Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort announced the appointment of Theo Schofield as the new general manager. An industry veteran, Schofield has been with Omni Hotels & Resorts for more than 10 years.
Craig Schoninger joins The Inn at Palmetto Bluff from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. During his time with The Ritz-Carlton, Schoninger oversaw properties in South Beach, Palm Beach and Amelia Island.
Originally from Dayton, OH, Kendall graduated from Ashland University with a Bachelor's in Hotel Restaurant Management. He gained invaluable experience during his time in the Management Trainee Program at the Atlanta Airport Marriott as well as his time at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest at the Galleria. He's served the Columbia market for four years and has been a GM for 12 years. His philosophy is to take care of his associates, so that his associates are better able to take care of hotel guests and attend to their varied needs.
Prior to joining The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, Reich was the regional director of sales and marketing for The Westin Baltimore Washington Airport and Sheraton Baltimore Washington Airport Hotel. Reich has also held the roles of regional director of sales and marketing for a number of prominent hotel brands including Interstate Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels and Wyndham Hotels. He began his career with Marriott, growing to become Director of Sales and Marketing. Originally from Orlando, FL, he graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Hospitality Management.
Prior to joining The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, Orndorff was the spa director and marketing and social media manager of Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord Golf Resort & Spa where she was responsible for the operation and management of the resort's spa facility, marketing, forecasting and budgeting as well as staff training. Orndorff has also held the roles of spa manager and esthetician at Valeria Salon Spa Boutique located in North Carolina. Previously, Terra was a management trainee and senior sales representative at Peel's Salon Services where she educated professionals on products, services, and marketing strategies. Originally from Nebraska, she graduated from Southeast Community College with a degree in Business Administration Marketing and Management, successfully completed an Esthetics Program from Xenon International and is a licensed esthetician.
Montage Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Marcus Jackson as General Manager of The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, a Montage Resort, in Bluffton, S.C. Jackson, who has spent almost six years as general manager of Montage Deer Valley, will oversee all operations of the classic Lowcountry address, including The Inn at Palmetto Bluff's two-year expansion project that will welcome 150 additional guestrooms and more than 30 Montage-branded residences in 2016.
Former Marketing and Communications Manager, Ivie Parker has been promoted to Director of Marketing at Wild Dunes Resort. Parker has elevated the resort's public relations platform to new heights through implementing new revenue drivers, developing creative campaigns and strong acquisition strategies and serving as Destination Hotel & Resort's Marketing Affinity team- co-chair. A graduate of the College of Charleston, Parker was formerly a partner in her own Interior Design Company, Parker-Sims Interiors, LLC before her move to Wild Dunes Resort in 2010.
Former Assistant Director of Sales and Chair of the Food and Beverage Affinity Team, Eric Pease has been promoted to Director of Group Sales at Wild Dunes Resort. A consistent mentor for the sales team, Pease was recognized as 2011 Sales Executive of the Year and 2010 Manager of the Year, in addition to holding the record in 2013 for largest booking year by a salesperson in Wild Dunes Resort history. A graduate of Purdue University, Pease formerly worked at Destination Hotel & Resort's The Rizzo Conference Center and the Carolina Inn before his move to Wild Dunes Resort in 2009.
Former Director of Sales, Jody Harris has been promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing at Wild Dunes Resort. A well-respected leader within Destination Hotels & Resorts, Harris continued to drive the sales at Wild Dunes Resort through coaching, business development and tool utilization. Harris was presented the award for 2013 Sales Leader of the Year, while his team earned 2011 Sales Team of the Year. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Harris was formerly Sales Manager at Vail Cascade before his move to Wild Dunes Resort in 2000.
St. Louis-based hotel owner, operator and developer, Midas Hospitality announces the hiring of Michael Heater, General Manager – Candlewood Suites – Greenville, South Carolina. Michael’s hospitality journey began over 20 years ago as the Assistant General Manager of The Phoenix Inn – Greenville, SC and most recently the Assistant General Manager of the Embassy Suites Resort & Conference Center in Greenville, SC. Michael attended Clemson University and Brevard College where he studied Financial Management. He is very active in the Greenville Community and is a graduate of Leadership Greenville Class XXVII. Michael has held Board positions with the Greenville Chamber Leadership Alumni, Youth Leadership, and Opportunity Greenville. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the South Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association Greater Greenville Chapter.
Neely brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience to The Beach House, having spent the last seven years as Resort Manager at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Va., where he directed day-to-day operations for the 405-room lodge, as well as the waterpark, conference center, spa, restaurants and retail space. Prior to his time at Great Wolf Lodge, Neely was Director of Operations for HMP Properties, where he managed five properties across multiple brands, and was General Manager of the Country Inn and Suites in Annapolis, Md. before that. Neely earned his degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Penn State University. Formerly the Holiday Inn Oceanfront, The Beach House, a Holiday Inn Resort –Hilton Head Island finalized a complete transformation in March of 2012, including the guestrooms , the addition of a sophisticated oceanfront lounge, updated restaurant and new decking for the Tiki Hut. Nearly 5,000 square feet of meeting space, including the second-floor Sky Room with its spectacular ocean views, were also renovated to reflect the coastal surroundings and better accommodate groups.
