Crave Interactive, the world leading developer of cloud-based digital guest service solutions for hotels, today announced it will install its award-winning Crave T-Mini tablets in the newly developed EXchange Hotel Vancouver.
Jens Moesker has been appointed Regional Vice President, Pacific Northwest and General Manager of Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, BC. Jens joins Fairmont Hotels’ from his most recent position as Area Manager and General Manager of the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto where he oversaw the North American properties. Internationally raised and born into a family of hoteliers, Jens began his hospitality career in 1990 when he held a series of progressive Food and Beverage management roles in Europe, Middle East and the United States, including the acclaimed Hilton Jerusalem in Israel, InterContinental hotels in London and Germany, the Hotel Bristol Forte in Warsaw and the Jebel Ali Hotel in Dubai. In 2000 he joined Shangri-La as director of food and beverage at The Kerry Centre Hotel in Beijing and shortly after became resident manager at Shangri-La Hotel Changchun.
An international globe-trotter, Finamore brings over 35 years of hospitality experience and has worked with acclaimed properties around the world in the United Kingdom, Philippines, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and locations across the United States.
Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver has appointed a new Executive Chef, Weimar Gomez, a 16-year Four Seasons veteran, who has developed his talent in prestigious kitchens in Bogota, Miami, Paris and Shanghai.
Meghan WATCHORN ESSEC IMHI 2008 has been appointed as Regional Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Coast Hotels, Vancouver, Canada. Since she graduated Meghan has held numerous positions such as Revenue & Reservations Manager for Delta Bessborough, Account Manager for Booking.com, Tour Guide at Landsea Tours & Adventures (3 years) Vancouver, North Shore, Whistler & Victoria She is also Co-Founder and Owner of “The Peg Authentic” (street wear and lifestyle brand designed in Winnipeg, Canada.and Associate Watcor (Marketing Consulting Services. Projects include social media strategy, presentations, marketing, SEO, web development).
Philipp Posch is the pre-opening GM of the Trump International Hotel Vancouver in Canada (to be opened in the summer of 2016). He is a young and hardworking GM with an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, and dedication. Living a balanced life while working in the hotel industry may sound like an ideal situation, but it is a tall order to fill. Most successful hoteliers tend to work more hours than they are willing to admit. The reality is that "living a balanced life" in conventional terms is, for the most part, a myth. Hotel business is a 24/7 business at the management level; it is just not a 9 to 5 job! In addition, if you truly are passionate about what you do, you will put in more time and effort simply because you enjoy what you are doing.
Helen Pratt has been appointed Regional Director, Sales & Marketing for Fairmont Hotels, Pacific Northwest, based in Vancouver, B.C. In her new role, she will oversee Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Catering, and Conference Services for six properties in the portfolio; Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC; Fairmont Olympic in Seattle, WA; and four Vancouver hotels - Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont Vancouver Airport and the Fairmont Waterfront.
Brent Iverson has been appointed Director, Sales & Marketing, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and will be responsible for overseeing all Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management functions of the hotel. He brings over 16 years of hospitality sales experience to the position and started his hospitality career in 1996 in Fairmont's Rocky Mountain Region where he worked as Regional Manager, Tour & Travel Sales. In 2002, he became Regional Director, Western US Group & Incentive Sales in the same region and in 2007 moved to the Fairmont Waterfront where he worked for two years as Regional Director, International Group & Incentive Sales. In 2009 Iverson took on the role of Business Development Manager at Optimal Payments and in August 2011 moved to SnapAgent Ltd as Director, Marketing and Business Development.
Trump Hotel Collection announced today the appointment of Philipp Posch as the general manager of Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver, a $360 million mixed-use development that will transform the city skyline when it opens in 2016. Posch will transition from his current position at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, where he has played a key role in the opening of the renowned property, overseeing both the management of the hotel and its two-Michelin starred restaurant, Sixteen. Prior to joining Trump Hotel Collection, Philipp was a founding partner of Océo Restaurant and La Gazelle Lounge in New York City; the Food and Beverage Manager for the St. Regis New York; and has international experience managing the food and beverage programs at both The Oriental Bangkok and The Oriental Singapore. Philipp received his bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from École hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2002.
