Choice is excited to announce that PNK Group Investments has begun construction on the Cambria Hotel Los Angeles - Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Slated to open in 2020, the 13-story, 180-room hotel is the adaptive reuse of a Historic Core District building built in 1927 that was once the office for the Los Angeles Police Department Vice Squad.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF) honored the winners of the 2019 Stars of the Industry Awards, which included top hotel employees in the hospitality and lodging industry for their outstanding accomplishments, service, and leadership. The winners were chosen from 320 nominations from all sectors of the industry and across the country.
Leading the team as General Manager is Niles Harris, who oversees all aspects of the day-to-day hotel operations, from sales and marketing, revenue management, and guest experiences, to programming and food and beverage. Harris carved out an outstanding hospitality career spanning more than 30 years, holding key leadership roles in two of New York's most iconic properties; the AAA Five Diamond Helmsley Palace and Essex House in Central Park, a Condé Nast Traveler "Gold List" Hotel. He has served as general manager and other key leadership positions for Omni, Nikko, IHG, Wyndham and Starwood Hotels - across major cities including Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., San Diego and Houston. Harris joins InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown most recently from Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan where he was the managing director for the IHG flagship property since April 2015. During his tenure, Harris earned the coveted "Make Your Mark" General Manager of the Year Award and served as chairman of the technology committee on the General Manager's Leadership Council.
Leading the hotel's food and beverage programs and concepts is Director of Food and Beverage Sunny Saha. Saha oversees the hotel banquet operations as well as six impressive dining outlets: La Boucherie, an opulent high-end American steakhouse with a French twist; Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar and lounge in the Western Hemisphere; Dekkadance, an international marketplace and eatery;Sora, a sushi bar and Omakase experience; No Dive Bar, a seventh-floor pool deck; and the Lobby Lounge vodka bar and lounge. Within his role, Saha's focus is to further strengthen business and revenue goals - from leisure guests to large groups and conventions. Saha has years of hospitality experience and joins the hotel most recently from the Monarch Beach Resort as the senior director of food and beverage, where he successfully opened "Bourbon Steak Orange County", which was nominated as the number one restaurant in Orange County. Previously, he was the senior director of food and beverage at Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles. Saha is fluent in four languages: English, German, Italian, and French.
As Executive Chef, Igor Krichmar takes the culinary and hospitality experience at InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown to new levels. With an extensive background in fresh and simple cuisine, Krichmar leads the culinary charge by crafting menus and spearheading the hotel's culinary mission, supervising kitchen staff and coordinating efforts in all dining outlets, as well as overseeing large-scale group and catering events in the property's nearly 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Krichmar draws much of his inspiration from his grandmother and can attribute his early culinary passions to the time spent in the kitchen watching her cook for the household. Upon graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Krichmar staged at The Fat Duck, a three Michelin star restaurant in Berkshire, England. Shortly after, he joined the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond Wynn Las Vegas where he worked alongside Chef Alessandro Stratta at his two Michelin star restaurant, Alex. In March 2017, Krichmar joined InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown as part of the pre-opening team, in the role of executive sous chef.
Prior to his latest appointment, Bernard was General Manager of The Ambrose Hotel Santa Monica.Bernard brings over 20 years of leadership and executive experience to the table, having held leadership positions with iconic luxury lifestyle hotels such as The Mondrian West Hollywood, Viceroy Santa Monica, Sofitel Los Angeles, Sixty Hotel Beverly Hills and Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills.
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to impose new rules on renting out rooms and homes for short stays, regulating a phenomenon popularized by the rise of online platforms such as Airbnb.
The forthcoming Godfrey Hotel Hollywood—set to open spring 2019—announces the appointment of General Manager Clay Andrews and Hotel Manager Konstantine Kabilafkas; Andrews also serves a dual role as Director of Operations for the West coast region of Oxford Hotels & Resorts. Bringing nearly two decades of experience each, directing food and beverage teams, as well as managing hotels both boutique and corporate, the leaders have a clear vision for the operation of The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood including staffing logistics, on-site amenities, creating an atmosphere to differentiate it in the marketplace, while capturing the distinct Hollywood personality.
A VIP was flying in from San Francisco. He was under the weather and needed a shot before the night's performance. Someone else has the Los Angeles franchise on celebrity injections, but I handle the occasional request.
Edward Mady, Regional Director West Coast USA and General Manager, has named Michael Santoro executive chef of The Beverly Hills Hotel. Chef Santoro arrives at the hotel on October 17, and will be responsible for overseeing the property's entire culinary operation, including the legendary Polo Lounge, Fountain Coffee Room, Cabana Café, Bar Nineteen12, in-room dining, and banquets and events.
