The panel will explore how industry leaders at the forefront of the travel, hospitality, technology and customer service industries think. These leaders will also discuss the process of translating creativity, vision and strategy into execution and innovation in the competitive travel industry.
Hotel Teatro, Denver’s luxury boutique hotel, today announces the selection of Ms. Kyra Fox as director of sales. With an extensive sales and marketing background, Ms. Fox most recently worked with Starwood Hotels and Resorts where she served as senior sales manager at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. Prior to managing sales at Sheraton Denver Downtown, Ms. Fox was the director of group sales at the Sheraton Premiere at Tyson’s Corner in Washington D.C. and senior sales manager at the Westin Crown Center Hotel Kansas City, both Starwood hotels.
“In his 12 years with Loews Hotels, Stephen has demonstrated the kind of leadership that will help Loews Denver gain both market share and visibility in the Denver area,” said John Thacker, Regional Vice President of Operations, Loews Hotels. Stephen joins the hotel after holding the Executive Assistant Manager position at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Throughout his tenure at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 1999 to 2006, he held the roles of director of rooms, director of food and beverage and executive chef.
HVS Capital Corp (HVSCC) announced that Bill Sipple has joined the firm as Managing Director. HVSCC is the investment banking division of HVS, the leading global hospitality consulting and services firm. The core areas of service at HVSCC are financing, investment sales, capital advisory, and the Special Hospitality Assets Group, focusing on the full-service, resort, extended-stay, limited-service, fractional ownership, and golf sectors. Sipple, who will be based in the firm’s Denver headquarters office, is one of the foremost experts in the hospitality industry, with 30 years of experience in hotel finance, development, branding, valuation, and operations. He succeeds Michael Sullivan as Managing Director. Sullivan will remain with HVSCC as a director responsible for the origination of debt, equity, and investment sales engagements.
Anne V. Frye brings over eleven years of business-to-business sales experience to her new post at the Courtyard, most recently working at the Doubletree Hotel Denver North where she increased both the hotel's occupancy and average daily rate. With over seven years of experience in the hospitality industry, Frye's energy and enthusiasm ignites excitement within this Denver Washington Park hotel's sales staff which works diligently with business and social planners in hosting an array of events.
Warwick Denver Hotel has announced the promotion of Cole Mansfield to the position of General Manager effective immediately. Mansfield joined Warwick Denver in 2008 as the Director of Rooms before stepping into the role of Interim General Manager last July. Mansfield has been instrumental in overseeing the final stages of the $25 million renovation that included the hotel’s guest rooms, lobby and second floor conference spaces.
Turner brings more than 15 years of hospitality experience to Hotel Teatro. Most recently, Turner was the director of operations for the Colorado Chautauqua Association, where he oversaw everything from historic cottage rentals, meeting and retreat venues, public events and programming, to maintenance of the 26-acre campus. Prior to that, Turner worked for Destination Hotels & Resorts for more than 12 years, where he was the general manager of properties including the Lion Square Lodge in Vail, the Doubletree Denver Southeast and the Doubletree Hotel at the San Francisco Airport, before moving to the Destination Hotels corporate office, where he served as senior vice president of operations.
The Ritz-Carlton, Denver and The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch are honored to announce the seasoned leadership of Denver-based Syd Sexton, to spearhead catering sales and strategic business development on behalf of the renowned hotels – both of which bear the coveted AAA Five Diamond rating. Ms. Sexton’s illustrious career in hospitality and most recently, as president and co-owner of a high-profile, Mile High City-based event production/catering company creating multi-faceted events for up to 10,000 guests and managing a team responsible for more than $5million in annual revenues, spans an acclaimed cross-section of businesses and brands aligned with the caliber of the Ritz-Carlton. Having achieved a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Houston in Texas, Sexton’s comprehensive relative experience also includes internal Hotel Management and Apprentice Chef training programs. A resident of Denver for more than 23 years, when not directing dynamic sales strategies, Syd is most proud of her two children, Alexandra (17), senior at Chaparral High School, and Tim, (21), a senior at Colorado State University. An avid runner, she has completed seven full marathons across the country, enjoys honing her culinary skills and is continually challenged by the game of golf.
Robert Kisabeth, a seasoned hospitality leader with two decades of experience, has been named General Manager of the new Embassy Suites Denver-Downtown Convention Center. In this role, he will be responsible for all aspects of operations, marketing, sales and management of the 403-suite property, set to open in December 2010. More than 200 staff will be hired. This will be his 11th General Manager position, and third hotel grand opening. He also opened the 255-suite Embassy Suites Charleston Convention Center and the 400-suite Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas. He has been with Windsor Management Services, the hotel’s management company, since 2008. Kisabeth is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Hospitality Business and currently serves on the Hospitality Alumni Association as an Appointed Board Member.
As Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center approaches its fifth anniversary, the 1,100 room downtown Denver hotel celebrates the receiving of three prestigious travel industry awards: AAA Four Diamond Award, Orbitz "Best of Stay" and Expedia's Insiders' Select 2010.
Previously, Holtze served as Director of Business Travel for Magnolia Hotels, handling the corporate accounts for the Magnolia properties in Denver, Dallas, Houston and Omaha. Prior to joining Magnolia Hotels, Holtze worked for the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, Calif., serving as Sales Manager. Holtze holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business, where she graduated summa cum laude. The Magnolia Hotel Denver opened in 1995, offering 246 guestrooms and suites. The Magnolia Hotel’s fantastic location is close to the 16th Street pedestrian mall, fine dining, shopping, nightlife and sports and entertainment venues. Nearly half of the guestrooms are suites—many with their own fireplaces. In 2007, the hotel underwent an extensive renovation, giving it a fresh, modern look. With its contemporary décor and unique design, the Magnolia is the perfect combination of city-chic and classic elegance.
Convention center hotels in Denver are set to gain new competition when a new 403-room Embassy Suites hotel opens directly across from the Denver, CO, Convention Center in December 2010. Windsor Management Services, the hotel management arm of Windsor Capital Group headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, has reached an agreement with developer, White/Peterman Properties, Inc. in Merrillville, IN, to manage the new Denver hotel.
Most recently, the French-born hotelier called “The Gateway City” home serving as the General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, where he spearheaded the Hotel’s emergence as the premier, high-end accommodations offering within the city. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Kennel enjoyed tenure at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto; Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver; Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa; Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies; Four Seasons Hotel Boston; and Four Seasons Hotel Houston. He holds a degree in Hotel Management from the Ecole Les Roches in Crans Montana, Switzerland.
Hubert brings almost 20 years of hotel sales management experience to the position, with a long track record of exceeding sales targets and increasing business and profitability. She worked in London and in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 10 years at one of South America’s most prestigious hotels, before relocating to Denver. She earned a B.A. degree from Middlebury College in Vermont and is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. Warwick Denver Hotel, which recently completed a $25 million redesign throughout the hotel, offers the most spacious accommodations in downtown Denver, with 219 rooms and 60 suites. Over 10,000 square feet of flexible event space is on-site to accommodate up to 300 people. Other amenities include a business center, fitness center, Denver’s only rooftop pool and the award-winning Randolph’s Restaurant and Bar.
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts announced today the culmination of a $70 million renovation to the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, Colorado’s largest hotel. Sheraton Denver’s extensive renovation is part of a $6 billion brand-wide global revitalization effort, which includes upgrading 100 hotels in the U.S., renovating 50,000 guest rooms and re-designing more than 100 new lobbies. To mark the celebration, Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen will present a $5,000 contribution to Mayor John Hickenlooper to benefit Denver’s Road Home, whose mission is to end homelessness in the city.
A subsidiary of Denver-based Sage Hospitality, Sage Restaurant Group (SRG) creates experiences where food, drink and inspired design meet and mix. Its eight award-winning independent restaurants are all adjacent to hotels and deliver exceptional catering and in-room dining experiences. A graduate of the University of Denver, Mr. Hoemann has dedicated his 25-year career to food and beverage industries. Since early 2007, Mr. Hoemann served as Vice President of Food and Beverage at Joie de Vivre Hotels, Restaurants and Spas in San Francisco. Mr. Hoemann has previously held numerous other leadership roles, including Director of Consulting and Advisory Services for Levy Restaurants, where he oversaw all of its new concept development, branding, design and construction. He also previously served as Senior Vice President of Retail Brands, Marketing & Creative Services for Compass Group; Senior Vice President of Restaurant Development for Happy Valley Corporation/Flat Top Grill; Vice President of Operations for Mark Miller’s Coyote Cafes and Food and Beverage Director for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
Klocek brings more than 12 years of hotel management experience in a range of departments, including sales, human resources, marketing and catering. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Restaurant Resort Management from Colorado State University. With the completion of a $25 million renovation project, Warwick Denver Hotel has never been a better choice for the business traveler. “We offer 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, which was completely updated this summer,” said Scott Ostrander, general manager.
DeVault will lead sales initiatives targeting government agencies, government contractors and corporate travel accounts. Klocek will represent the hotel with local Denver businesses who host out-of-town visitors. With the completion of a $25 million renovation project, Warwick Denver Hotel has never been a better choice for the business traveler. DeVault has held sales manager positions with hotels in Denver, the Washington DC area and Hawaii, with responsibility for government, SMERFE, Tour & Travel, association and corporate/corporate incentive accounts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management from Bowling Green State University.
SHM (Sunstone Hospitality Management), a division of the nation's largest independent management company, Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:IHR) , today announced that it has entered into a contract to manage the full-service Radisson Hotel Denver Stapleton Plaza, in Denver, Colo. The 300-room hotel is owned by Holualoa Companies, a real estate investment firm based in Tucson, Ariz.