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Appointment

James Wroblewski has been appointed as General Manager at W Los Angeles- West Beverly Hills

W Los Angeles – West Beverly Hills is pleased to announce the appointment of James Wroblewski as General Manager. With 17 years of management experience in the hospitality industry, Wroblewski brings a refined expertise to his new position at W Los Angeles – West Beverly Hills, the fifth ever property for W Hotels and the brand’s entrée into the Los Angeles market. Wroblewski attended the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration. He began working with Starwood in 1999 as the Front Office/Front Desk Manager at The Westin Century Plaza Hotel and Spa in Los Angeles. He was quickly promoted to Director of Housekeeping, and subsequently, Director of Six Sigma. In 2003, Wroblewski began a new role as Director of Operations at The Westin Pasadena in Pasadena, California, followed by successful tenures serving at the Palms Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, and the W Chicago – City Center. Most recently, Wroblewski served as General Manager for the W New Orleans – French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wroblewski is committed to delivering the high quality guest experiences offered by Starwood Hotels & Resorts and is excited to continue the excellence of this iconic hotel. In his free time, Wroblewski enjoys exploring his new home of Los Angeles and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Starwood
Los Angeles, California, United States
Appointment

Todd Sicolo has been appointed as Executive Chef at UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center

Todd Sicolo, C.E.C., has been named executive chef for the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center currently under construction in the heart of UCLA’s main campus. The university-based conference center, which will offer 254 spacious guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, is scheduled to open in August of this year. Les Utley, general manager, made the announcement. As executive chef of the new Luskin Conference Center, Chef Sicolo will oversee the property’s entire culinary program, including the 162-seat restaurant & lounge, PLATEIA, serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with California-fresh, local ingredients and superb California wines. Todd Sicolo comes to his new position with more than 15 years of experience as executive chef for important hotels and resorts in multiple markets. Most recently he served as executive chef for The Shelborne Grand, a resort and spa in South Beach, Miami, Florida, where he worked directly with Celebrity Chef Morimoto. Previous to this appointment, Mr. Sicolo was executive chef for the Grove Park Inn and Spa of Asheville, North Carolina. Chef Sicolo has served as executive chef for such landmark properties as the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, the Boca Raton Resort and Spa of Boca Raton, Florida, and the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Earlier in his career he was executive chef for Little Dix Bay of the British Virgin Islands. Todd Sicolo is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, located in Hyde Park, New York. He is a member of the American Culinary Federation, and a Board Member of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Chef Sicolo has relocated to Los Angeles.

UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services
Los Angeles, California, United States
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Appointment

Ian Robert McClendon has been appointed as General Manager at The Redbury Hollywood

sbe’s boutique luxury hotel, The Redbury Hollywood announces the appointment of Ian Robert McClendon as General Manager. McClendon joins The Redbury team following the fifth year of the property’s debut and will oversee all operations and continue the acclaimed industry standard of excellence, creativity and exceptional service that has become synonymous with The Redbury experience. With over thirteen years of hospitality expertise, McClendon brings a forward-thinking approach to an elevated guest experience and service. Prior to The Redbury, McClendon held the position of General Manager for Kimpton’s new lifestyle brand, The Goodland, establishing the brand’s distinct heritage and implementing innovative initiatives that opened new revenue streams for the property. Previously, McClendon had been the General Manager at The Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, CA, where he spent several years as Director of Rooms and Assistant General Manager. His experience ranges from working with urban hotel properties, luxury resorts, casinos and boutique hotels including Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Willows Lodge, Swinomish Northern Lights Casino, Clise Properties- Hotel Division and Silver Cloud Hotel- Seattle-Broadway. In his spare time, McClendon loves to explore new cuisines and cooking, considers himself a bourbon connoisseur and is a passionate car enthusiast. His personal love and desire for creativity and adventure creates a unique approach to his hospitality tactics.

sbe
Los Angeles, California, United States
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Appointment

Hedy M. Varga has been promoted to Senior Sales Manager at UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center

Hedy M. Varga has been promoted to senior sales manager for the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center currently under construction on UCLA’s main campus. The university-based conference center, which will offer 254 guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, is scheduled to open in August of this year. Cindy Gagle, director of sales & marketing, made the announcement. A highly accomplished sales professional, Hedy M. Varga brings to her new role previous success as sales manager in the important pre-opening phase of the Luskin Conference Center, as well as sales leadership experience at multiple signature hotels in California. These include serving as director of sales for the Loews Hollywood Hotel, and in sales positions for the Sofitel Los Angeles, the Canary Hotel Santa Barbara, The Beverly Hilton, the Westin Century Plaza, The St. Regis Los Angeles and the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey. Ms. Varga's promotion is not her first successful experience with UCLA. As a child, she was successfully treated for a life-threatening illness at the UCLA Medical Center. "The doctors and specialists were wonderful and my family and I credit them for saving my life," said Ms. Varga. "So bringing health science groups to the new Luskin Conference Center is especially meaningful for me." Hedy Varga attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she achieved the Dean's Honor List. She also successfully completed the Hilton Customer-Focused Selling Sales College program, the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Training program and the Master Connection Association Sales Training Levels I and II. Ms. Varga is an active member of Meeting Professionals International and the California Society of Association Executives. A native of Los Angeles, Hedy Varga, her husband and their young son reside in Granada Hills, California.

UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services
Los Angeles, California, United States
Appointment

Yvonne Choi has been promoted to Chief Development Officer – Americas and Global Head of Residential at Cachet Hotel Group (CHG)

Yvonne Choi has been promoted to Chief Development Officer – Americas and Global Head of Residential. Over the past year, Choi successfully negotiated Cachet's entry into the America's with new projects in Los Cabos and Westlake Village, California. In this new position, Choi will oversee the development and expansion of CHG hotels, resorts and mixed-use developments throughout the Americas. Choi joins the Americas leadership team from Asia, where she was Chief Marketing Officer.

Cachet Hotel Group (CHG)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Appointment

Meredith Gelacak has been appointed as President of Hotel Operations, Americas at Cachet Hotel Group (CHG)

Meredith Gelacak joins CHG in a newly created position, as President of Hotel Operations – Americas, reporting to CEO Alexander Mirza. A veteran of the hotel industry, Gelacak brings more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including 15 years with Hilton Hotels Worldwide, where in her last role she served as Vice President of Food and Beverage where she oversaw US$2 billion dollars of revenue for Hilton Hotels, managing celebrity chefs and third party operator relationships. Gelacak also served as General Manager for several full service Hilton Hotels with an average key count of 400 rooms. In addition, she brings substantial entrepreneurial experience, from serving as Chief Operating Officer of a luxury spa venture featuring LVMH brands that managed the Waldorf Astoria New York Spa, to participating in the launch of the award winning French restaurant, Millesime, at the Carlton Hotel in New York.

Cachet Hotel Group (CHG)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Appointment

Jean-Jacques Reibel has been named Opening General Manager at InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles

Kenneth Macpherson, Chief Executive Officer of IHG, Greater China is pleased to announce that Jean-Jacques Reibel, a 32 year veteran of IHG, who has served as Managing Director of InterContinental Hong Kong for twelve years, will relocate to Los Angeles in April 2016 to become the opening General Manager of the new InterContinental Downtown Los Angeles, which is currently under construction. The new 900 room conference hotel owned by Korean Airlines is scheduled to open sometime in the latter part of 2017. Jean-Jacques’ last day at InterContinental Hong Kong will be 27th February 2016.

IHG
Los Angeles, California, United States
Appointment

Brian Taliaferro has been appointed as Senior VP Entertainment and Hospitality Practice at JLT Specialty USA

JLT Specialty USA, a U.S. subsidiary of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc. (JLT), one of the world’s leading specialty-focused providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Taliaferro as Senior Vice President for the Entertainment and Hospitality practice. Taliaferro, who will be based in JLT’s Los Angeles office, will lead the company’s Gaming and Hospitality Practice, in addition to developing and managing relationships with clients in the Entertainment Practice. He will also bring JLT his unique understanding of complex risk and insurance challenges of large, multinational gaming companies, regional casino operators, and tribal gaming entities. With 14 years of client expertise in the entertainment industry, Taliaferro joins JLT from Aon Risk Solutions, where he led the Gaming Practice as Senior Vice President. Prior to his role at Aon, Taliaferro served as a Process Analyst at Accenture.

JLT Specialty USA
Los Angeles, California, United States