Bringing more than 13 years of industry experience within the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts brand, the Hotel is thrilled to bring his knowledge and pedigree to the leadership team. In his role, Ludovic will lead the Sales & Marketing division for the 219-room skyscraper property atop of the city's Comcast Technology Center.
Raffles Boston Residences, set to open this Summer, is pleased to announce Michael A. Gackstetter will lead the property as Director of Residences. In joining the first North American property for the iconic Raffles brand, Gackstetter will oversee Raffles' 146 residential homes and 6 spectacular amenity spaces dedicated to the building's residents.Having managed luxury residential properties for more than 30 years, Gackstetter has opened such prestigious Boston properties as Fairmont Battery Wharf and Millennium Place, and most recently, served as General Manager at the boutique property Atelier 505, in Boston's South End. Gackstetter grew up in Westchester County, New York and attended Northeastern University where he majored in Communication and minored in Fine Art. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles and forged a multi-year career as a fashion model, working on both local and national campaigns. Gackstetter's transition into residential real estate was serendipitous. When an opportunity presented to manage his small LA apartment building, he found that it tapped into his love for people and his natural aptitude for real estate. Upon moving to Boston, Gackstetter soon began managing both luxury and high-rise buildings around the city, all the while taking enormous pride in mentoring his employees to become leaders.
With a distinguished 30-year career in strategic international marketing and business development, Aceves brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Director of Sales and Marketing role. Prior to joining The Knickerbocker, Aceves served as the Vice President of Business Development at Posadas Group, where he oversaw strategic international commercial communication and marketing implementation for luxury and upscale curated brands within the company's portfolio.
Hotel Paso Del Norte, Autograph Collection is pleased to announce the hiring of Adam Gautreaux as General Manager. Adam brings a wealth of knowledge from the hospitality industry, beginning his hotel career as a front desk clerk and working his way up to several General Manager positions at a number of other hotels before being recruited to El Paso.
Hiltons of Chicago Sales & Marketing Complex, representing Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel, Hilton Chicago, and The Drake Hotel, is pleased to announce the appointment of Carrie Murphy to Director of Sales. As a tenured sales leader with more than 17 years of experience with the Hilton brand across Chicago, Carrie is uniquely suited to lead the meeting professionals team in her new role, driving performance across Hilton Chicago, Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel, and The Drake.
Baccarat Hotel New York, the Forbes Five Star AAA Five Diamond hotel, names Ashfer Biju Executive Chef of the award-winning property. In this role, he will oversee all food and beverage operations at the hotel including the Grand Salon, The Bar and Le Jardin, and in-room dining.
Thompson Seattle, an Olson Kundig-designed lifestyle boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Seattle, is setting a new standard of luxury with a sophisticated edge with the launch of two new 1,000 square foot Penthouse Suites. The suites, perched at the top of the 12-story glass lantern structure and featuring breathtaking views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains, are equipped with a king bedroom, living room, dining room and fully equipped kitchens; washer/dryer, spa-like bathrooms, original artwork, and exclusive guest experiences. The suites will be unveiled just as the property welcomes the summer season with a fully refreshed Nest, the city's most exciting rooftop bar & lounge.
A 12-year hospitality veteran, Gagraj most recently was area director of sales with Marriott at Residence Inn and Courtyard in the Albany and Kingston market, where she oversaw both hotels and increased year-over-year revenue growth with increased sales by 10%. She has held multiple property level positions over the years, including marketing and catering sales manager with the Double Tree by Hilton in Schenectady NY. Gagraj is part a member at Discovery Albany and the Albany Chamber of Commerce. She received her degree in hospitality from Cornell University.
With 16 years of hospitality experience, Ptak began her career in the hospitality industry as night auditor at the Holiday Inn, Middletown, NY. Since then, she has risen steadily within the ranks, including night manager at the Hilton Albany and most recently the New England area manager with Visions Hotels. While there, she oversaw diverse teams at multiple hotels, during concurrent renovations, focusing on elevating the guest experience through exceptional service. Catlin has been previously involved with volunteering and contributing to various LGBTQ+ organizations. She received her associate degree in liberal arts/mathematics from SUNY Orange.