Jay Wiendl was named General Manager at the Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island today. In this role, he oversees all operations of the 340 room resort and leads the executive committee, which plans and guides all present and future hotel initiatives. Jay joined Sonesta in January 2011. Prior to accepting this position, he was Director of Hotel Operations at the Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans. Before joining Sonesta, Jay was resort manager for the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, and held positions including general manager, operations manager and F&B director in hotels in Florida and Illinois with Marriott and Crowne Plaza.
Charleston Place Hotel , located in the heart of Charleston’s historic district, appoints Kristyn Brinker as National Sales Manager. In her new role at the iconic 435-room Orient-Express property, Brinker will oversee group sales originating from South Carolina and the Washington, D.C. area. Ideal for groups of all sizes, Charleston Place features the award-winning Charleston Grill; Palmetto Café; The Thoroughbred Club; The Spa; more than 30,000 square feet banquet, conference and seminar services; and the Riviera Theater.
Jim Berkley came to Greenville from the Renaissance Orlando Airport, another JHM Hotels property. There he oversaw and managed an extensive renovation and repositioned the hotel as a market leader. As General Manager, he was responsible for driving annual revenues to new heights, including growing the food and beverage sales in the Renaissance’s extremely busy conference space and restaurants. That experience will serve Jim well at Hyatt Regency Greenville, as he manages the renovation and opens the new demonstration kitchen restaurant, Roost. Berkley achieved and holds the coveted Certified Hospitality Administrator designation, and has won many awards, including General Manager of the Year for JHM, Marriott Award for Best Renovation, and Marriott Guest Satisfaction Award.
Fred Julius, Vice President of Operations for The Wilderman Group announced the promotion of Lauren Braxton to Sales Manager at the multi-use 30,000-square-foot Gastonia Conference Center in Gastonia, NC.Born and raised in Gastonia, Lauren holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and gained solid experience as an intern at the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) which provided her with an enthusiastic pursuit of a career in meeting and event planning.
Kristin D. Kurie of Johns Island, SC has been appointed President of The Wilderman Group, the Charleston, SC-based hospitality management company. Kristin has served for six years as Vice President of New Business for The Wilderman Group, where she managed the overall sales and marketing strategies as well as sales training and the pursuit of new business opportunities. As President, she will concentrate on the day-to-day operations of the business and continue to oversee the development of new business opportunities for the company. Kristin Kurie is a 27-year veteran of the hospitality sales and marketing discipline, having served as director of sales and marketing at Doral Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center, considered one of the nation’s premier conference centers. Her experience covers a wide range in the hospitality and meetings industries and she brings a national reputation for her expertise in conference center management and consulting. Ms. Kurie served as a director of the International Association of Conference Centers and was active on the marketing and sustainability committees. She remains involved with the association and is a frequent presenter at the IACC Annual Conference focusing on sales and marketing. She was presented the coveted Award of Excellence from IACC for her years of service to the association and to the conference center industry.
Spencer began his career with Marriott in 1998 in Nashville, Tenn. where he served as a front desk clerk at the Nashville Airport Marriott. From there he held various management roles at both the former Fort Lauderdale Marina Marriott in Florida and the Courtyard Charlotte Arrowood in North Carolina.
HVM LLC, which manages the 685-property Extended Stay Hotel chain, has named Michael J. Haaf Chief Marketing Officer. In this new position, Mr. Haaf will be responsible for marketing, brand strategy and positioning, as well as sales and revenue management. The announcement was made today by Gary DeLapp, president and CEO of HVM, to whom Mr. Haaf will report. Mr. Haaf has made a career of successfully invigorating sales, identifying new sources of profitability and reviving brand equity for some of the most recognizable companies in the U.S. He served, most recently, as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Strategy for Food Lion LLC. Prior to that he held senior leadership positions at Office Depot, First USA Bank, Haemonetics Corporation and General Electric Company and was a senior consultant at KPMG.
Chadwick’s stellar resume includes opening the Five Star, Five Diamond St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA, as well serving as executive chef at the Meadowood Napa Valley Resort, which has earned three stars from the Michelin Guide. He also served as the executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas, and previously operated his own acclaimed restaurant, Andrew Chadwick’s at Rutledge Hill, in Nashville, TN. As a long-time student of John Ash, one of the fathers of America’s local cuisine movement, Chadwick aims to embrace the rapidly growing market for South Carolina grown and raised produce.
Fredericks was vice president of sales and marketing at Wild Dunes for five years before being promoted to the top operations position at the property. While overseeing the sales and marketing function he was named one of the “25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing” by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. Before joining the Wild Dunes team, Fredericks worked for the Monarch Hotel in Washington, D.C. before it was sold to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. At the Monarch, Fredericks was director of sales and marketing for the 415-room property. Fredericks worked for Westin Hotels in a variety of locations including Tampa Bay, Kansas City, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver, before he joined Destination . Fredericks received his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Denver and a Master’s Degree from Bowling Green State University.