Kate AshtonKate Ashton is responsible for coordinating new hotel openings and overseeing brand standards, product and service quality control and operational process improvement. She reports to Richard Maxfield, Dolce chief operating officer, and is based in the company’s Montvale headquarters. Ashton previously served Starwood Hotels & Resorts of White Plains, N.Y., as senior director, operations support team, North American division operations, and senior director, sales strategy and operations, for the company’s global sales organization. Earlier in her career, she was general manager of the 474-room Sheraton Gateway Toronto, Ontario, Canada; area director of Six Sigma for Starwood Canada in Toronto; general manager of The Westin Edmonton in Alberta, Canada; and director of operations for The Westin Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Ashton is a graduate of St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology, Windsor, Ontario, where she received a diploma in travel and tourism, and a graduate of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto, where she received a degree in business and hotel management.