Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk is proud to announce the appointment of Chef Timothy Wedell as its new executive chef. Chef Wedell will oversee the culinary team responsible for food production at banquets, room service, and the hotel's four dining outlets: Shula's Steak House, Riverside Cafe, Link Cafe and Chicago Burger Company.
Kimpton Gray Hotel is proud to announce the appointment of Lisa Ares to General Manager. In this role, Ares will oversee the downtown Chicago hotel guest experience and hotel team while engaging with the surrounding community. Ares arrives at Kimpton Gray Hotel with over 22 years of experience working in hotels.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine have voted Chicago as the best big city in the U.S. for the last six years. Chicago’s numerous attractions include unique dining experiences, modern hotels, diverse neighborhoods, and an abundance of arts and entertainment venues. The market also benefits from its proximity to other major markets and its popularity as a meeting and group destination.Data for the Downtown Chicago market is outlined below, illustrating a strongly rebounding economy as of year-end 2022.
Candioto brings nearly two decades of experience working with international hotel brands and will be responsible for hotel's top line revenue strategy. She has held positions at the Forbes Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lake; Four Seasons Resort Nevis; Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel; Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara; and most recently with Park Hyatt Chicago, relaunching the property after an extensive renovation.
Grant will lead human resources efforts for both The St. Regis Chicago Hotel and Residences including building, acquiring, and retaining top talent across all divisions and levels. Grant has held a number of human resources roles, most recently at the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, where she was a member of the 2015 opening team and contributed to the property winning many accolades.
As Director of Finance & Accounting, Kowalski will be responsible for guiding all financial operations. Kowalski has served in leadership roles across several Marriott Chicagoland hotels, including Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel and Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.
Lara will lead the engineering teams and projects for both The St. Regis Chicago Hotel and Residences. Lara has vast experience in the Chicago hotel market, including leading engineering operations for the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, during a successful, major renovation.
With more than two decades of luxury hotel leadership experience across seven Ritz-Carlton hotels (including Hotel Arts Barcelona - a Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Forbes Five-Star Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park) and executing nearly 20 hotel openings, del Rincon joins the team as Director of Operations, with the goal of enhancing operations through his commitment to impeccable service and industry-leading innovation.
As Director of Sales and Marketing, Collens is responsible for exceeding guestroom and catering sales, revenue, and marketing goals. Collens brings two decades of experience from flagship, luxury hotels throughout New York City. Collens held leadership positions at the famed Waldorf Astoria and Towers as well as The St. Regis New York. Previously, she was the Asset Manager for Ty Warner, owner of Four Seasons Hotel New York. These iconic hotels further validate her invaluable industry experience and deep insight into the luxury marketplace.
As the General Manager of The Residences at the St. Regis Chicago, Pérez will oversee day-to-day operations of The Residences and ensure resident satisfaction at the 393-unit ultra-luxury property. Beginning his career with Marriott in 2000, Pérez has worked in a variety of hotel roles over the last two decades, most recently as Director of Operations at The Ritz-Carlton Club & Residences, Vail, and as Director of Residences at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Mexico City.
Gibbons will lead The St. Regis Chicago team and oversee the day-to-day operations of the property, which includes a 192 room hotel, 393 ultra luxury residences; two restaurants in partnership with Chef's Evan Funke and Hisanobu Osaka; a holistic wellness, spa and fitness center; and more than 10,000 square feet of dynamic meeting and event space. Gibbons has played a vital role in leading the team through the completion of the hotel's development over the last two years.
Virgin Hotels Chicago is thrilled to announce Executive Chef, Mike Alaridi, who will oversee the entire culinary operation from Miss Ricky's to Cerise. Born and raised in Syria, Alaridi was first introduced to the culinary world by watching his mother cook their family meals from scratch, only using whole ingredients from their backyard garden. Growing up in a household that prioritized healthy foods laid the foundation for Alaridi's culinary ethos of using the freshest ingredients and preparing them in ways that heighten their flavors.
Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of Konstantine ("Gus") Drosos as General Manager. Drosos brings more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry exclusively with Hilton across Illinois and California.
The team at Kimpton Gray Hotel, a luxury Chicago Loop hotel located in one of the city's most historic structures, is proud to announce a new addition to the food and beverage leadership team: Aaron Munson, Executive Chef for the hotel and Boleo.
Premier Gold Coast hotel introduces new dining concepts, and unveils updates to guest rooms, suites, lobby and spa.
Airbnb and the Illinois Restaurant Association, with the support of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, announced the launch of Airbnb’s Chicago Restaurant Guide, an online hub for locals and visitors that highlights stays nearby some of the best food that Chicago has to offer. The guide features restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, bars, and more, all recommended by local Chicago Hosts who open up their homes in some of the city’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods.
For the Hilton Chicago and Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, the simplicity and accessibility of its enterprise accounting solution is key to managing a successful and streamlined financial operation. The bleisure destination is running its general ledger, accounts payable, statistics, financials, and bank reconciliation processes on PVNG by Aptech. Users say the ability to jump between financials from one property to the next, train staff quickly on the system, and use only one platform for multi-property accounting is a game changer.
Maverick Hotels and Restaurants announced today that it continues to grow the company’s expanding portfolio with the addition of two hotels in the metropolitan Chicago market. Robert Habeeb, Founder and CEO of Maverick made the announcement.
IHG Hotels & Resorts announces the launch of voco Chicago Downtown and Holiday Inn Chicago Downtown - Wolf Point following the hotel's grand opening celebration held last week. Located in the city's River North district, the property marks voco hotels' first location in Chicago and sixth in the U.S. Previously a Holiday Inn, the newly opened hotel underwent a full transformation to become IHG's first dual-branded voco hotel and Holiday Inn property.
Hiltons of Chicago Sales & Marketing Complex representing Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel, Hilton Chicago, and The Drake Hotel are pleased to announce the appointment of Mario Thompson as Area Director of Sales and Marketing. Thompson will lead a tenured team with 300+ years of collective hotelier commercial experience to complement a combined 347 years of hospitality excellence at these renowned historic Hilton hotels. Thompson brings more than 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including 12 years in hospitality leadership roles, and has been with Hilton since 2009 across San Diego, New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Baltimore.