatt Regency Austin. He has worked with Hyatt for more than 20 years.
-	Bruce Seigel, GM of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe; North Lake Tahoe, California 17 August 2017 New hire Seigel previously worked as area director of sales and marketing for The Ritz-Carlton’s Caribbean and Mexico regions.
-	Don Lockhart, GM of the AC Hotel Charlotte City Center; Charlotte, North Carolina 16 August 2017 New hire Lockhart last worked as building GM for the Skye Building. His hotel experience includes time with Hyatt and Wyndham.
-	Akshay Bahl, GM of Thompson Nashville; Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 2017 New hire Bahl previously worked as GM of The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles.
-	Robert Swenson, GM of Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder; Santa Fe, New Mexico 15 August 2017 New hire Swenson joins the Hilton property after time as a hotel industry consultant. He also has past career experience with Interstate Hotels and Resorts and Peek‘n Peak Resort and Spa.
-	Avi Niego, GM of Bobby Hotel; Nashville, Tennessee 15 August 2017 New hire Niego will lead the staff of Bobby Hotel as it opens the property in Spring 2018. His most recent position was area GM of NYLO hotels, where he managed the NYLO Plano and the Dallas South Side properties.
-	Sunny Saha, assistant GM, Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel Hotel; Los Angeles 15 August 2017 New hire Saha previously worked as director of food and beverage at the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles.
-	Will Jones, hotel manager, Montage Palmetto Bluff; Bluffton, South Carolina 14 August 2017 New hire Jones’ most recent position was GM of the Keswick Hall and Golf Club in Charlottesville, Virginia.
-	Michael McGilligan, GM of Hilton Anatole; Dallas 10 August 2017 New hire McGilligan’s most recent position was GM of the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport.
-	Jared Williams, GM of The Highland Dallas; Dallas 9 August 2017 New hire Williams spent the previous three years as GM of Magnolia Hotel, also in Dallas.
-	Lorenz Maurer, GM of the San Francisco Proper Hotel; San Francisco 8 August 2017 New hire Maurer’s most recent position was area managing director at Commune Hospitality.
-	J.B. Carney, GM of Inn at the 5th; Eugene, Oregon 4 August 2017 New hire Carney brings more than 13 years of hospitality industry experience to his new position, including past career stops at Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group.
-	Ivey Johnson, GM of the Homewood Suites Birmingham-South/Inverness; Birmingham, Alabama 20 July 2017 Promotion Johnson previously worked as director of sales at the Homewood Suites Birmingham-South/Inverness, and she also has prior hospitality experience with Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group.

Sales and Marketing
-	Connie Hagston, director of sales and marketing, Chaminade Resort & Spa; Santa Cruz, California 17 August 2017 New hire Hagston’s most recent position was director of sales and marketing for The Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.
-	Maxine Elleby, market director of sales, AC Hotel and Residence Inn Charlotte City Center; Charlotte, North Carolina 16 August 2017 New hire Elleby previously worked as director of sales, catering and marketing at Le Meridien Charlotte and Sheraton Charlotte Hotel.
-	Jeana Fink, director of group sales, Westin St. Francis; San Francisco 16 August 2017 New hire Fink previously worked as director of sales, large group and catering for the Western Mountain Pacific Region at Marriott International.
-	Todd Gehrke, director of sales and marketing, The Don CeSar; St. Pete Beach, Florida 15 August 2017 New hire Gehrke last worked as director of sales and marketing at The Madeline Hotel and Residences in Telluride, Colorado, and director of group sales and marketing at the Telluride Tourism Board.
-	Carmen Choy-Surdam, director of catering and conference services, Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel Hotel; Los Angeles 15 August 2017 New hire Choy-Surdam has past hospitality experience with the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, the Westin Pasadena and Sheraton Cerritos.
-	Craig Thomas, director of sales and marketing, Montage Deer Valley; Park City, Utah 14 August 2017 New hire Thomas’ most recent position was director of sales and marketing at The Ritz-Carlton in Cancún, Mexico.
-	Xavier Bon, director of sales and marketing, San Francisco Proper Hotel; San Francisco 8 August 2017 New hire Bon previously worked at Joie de Vivre Hotels’ corporate sales office for three years. He has held sales positions at Hotel Vitale, Hotel Rex and Hotel Kabuki.
-	Christine Kenny-Morairty, corporate marketing director, Mosaic Hotel Group 7 August 2017 New hire Kenny-Morairty most recently worked as marketing director at the W Bali for two years.