The U.S. hotel industry reported higher performance from the month prior, according to May 2023 data from STR.
The Heathman Hotel, an iconic lifestyle hotel in Portland, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Laura Maldonado as its new General Manager. With her passion for hospitality and a remarkable track record of success, Laura is set to lead the hotel into an exhilarating new phase of growth and transformation.
Shiji, the global hospitality technology innovator, has announced the promotion of Michelle Silverman to the role of Senior Vice President of Global Accounts. Silverman, a long-standing member of the Shiji team, brings extensive industry experience and a proven track record of success to her new position.
Park Hyatt New York today announced the appointment of Denise Florio as Director of Sales & Marketing of the 210-room luxury, five-star urban resort located on West 57th Street in the heart of bustling Midtown Manhattan. Florio joins the iconic, award-winning property with nearly 20 years of Hyatt experience earned at numerous properties prior to joining Park Hyatt New York.
Pioneering a new era in professional development, hotelBschool is thrilled to announce the launch the launch of its new online and on-demand training platform specifically designed for hotel industry professionals. The platform is tailored to meet the needs of hotel professionals seeking to enhance their skills and excel in their career. The current course catalogue includes hotel digital marketing, sales, metasearch, prospecting, STR report analysis, front desk reservation sales training, data analytics and the catalogue continues to grow.
American hotels will benefit from an important update to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Following months of collaboration with the American Hotel & Lodging Association and hotel owners across the country, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued new PPP eligibility guidelines today.
Newport Hospitality Group (NHG) commends the altruistic efforts of Vimal Desai, COO of HMV Management, and his family for their generous donation of LifeVac kits to all 38 schools within the Beaufort County School District (BCSD). These kits, designed as a safety measure in critical scenarios of choking and compromised breathing, serve as potential lifesavers.
Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, the French-inspired, luxury hotel located in Chicago's central Gold Coast neighborhood, has appointed Jean-Francois (JF) Fortin as the new Director of Food and Beverage. Known for mentoring and creating a collaborative workplace environment, Fortin brings his strong leadership skills and culinary expertise to Sofitel Chicago's renowned, fine dining venues.Born and raised in Quebec City, Canada, Fortin began his hospitality career nearly 27 years ago working as a night cleaner at a hotel, where he admired the restaurant team's commitment and sense of community. Ultimately, Fortin was inspired to attend culinary school, where he trained as a chef in Canada with a French influence. Since then, Fortin has held positions at various Accor properties around the world, from Executive Sous-Chef and Executive Chef at Fairmont Le Château Montebello, Executive Chef at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise to, most recently, Executive Chef at Fairmont Dallas.
The 134-Room Boutique, Family-Owned Hotel Offers Five Unique Food & Beverage Concepts, Panoramic Rooftop Views and World-Renowned Design, Redefining Luxury in the Dallas Market.
Matt Black has joined HVS Executive Search as Vice President based in New York City. Matt has over 8 years of experience leading senior and executive-level searches, both internally and externally, for hospitality and restaurant brands. Prior to joining HVS Executive Search, Matt worked as an external search partner for many globally renowned, chef-driven restaurant groups, lifestyle hotels, real estate owners/operators, and food-tech brands. He also led the internal Talent Acquisition function for a fast-casual restaurant group backed by Bain Capital.Matt's wide-ranging client experience, paired with an understanding that each client's unique characteristics require equally specific leadership across business functions, allows him to effectively partner with clients to identify, attract, and hire proven and impactful executive leaders. In his free time, Matt enjoys playing soccer, gallery and museum hopping, and exploring NYC's ever-evolving restaurant landscape. Matt holds a Master's degree in Human Resources Management from Georgetown University and a Bachelor's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Omni La Mansión del Rio and Mokara Hotel & Spa are delighted to announce the return of Yojainna Otero as Director of Catering & Conference Services where she will lead her teams towards achieving revenue goals while providing an overall great experience for all group events hosted by the hotels. Otero rejoined the team in January 2023 after spending 14 years as Director of Catering and Conference Services at The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio.