Barnes previously spent 14 years with Destination Hotels & Resorts, most recently serving at the Director of Catering at Colorado’s Inverness Hotel. She began her career in 1998 with Hostmark International and has held both operations and Sales and Catering positions, including Reservations Manager and Front Office Operations.
Jackson brings more than 20 years of hospitality industry experience to The Westin Westminster. She most recently served as a Senior Sales Manager at the Embassy Suites Denver Downtown, which is also managed by Denver’s Sage Hospitality. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, she previously held sales positions at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch, the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.
Dunn comes to the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel from the 1,377-room Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel where he was General Manager for five years. During that time, the hotel received honors for the highest Starwood Guest Points enrollments worldwide and was awarded Best Operational Innovation by Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Prior to that, Dunn was the General Manager at the 474-room Sheraton Gateway Toronto Hotel succeeding three years as General Manager at the Westin Edmonton.
With more than 15 years of hospitality experience, Burrell helped open The Westin Riverfront in 2008 as the Director of Operations, a position that he held for more than 4 years and where he oversaw the sustainable luxury efforts that helped the resort become Colorado’s first Silver LEED certified hotel.
With wide-ranging sales experience, much of it in the Colorado market, Todd Gehrke oversees all sales and marketing operations at Hotel Madeline Telluride, including creating innovative strategies targeted to meeting and event clientele. Gehrke is well acquainted with the Telluride market, having served as Director of Group & Conference Solutions at the Telluride Tourism Board for the past three years. Previously, Gehrke was Vice President of Sales - Leisure & Corporate Experiences at Dream Outdoors in Aspen; National Sales Manager - Corporate & Incentive at Hilton Hotels Corporation in South Carolina; and National Sales Manager at Rocky Mountain Connections, among other positions. He got his start in the luxury leisure travel industry, as a Travel Advisor and Agency Manager. Gehrke has received many accolades over his career, most recently being named one of "40 Under 40 Industry People to Watch" in 2012 by Connect Magazine. As a Certified Meeting Manager (Meeting Planners International) and Certified Travel Industry Executive (The Travel Institute), Gehrke's well-rounded education bodes to elevate opportunities for the destination.
A dynamic leader with more than a quarter century of experience in luxury ski resort management, Noel Daniel is now General Manager responsible for all daily operations at Hotel Madeline Telluride. Daniel didn't have to travel far to take on her new assignment, having served as Resort Manager of Hotel Madeline since 2009. Daniel's comprehensive knowledge of resort operations was garnered through positions at standout properties including General Manager of Peaks Resort in Telluride; opening Director of Operations at El Monte Sagrado Resort and Spa in Taos, New Mexico; and Resident Manager/Director of Operations at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Vail. Daniel got her start in North Carolina as Food and Beverage Director of the Highland Lake Inn in Hendersonville.
The JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek is pleased to announce that it has hired Colin Bennett to serve as a Sales Manager. Bennett has spent the last 12 years working with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, most recently serving as a Sales Manager at the Grand Hyatt Denver Downtown and the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. A graduate of California’s Sierra College, he previously held management positions at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento at Capital Park, the Grand Hyatt San Francisco on Union Square and the Hyatt Regency Tech Center Denver.
Denver’s Sage Hospitality, one of the nation’s top hotel management companies, has named Brandon Hendricks as the Area Director of Sales & Marketing overseeing Denver’s Oxford Hotel and the new Union Station hotel scheduled to open July 2014. Hendricks has been at Sage’s Westin Westminster since 2009, originally serving as the Director of Sales & Marketing before being promoted to Area Director of Sales & Marketing overseeing The Westin Westminster, Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis and Il Lugano in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Previously, Messina spent the majority of his career at the 1,600-room Anatole hotel in Dallas. From 1994 to 2011, he held various positions at The Anatole starting as director of Food & Beverage, as well as serving as director of Operations, before being promoted to general manager in 1994 of the 47-acre property. During his 17 years at The Anatole, Messina was the recipient of many awards, including General Manager of the Year in 2003 awarded by the Hotel Association of Greater Dallas. Under his leadership, the hotel also won Hotel of the Year in 2005 from the Hotel Association of Greater Dallas, Convention South’s Annual Readers Choice Award in 2009, and excellence awards from various meeting and convention groups for several consecutive years. In 2010, Messina oversaw the hotel’s first-time receipt of the AAA Four Diamond rating and was the driving force behind its most recent $160 million transformation. Most recently, Messina was general manager of an ultramodern and urban-chic loft-style boutique hotel located in the prominent Las Colinas neighborhood of Irving, Tex., near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. (NHHR) – a collection of luxury hotels and resorts – announces the appointment of Robert Sawyer as Director of Accounts to Gateway Canyons, located southwest of Grand Junction in Gateway, Colorado. In this role, Sawyer will be responsible for the Southwest, Texas, Southeast and Northeast markets.Boasting nearly two decades of sales experience within the hospitality industry, Sawyer joins the Gateway Canyons team most recently from Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, where he served as Account Director. In this role, Sawyer fostered new accounts, created and implemented quarterly sales and marketing plans in addition to negotiating sales contracts. Previously, Sawyer served as Director of Sales and Marketing for Le Meridian Dallas North, where he garnered new business while building upon existing client relationships. Sawyer’s meticulous sales experience also comes from his time with other hospitality clients, including: Fountainebleau Hilton Resort & Spa, The Breakers Palm Beach, Magnolia Hotel in Dallas, InterContinental Dallas Hotel and Galactic, Ltd.