In his new role as General Manager, Scherer provides strategic direction and oversees day-to-day operations at Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Beverly Hills, located just minutes from the heart of Beverly Hills. Additionally, as Director of Operations Los Angeles, Scherer is responsible for guiding and directing the leadership for Kimpton Hotels in Los Angeles. Additional properties include the Kimpton Everly Hotel, Kimpton La Peer Hotel and Kimpton Hotel Wilshire.
Tugaoen brings more than two decades of hospitality sales experience to her new role. As Area Director of Sales & Marketing, Tugaoen leads the department's initiatives at Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Beverly Hills as well as Kimpton Hotel Wilshire. Previously, Tugaoen worked as the Director of Sales & Marketing for The Westin Long Beach where she assisted with the development of the brand's marketing discipline, consistently surpassing sales goals. Tugaoen's experience also includes hotel sales & marketing positions at several boutique and large-scale properties in top-tier convention and leisure travel destinations such as Boston, New York and New Orleans.
A licensed architect and master planner, Algeo joined WATG in 1997 and during his 32-year career, including 21-years with the firm, he has designed projects in more than 20 countries around the world - throughout the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, China and the Middle East. Algeo's global expertise has focused on delivering integrated design solutions comprising strategy, planning, landscape and architecture. Algeo's global design portfolio includes the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa; Quinta do Lorde in Portugal, King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, Casi Cielo, a next-gen community in Bocas del Toro Panama and Tay Bac Master Plan in Vietnam. His current efforts include Distrito Rivera, a large mixed-use urban destination in Monterrey, Mexico, Balihan, a mixed use Ski Resort and Village in China and Rixos Saadiyat Island, a premier all-inclusive luxury resort currently under construction in Abu Dhabi.
Walker joined WATG in 2010 and has over 20 years of experience as a licensed landscape architect. Throughout his eight years with WATG, Walker has tripled the size of the Irvine landscape studio with over 130 projectsin both international and domestic markets. Walker's portfolio includes work in North America, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, and China. Recent completed work in California includes Lido House in Newport Beach, Vista Collina Resort in Napa, and the Monarch Beach Resort Pool Renovation in Dana Point. International work includes urban mixed-use projects in Dubai, Monterrey Mexico, and China along with hospitality projects such as Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos and Nobu Cabo in Mexico; Rixos Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton at Galaxy Macau.
The SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills announces the completion of a comprehensive redesign of the rooms and guest experience ahead of its decade milestone in November 2018. The newly reimagined look, which includes all 234 guestrooms and 63 suites, continues to embrace the property's original identity of elegance and whimsy, now dawning a lighter palette and character that speaks to the brighter and more refined disposition of the destination, alongside the latest in technology and modern comforts. Locally inspired guest programming, revamped Garden Terrace events space, and innovated culinary and cocktail experiences round out SLS Beverly Hills' ten-year evolution.
Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) announced that Gino Caliendo has been appointed General Manager of the 580-room hotel.
On July 10, 2018, The Mayfair Hotel, an historic Downtown Los Angeleshotel established in 1926 and managed by Crescent Hotels and Resorts, will reemerge, following a top-to-bottom redesign, and unveil glamorous new spaces, dining and guest programming that reinterprets its authentic early 20thcentury character with distinctly Los Angeles style and substance. Located in Downtown Los Angeles' emerging neighborhood of Westlake, the Mayfair has undergone a redesign overhaul led by Los Angeles-based developer ICO Group of Companies, who commissioned Gulla Jónsdóttir Architecture & Design and Artist-in-Residence Kelly "RISK" Graval, both based in the City of Angels, to modernize the spaces while faithfully adhering to the building's original architecture and thoughtfully outfitting the interiors with contemporary visual exhibitions, including art and photography.
KEYPR®, the technology company whose enterprise cloud platform is the leader in guest experience and hospitality management, announced today that it has partnered with Headspace to deliver its wildly popular guided meditation and mindfulness sessions to hotel rooms worldwide via KEYPR's in-room tablets.
KEYPR®, the enterprise technology company whose cloud-based platform is the leader in guest experience and staff optimization, announced today that it has partnered with Scribd, the premier digital reading subscription service, to offer its library of more than 1 million of the best ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines to hotel rooms worldwide.
KEYPR®, the technology company whose enterprise cloud platform is the leader in guest experience and hospitality management, announced today it has partnered with The Wall Street Journal to seamlessly deliver the company's award-winning content to hotel rooms worldwide, via KEYPR's expansive platform.