F&B
-	Jason Jonilonis, director of food and beverage, Stonewall Resort; Roanoke, West Virginia 18 August 2017 New hire Before joining Stonewall Resort, Jonilonis owned and operated an F&B consulting business. He also has past experience with Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vermont.
-	Patrick Faas, director of food and beverage, The Don CeSar; St. Pete Beach, Florida 15 August 2017 New hire Faas has led F&B programs at Turtle Bay Resort and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, which are both located in Oahu, Hawaii.
-	Julie De Witz, corporate director of restaurant operations, Montage International 14 August 2017 New hire De Witz previously worked as a corporate director of F&B for Proper Hospitality.
-	Michael Molloy, executive chef, The Don CeSar; St. Pete Beach, Florida 9 August 2017 Returning hire Molloy first worked at The Don CeSar 15 years ago. His most recent position was executive chef of the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Human Resources
-	Frederique Falour-Yalniz, director of human resources, San Francisco Proper Hotel; San Francisco 8 August 2017 New hire Falour-Yalniz has held HR positions at several San Francisco hotels, including the St. Regis San Francisco and the Palace Hotel.

Miscellaneous
-	Bryan Lowe, area director of finance, Benchmark 25 August 2017 Promotion Lowe’s most recent position was controller for The Heldrich, a Benchmark property in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
-	Samantha Larson, guest experience manager, Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown; Minneapolis 24 August 2017 New hire Larson’s hotel experience includes time spent at the M Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, where she worked as VIP sales and marketing ambassador.
-	Chad Armistead, director of rooms, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa; South Walton, Florida 21 August 2017 New hire Armistead brings 18 years of hospitality experience to his new position, including past stops at Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Hilton Nashville Downtown and others.
-	Wayne Stokes, director of front office, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa; South Walton, Florida 21 August 2017 New hire Stokes most recently worked as director of front office at the Loews Ventana Canyon resort in Tucson, Arizona.
-	Vasileios Ioannou, corporate director of food and beverage, Arbor Lodging Management 17 August 2017 New hire Ioannou’s most recent position was assistant GM at the Westin Chicago Northwest.
-	Amelia Hill, area spa director of Little Palm Island Resort & Spa and Ocean Key Resort & Spa; Florida Keys, Florida 17 August 2017 Promotion Hill joined Noble House Hotels & Resorts in January 2017 as spa director of Little Palm Island.
-	Christopher Jennings, director of rooms, The Don CeSar; St. Pete Beach, Florida 15 August 2017 New hire Jennings has prior hospitality experience in front-office management at The St. Regis Princeville Resort, Baha Mar Casino and The Phoenician.
-	Shawn Jereb, corporate director, revenue management, Montage International 14 August 2017 New hire Jereb previously worked as VP of revenue management and distribution at Belmond before joining Montage.
-	John Maibach, managing director Loews Regency New York Hotel; New York City 14 August 2017 Promotion Maibach most recently worked as GM of the Loews Boston Hotel. He also has past management experience at The Plaza, New York, and The Copley Square.
-	Derek McCann, managing director, Loew Santa Monica Beach Hotel; Santa Monica, California 14 August 2017 Promotion McCann held the same position at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. He joined Loews Hotels in 2014.
-	Marcie Pruitt, corporate controller, Hotel Equities 11 August 2017 New hire Pruitt spent the past three years at M3 Professional Services as an accounting supervisor.
-	Zackary Shallah, front-office manager, Courtyard by Marriott Nashua; Nashua, New Hampshire 8 August 2017 Promotion Shallah has spent the past two years in a front-desk position at the property.

-Compiled by Dan Kubacki.

A Roundup of US Hires, Promotions

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A Roundup of US Hires, Promotions

RELATED ARTICLES

Get In Touch888-226-7404

Get In Touch
888-226-7404