Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach today announced the appointment of Amaury Piedra as general manager. In this role, Piedra will be responsible for the hotel's overall success through the management of staff and day-to-day hotel operations.
Tafur, who originally joined the resort’s dynamic food and beverage team in March 2014 as sous chef, quickly rose through the kitchen ranks in the Miami outpost of acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini’s NYC roots-inspired American restaurant. Chef Tafur (29), a Brazilian native, moved to Colombia at a young age before coming to the United States as a teenager. The aspiring toque began his culinary career in Spain, honing his craft at a series of internships at Michelin star restaurants, before continuing to perfect his skills at Gotham Steak House at Fontainebleau Miami Beach and later Gotham Bar and Grill in New York City under culinary giant and James Beard award winning Chef Alfred Portale.
Stanton South Beach is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Mike Manzari as its new General Manager.
Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) www.hotelequities.com named Humberto "Bert" Allegue the Director of Sales for the Residence Inn by Marriott Miami Beach/Surfside, Florida. The unique, resort-style hotel with 175 suites is scheduled to open in late fall 2015.
Benchmark Hospitality International has named Jessica Milton regional director of public relations-Florida. John Davies, Benchmark’s vice president of marketing, made the announcement.Jessica Milton comes to Benchmark Hospitality International with 12 years of public relations experience, including time invested within the hospitality and travel industries. She most recently served as senior director for the Miami office of the New York City-based communications agency, Harrison & Shriftman. In this position, Ms. Milton worked on high profile hotel launches in Miami, Puerto Rico, and New York. Additionally, she has worked on projects for major media brands including Elle Decor and Harper’s BAZAAR, fashion labels Chanel and Prada, and multi-layered events like the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.
The St. Regis Bal Harbour resort today announces the addition of top talent Mauro Pinho to its sales force. Following his previous position with the prestigious Fasano Hotel Group in Brazil, Mr. Pinho joins The St. Regis Bal Harbour as Account Director of Luxury Leisure Sales.
Palace Resorts - the company that sets the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations- is pleased to announce the addition of three new Business Development Managers to the brand’s Field Sales Department. Gina Lavoice, Christina Kemp and Cindy Gongora will now manage the Eastern and Western markets, respectively. Following a record-breaking 2014, with a reported increase in travel demand, Palace Resorts is strengthening their sales department in an effort to continue this upward trend. Before joining the Palace Resorts team, Lavoice worked as a Front-Line Sales Executive at Wyndham Vacation Ownership for more than two years, where she was recognized as a key contributor for her outstanding sales accomplishments. Lavoice earned her dual Bachelor of Marketing and Bachelor of Wealth Management degrees from Coastal Carolina University’s Wall College of Business.
Palace Resorts - the company that sets the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations- is pleased to announce the addition of three new Business Development Managers to the brand’s Field Sales Department. Gina Lavoice, Christina Kemp and Cindy Gongora will now manage the Eastern and Western markets, respectively. Following a record-breaking 2014, with a reported increase in travel demand, Palace Resorts is strengthening their sales department in an effort to continue this upward trend. Prior to her post at Palace Resorts, Kemp created a solid foundation in social media and digital communication at Weber Shandwick, developing and analyzing digital campaigns. Her prior experience also includes event planning and media relations.
Palace Resorts - the company that sets the standard in five-star, all-inclusive resort accommodations- is pleased to announce the addition of three new Business Development Managers to the brand’s Field Sales Department. Gina Lavoice, Christina Kemp and Cindy Gongora will now manage the Eastern and Western markets, respectively. Following a record-breaking 2014, with a reported increase in travel demand, Palace Resorts is strengthening their sales department in an effort to continue this upward trend. As Business Development Managers, Lavoice and Kemp will focus their efforts on relations with valued travel agents based in the Eastern territory, working closely to ensure Palace Resorts remains top-of-mind. As part of their responsibilities, the new executives will assist travel professionals and keep them abreast of marketing tools and product updates including the newly relaunched Palace PRO Specialist program. Lavoice will collaborate with travel agents from Southern New Jersey, Staten Island and Delaware while Kemp will work specifically with agents in the Greater D.C. area, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Gongora, an additional source for agents, will focus on the Western territory with the goal of expanding travel agent partnerships for the brand.
