Seattle-based hospitality management and consulting company Columbia Hospitality announced today a new management and operating agreement with Palm Mountain Resort & Spa. Located in scenic Palm Springs, Calif., the 142-room resort — equipped with a spa, pool and event space — joins Columbia Hospitality's portfolio of award-winning hotels. This is the first management contract for the company in Palm Springs.
Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, is set to open and operate a new hotel in Palm Springs, CA. Expected to open in late 2018, the property will be managed by Virgin Hotels and developed by Wessman Development.
La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, announced the appointment of Rich Hohman as executive director of golf effective November 30, 2015. Hohman will be responsible for one of the largest golf operations in the United States, with nine championship golf courses designed by masters of the game - Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Arnold Palmer - as well as the famed Pete Dye-designed TPC Stadium Course at PGA WEST. Hohman will also be responsible for operating five clubhouses and two private country clubs, The Club at PGA WEST and The Citrus Club at La Quinta Resort. Hailed as The Western Home of Golf in America®, PGA WEST is also home to the PGA WEST Golf Academy. A veteran of the golf and resort club industries with 25+ years' experience, Hohman previously served as President of Kitson & Partners Golf Division where he oversaw assignments for the Mauna Kea Resort on Hawaii's Big Island, Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami and PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. During his career, he has held senior executive posts responsible for more than 150 public, private and resort golf facilities throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Hohman's tenure includes key positions in planning, construction and operations of world class golf developments within The Ginn Company in Florida and operations and management posts within the American Golf Corporation, where he advanced to Senior Vice President of Operations overseeing 95 golf facilities in the eastern United States. Hohman received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a volunteer for The First Tee and enjoys reading and all sports. Rich and his wife Teresa will relocate to the La Quinta area from South Florida, and their two daughters are finishing up Masters programs in Florida.
Filament Hospitality announces the appointment of hotel veteran Marie-Helene Morowati to its executive team as general manager of V Palm Springs Hotel. Owned by celebrity lawyers Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck and set to open its doors this winter, the property is managed by Filament Hospitality, a full-service management company, specializing in dynamic resorts in exciting destinations worldwide.
Tribute Portfolio™, the newest collection of independent hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced that it will be debuting on the West Coast with the addition of the Riviera Palm Springs in California. Located on 21-acres in downtown Palm Springs, the resort has established itself as the go-to destination for locals and vacationers alike seeking the perfect desert getaway. Ahead of its debut as the Riviera Palm Springs, a Tribute Portfolio Resort, in November 2015, the property will undergo a multi-million dollar upgrade, including the addition of a new pool bar, wedding pavilion and enhanced lobby.
Hotel developers, city leaders and the Palm Springs tourism industry are keeping a tight lid on what a new mystery hotel might be, choosing instead, to speak in terms of what it might bring to the valley’s cachet of luxury accommodations.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management contract with Rael Development Corporation for an Andaz hotel in Palm Springs, Calif. The hotel will join Andaz hotels currently located in top resort destinations including Wailea (Maui), Napa (Calif.), and Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica), as well as other world-class cities such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Andaz Palm Springs is expected to open in late 2016.
Palm Springs and Coachella Valley are benefiting from a resurgence of interest from visitors and investors due to the revitalization of the area as a music, art, and architecture destination plus its established resort and golf facilities.
Riviera Palm Springs, situated at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains in the heart of old Palm Springs, today announced the appointment of Michael Macleod as director of sales and marketing. A native of Vancouver, Macleod brings to his new post a distinguished history working with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, including leadership roles at properties in Vancouver, Rancho Mirage and San Diego, and a proven ability to successfully increase sales and revenue in both the domestic and international markets. In his new role, Macleod will work to solidify the position of the hotel as well as develop and implement strategies that promote new business opportunities.Throughout his career, Macleod has focused on sales and marketing within the luxury hospitality industry. Before joining the team at Riviera Palm Springs, Macleod served as regional sales manager at BellStar Hotels & Resorts, associate director of sales at Pan Pacific Vancouver, director of sales at Starwood Hotels and Resorts in San Diego, director of sales and marketing at Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa, sales manager and interim director of sales and marketing at Westin Bayshore Vancouver, and sales manager at Furry Creek Golf and Country Club.
Hard Rock International – with hotel locations fromBali toCancun,San Diego toSingapore andChicago toMacau – announces plans to open Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs in Fall 2013, bringing the legendary Hard Rock vibe to one ofSouthern California's hottest vacation destinations. Hard Rock International, in collaboration with Kittridge Hotel Management, will transform the former Hotel Zoso into an enviable hotel destination, reflecting the famed Hard Rock brand in a city known for its year-round sunshine, clear skies and endless activities.
Michael joins the Riviera team most recently from Lakeway Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, where he served as Director of Sales and Marketing since 2009. During his time there, he was active in the commmunity through his involvement with the local chamber and ACVB committees.
Riviera Palm Springs announces the appointment of Chef Aaron Burns as Executive Chef, creating mouth-watering cuisine at the award-winning Circa 59. With more than 20 years of culinary experience, spending extensive time cooking in Napa Valley, Chef Burns characterizes his cuisine as classic Mediterranean.
In his new position, Brassie will oversee sales and marketing activities – including advertising, collateral development, online outreach and sales strategies – for the 406-room resort, a refurbished Palm Springs landmark owned and operated by Noble House Hotels & Resorts. “We are very pleased to have Ty on our professional team,” said Karl Kruger, vice president, managing director for Riviera Resort & Spa. “His considerable expertise will be invaluable to our resort as we take it to even higher levels of excellence.” A seasoned hospitality industry veteran, Brassie was most recently complex director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Westin Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale and Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. Here, he was charged with the repositioning and rebranding for the two landmark properties – encompassing 958 guestrooms and more than 50,000 square feet of function space during a multi-million-dollar renovation. During his tenure at Starwood, Brassie also served as director of sales and marketing for the Westin and Sheraton Our Lucaya Resort on Grand Bahama Island, Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ twin Grand Bahama Island resorts. He was also a director of sales and marketing for The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, overseeing marketing and group and leisure sales for high-end properties in Miami Beach and Naples, Florida. Brassie has also held executive positions at Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort & Casino in Incline Village, Nevada and the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa on Maui. He began his career as a sales manager for Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. A native of Niles, Michigan, he holds a bachelor of science degree in commercial recreation management from Michigan State University. He is actively involved in a number of professional organizations, among them the National Business Travel Association, the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, the Professional Convention Management Association, the Financial & Insurance Planners Association and Meeting Professionals International.
According to Jake Donoghue, chief executive officer of Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Kruger will oversee day to day activities at the newly revived Palm Springs hot spot, which re-opened late last year following an extensive two-year modernization project. With more than thirty years of high level management experience in the hospitality industry, Kruger was most recently senior vice president of operations for Seattle-based Cruise West, a boutique exploration cruise line with nine ships, each accommodating from 73 to 120 guests. He has a proven track record with the Noble House team, and was previously managing director for the company, overseeing The Edgewater and Hotel Deca in Seattle.