Nick Kelley has been promoted to general manager of the Hyatt House Colorado Springs. Previously, he was the operations manager at the same hotel. Kelley started with White Lodging in 2010 at the Marriott Chicago Midway as the rooms operations supervisor. Prior to his experience at White Lodging, he was part of the Walt Disney College Program serving in a guest service hospitality role at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. Nick graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in lodging.
The Broadmoor is pleased to announce the appointment of Connie Dorsey to General Manager of The Ranch at Emerald Valley. With more than 25 years of experience in luxury hotel operations, Dorsey is charged with overseeing the August 2013 opening and managing day to day operations of The Broadmoor’s new luxury guest ranch, to include lodging, dining, activities and an overall exceptional guest experience.
With an established history of achieving dramatic, record-breaking revenue increases through the execution of targeted, creative and well-planned sales strategies, Cornell joins the Gateway team most recently from Magnolia Hotels, where she served as the Senior Sales Manager. In this role, Cornell successfully solidified more than 30 new accounts for corporate travel, maintained client relationships and was responsible for all incentive and entertainment travel within the Denver market. Previously, Cornell served as Catering Manager for Hotel Jerome, where she garnered new business while building upon existing client relationships.
Genotte most recently served as a Catering Sales Manager at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center in the Woodlands, Texas. She previously served as a Catering Manager at the Radisson Hotel in Albuquerque, N.M. and for Levy Restaurant, Sports and Entertainment in Phoenix, where she oversaw the catering operations for all events at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. A graduate of the University of Houston’s Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management, she also previously worked for Aramark at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
Payne most recently served as a Sales Manager at Denver’s Hotel Teatro. A graduate of San Diego State University, she previously served as a Sales Manager at the Sheraton Denver Downtown and the Omni Interlocken Resort and Spa in Broomfield. Managed by Denver-based Sage Hospitality, The Westin Westminster features an indoor heated lap pool, an outdoor spa and a fully equipped fitness center.
The Curtis - a Doubletree by Hilton is pleased to announce that Stephanie Perez has been hired as the Front Office Manager, otherwise known as the “Commander of Care” at Denver’s only pop culture-themed hotel.
Milne was most recently the Divisional Vice President of Revenue Management at Denver’s Sage Hospitality, which acquired the management contract for the 403-room convention center hotel last summer. Prior to joining Sage, Milne served as the Corporate Director of Revenue Management for Vail Resorts’ RockResorts luxury hotel brand and as a Market Director of Revenue Management for Marriott International, overseeing a group of 20 hotels anchored by the Denver Marriott City Center. She also served as the Director of Sales & Marketing for Mexico’s Camino Real Hotels. A graduate of Colby College, Milne holds an Executive MBA from the University of Denver and a Certificate of Hotel Marketing from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading US-based independent hospitality management company, has appointed David Dart director of human resources for Cheyenne Mountain Resort, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Todd Felsen, Benchmark’s general manager at the resort, made the announcement. David Dart was previously the director of human resources for Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, located near San Diego. He has held senior-level human resources positions for Hyatt Hotels at properties in San Francisco, San Diego and Lake Tahoe.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is pleased to announce Jaime Huttrer-Herick as Director of Sales and Marketing. Bringing more than 15 years of sales expertise in luxury ski properties, Jaime will oversee all sales, marketing, advertising and public relations efforts for the iconic AAA Five-Diamond mountain resort. Boasting an esteemed reputation amongst peers, clients and members of the community, Jaime began her successful career with the brand in 2008 as Director of Group Sales. Most recently, as Director of National Accounts, Jaime continued to mark professional achievements, creating strong relationships for key accounts that have greatly contributed to the Sales and Marketing Teams exceptional success, far surpassing their forecasted goals.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. (NHHR) – a collection of luxury hotels and resorts – announces the appointment of Erik Dombroski as Director of Sales and Marketing to Gateway Canyons Resort, located southwest of Grand Junction in Gateway, Colorado. In this role, Dombroski will provide leadership and oversee the day-to-day operations of the sales and marketing departments, while maintaining focus on the strategic goals of Gateway Canyons Resort. With an established history of achieving dramatic, record-breaking revenue increases through the execution of targeted, creative and well-planned sales strategies, Dombroski joins the Gateway team most recently from MetWest Terra Hospitality, where he served as the Director of Sales at the Topnotch Resort and Spa. In this role, Dombroski successfully led his team to increase room revenues by 10 percent each year while accomplishing a 20 percent improvement in both group and transient booking pace for the resort. Previously, Dombroski served as the Senior Sales Manager of the MetWest Terra’s Jackson Hole Collection, strengthening his leadership skills while continuing to exceed sales quotas.