Accor North America, Central America and the Caribbean (NCAC) region has announced the promotion of Balendra Nagesvaran to vice president of operations for Accor luxury and upscale brands in the region. The segment encompasses all Sofitel (luxury), Pullman (upscale), and MGallery (upscale) hotels throughout the region, excluding Cuba and the Dominican Republic. His role will also include the development of the luxury and upscale segment in the region, including Sofitel Mexico Reforma, set to open in 2017.
Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (www.hotelequities.com) announced the hiring of Sean McKeen as the General Manager of the new Residence Inn by Marriott Miami Beach-Surfside. The $52 million resort-style hotel recently topped out at 92nd Street and Collins Avenue in the Surfside area of Miami Beach. Hotel Equities who has an ownership position in the project is also managing the 175-room upscale property for their JV partner Hotel Development Partners (HDP) of Atlanta.
Alex Caceres recently joined the AC Hotel Miami Beach team as General Manager. The 150-room design-led hotel, scheduled to open April 13, is the AC Hotels flagship property and one of the first to open in the United States.
Olivere will lead the sales team in their role as ambassadors of Club Med’s unique value proposition contributing towards the brand’s global vision to be the worldwide leader in upscale, all-inclusive vacations.
Mr. Omeish joins the St. Regis Bal Harbour from the Hotel Monte Carlos & Casino Las Vegas where he was VP of hotel operations. Prior to that, Mr. Omeish spent 2 years at the MGM Grand Las Vegas and 8 years at several Four Seasons properties internationally and in the US, including the awarded Four Seasons Beverly WIlshire in Los Angeles.
Host Hotels & Resorts, the nation’s largest lodging real estate investment trust, in conjunction with Destination Hotels, the largest operator of independent hotels and resorts in North America, announced today the appointment of Nicole Whitaker as Director of Sales and Marketing at the new YVE Hotel Miami (YVE). The 243-room property which launched December 2014 is ideally situated in the heart of downtown Miami at 146 Biscayne Blvd.
Mr. Meli will focus primarily on expanding our select service/middle market investment sales practice throughout the southeast region, with a specific focus on the state of Florida, by continuing to work with Managing Directors Al Calhoun and Mark Fair in Atlanta, as well as with Managing Director Gregory Rumpel in Miami.
Benchmark Hospitality International®, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Edita Matic director of sales and revenue management for Marenas Beach Resort, located in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, north of Miami. Rikki Boparai, managing director of the Personal Luxury collection of Florida, made the announcement.
With more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, Maine de Biran began her career at Westin Hotels & Resorts’ regional office in New York City as National Accounts manager, responsible for corporate and associations accounts. She then moved to the travel industry segment with Rockresorts, a portfolio of luxury properties owned by Laurance Rockefeller. In 1990 Maine de Biran moved to Paris, France where she gained experience in the international arena and worked on various foreign hotel projects including Hotel Montalembert, Hotel Pont Royal and Hotel de Vigny. In 1996 Jane founded the luxury hotel representation firm JMB Associates (later rebranded to M Luxury Collection). The collection featured a wide array of luxury resorts and hotels worldwide, such as Auberge du Soleil, One Devonshire Garden, Miraval Spa and Hotel Pont Royal to name a few. She sold M Luxury Collection September 2014, just prior to joining the Trump National Doral family.
As General Manager, Wehen will oversee day-to-day operations, including the property’s onsite supper club, Kitchen 305, and widely acclaimed Aveda Seven Seas Spa & Salon. He will also manage sales, revenue management, finance and catering services for the property. In addition he is going to support the expansion of the Newport Group supporting transitions and conversions of new hotel projects.
JW Marriott Miami, the luxurious AAA Four Diamond hotel located in the heart of Brickell Avenue, is excited to announce Alex Paz as their new Executive Chef. Paz will lead the hotel’s culinary program, including restaurants The Trapiche Room, serving impeccable Mediterranean cuisine; La Terrazza Café and Bar, which serves American cuisine with a more casual ambiance; and Isabela’s, an American cuisine restaurant for breakfast and private events. Paz will also be responsible for elevating the hotel’s banquet offerings, creating personalized experiences and gourmet menus for groups of any size. Chef Paz prides himself in including a bit of Floridian flair in every dish he creates. He carefully sources his products from local providers, including north and central Florida’s top farmers and ranchers for home-grown meats and dairy. Based in Miami, he will also be able to feature the freshest seafood options on the menus, which are modified daily. The Chef attributes his unique cooking style to his travels throughout the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and South East Asia. Today, Chef Paz’s dishes are a careful blend of local and global cuisine, much like the city of Miami.