The team at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver is thrilled to welcome a brand new General Manager in Martin Sinclair. A thirty-year Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts veteran, Sinclair joins the Vancouver hotel most recently from Regent Singapore (A Four Seasons Hotel).
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts today announced the appointment of Philip Meyer as managing director of Rosewood Hotel Georgia in Vancouver, British Columbia. Philip will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the legendary hotel, including its recently-debuted Prohibition, popular alfresco lounge Reflections, 1927 Lobby Lounge and Sense, A Rosewood spa.
A Rosewood veteran, Al Bik has been with the brand since 2006, serving first as assistant director of rooms at Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel and then as hotel manager of Rosewood Jeddah. Prior to joining Rosewood, Al Bik worked in various managerial positions at hotels throughout the Middle East, including the Ajman Kempinski Hotel & Resort – where he played an instrumental role in opening the brand’s first property in the region – Jeddah Hilton and Kempinski Emirates Palace.
Accelerating growth in markets worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced the opening of Element Vancouver Metrotown – the second Element hotel to open in Canada. Owned by Bosa Properties and managed by Atlific Hotels, Element Vancouver Metrotown is part of Bosa's new Sovereign building, the tallest tower in Burnaby, British Columbia. Offering picturesque views of the North Shore Mountains and downtown Vancouver, the new Element features 169 light-filled rooms and suites and an atmosphere designed to fuel a life in balance and on the move. Element Vancouver Metrotown joins Element Vaughan Southwest in the greater Toronto region and will be followed by the opening of two more Element hotels in Canada next year.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced that an affiliate of Hyatt has sold the 644-room Hyatt Regency Vancouver to an affiliate of InnVest for approximately $123 million or $190,000 per key. The hotel will continue to operate as a Hyatt Regency hotel.
This is the second installment in a three-part series examining the impact of the Chinese market on Canada's lodging industry, with special emphasis on the city of Vancouver (Read first installment here). In this installment, we examine the unique context that informs the decisions of the Chinese investor, the motivations these investors have for investing in foreign markets, and why the Vancouver hotel market is poised to see an influx of Chinese capital.
This is the first installment in a three-part series examining the impact of the Chinese market on Canada's lodging industry, with special emphasis on the city of Vancouver. In this installment, we examine Vancouver's connection with Chinese immigration and the role that this history plays in the current surge of investment and tourism into Vancouver from the People's Republic of China. Chinese investor attitudes and tourism to Vancouver will be discussed in the second and final installments of the series.
I liken the running of a hotel to the movement of an army – all the various teams and squads coordinated in sync for a common goal. And indeed, the staff at a hotel is often a virtual army, numbering the hundreds with any departments' work invisible to the outside world (think covert ops). A property cannot function without these back-of-house processes, but because only fellow employees – and not guests – are privy to their inner details, it's not hard to sniff out what makes them truly effective.
The Vancouver luxury hotel has named Glenn Eleiter as hotel manager. He will now "oversee guest experiences at the historic hotel and maintain the superior luxury standards synonymous with the Rosewood brand." He comes to Rosewood from the L’Hermitage Hotel in Vancouver, where he was general manager. He began his hotel career with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in 1991, remaining with the brand for 11 years.
During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Mr. Koskela served as general manager at the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver. Mr. Koskela spent five years in the United States from 2005 to 2010, where he honed his senior management skills as director of food and beverage for the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, and as hotel manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C.
Mr. Halliday was selected from among key British Columbia industry influencers for his work defining standards for excellence in hospitality management, as well as his lasting contributions to making Vancouver, Canada’s premier luxury hotel capital. HSMAI BC will present the Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Holiday Networking event from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. November 27, 2013, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Prior to his retirement this past August as Managing Director of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Mr. Halliday spent 26 years in senior positions within Pan Pacific Hotels Group, most notably as Vice President and General Manager of Pan Pacific Vancouver for more than 10 years, first opening the hotel in 1986 for the World's Fair. To celebrate Mr. Halliday’s contributions to the industry, HSMAI BC will make a donation in his name to the BC Hospitality Foundation.