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Hermann W. Elger has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Baccarat Hotel New York

Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hermann W. Elger as Managing Director of Baccarat Hotel New York and Chief Operating Officer of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts. In this role Hermann will oversee the day to day operation of the flagship hotel, owned by China Insurer Sunshine Insurance Group, and play a leadership role in the development of new hotels opened under the Baccarat Hotel brand in the future.

Ashley M. Mahon has been appointed as General Manager at Hyatt House New York/Chelsea

Lexin Capital and Real Hospitality Group (RHG) are pleased to announce the appointment of Ashley M. Mahon as general manager of the new Hyatt House New York/Chelsea, which will debut in the fall of 2016 as the brand’s first New York City location. Leading up to the hotel’s opening, Mahon will oversee the new build hotel that is being developed by Lexin Capital, a private investment, development and management company.

Howard J. Esquirol has been appointed as Director of Finance at Doral Arrowwood

The newly merged Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, recognized global leaders in the management and marketing of resorts, hotels and conference centers, have formally announced the appointment of Howard J. Esquirol as director of finance for Doral Arrowwood, located in Rye Brook, New York. Mike McNeill, general manager for Doral Arrowwood, made the announcement. Howard Esquirol was most recently director of finance for the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel. He previously served as regional controller and vice president of accounting for the Waterford Hotel Group. Earlier in his career he held controller positions for hotels throughout the country and in the Caribbean. Mr. Esquirol received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. He resides in Stonington, Connecticut.

Hermann W. Elger has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Baccarat Hotel New York

Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hermann W. Elger as Managing Director of Baccarat Hotel New York and Chief Operating Officer of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts. In this role Hermann will oversee the day to day operation of the flagship hotel, owned by China Insurer Sunshine Insurance Group, and play a leadership role in the development of new hotels opened under the Baccarat Hotel brand in the future.

Mike McNeill has been appointed as General Manager at Doral Arrowwood, Rye Brook, New York

The newly merged Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, recognized global leaders in the management and marketing of resorts, hotels and conference centers, have formally announced the appointment of Mike McNeill as general manager for Doral Arrowwood located in Rye Brook, New York. Greg Champion, Co-President, made the announcement. Mike McNeill was previously managing director for Dolce Norwalk of Norwalk, Connecticut. At the same time, he held regional responsibilities overseeing Dolce Palisades in Palisades, New York, Dolce Basking Ridge of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, which Benchmark had earlier repositioned to an open-market property, and Wyndham Hamilton Park located in Florham Park, New Jersey.

Tiffany Gallagher has been appointed as General Manager at The Crowne Plaza Syracuse

TJM Properties, a leading Florida-based real estate and hospitality company, has named Tiffany Gallagher general manager of its newest hotel property, The Crowne Plaza Syracuse. The appointment is part of TJM's ongoing expansion into the area of hospitality management. The company has purchased three new hotels in the past eight months in Central New York, Pennsylvania and Mississippi and appointed seven new general managers, sales executives, financial controllers and specialists in the area of Human Resources, Engineering and Information Technology.

Craig Burdick has been promoted to Director of Food & Beverage at New York Hilton Midtown

As a New York Hilton Midtown veteran, Burdick was previously the executive director of banquet operations since 2006 where he generated over $50 million annually. Prior to that, Burdick served as the director of banquets at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. His career in food and beverage operations began at the Sheraton Wilmington in Delaware as the director of banquets and later as director of food and beverage operations. Craig is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel Restaurant Management.

Elie Kik has been appointed as Director of Sales and Marketing at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

Elie joins The Carlyle from The St. Regis New York, where he held the position of Director of Sales. During his time in this role, he re-established and oversaw the department, implemented a successful solicitation strategy and created a strategic sales and marketing plan to grow market share. He also assumed the role of interim director of sales and marketing for several months during a transitional period at the hotel. In addition, Elie has held positions in various departments including food and beverage, rooms division and sales with La Cigale Hotel Beirut, President Wilson Geneva and Starwood Hotels New York City.

Randall Richardson has been appointed as Director of Banquets for Union Square Events at Conrad New York

In partnership with Union Square Events, Conrad New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Randall Richardson to director of banquets. With more than 15 years of event planning experience in the New York City market, Richardson brings his expertise to lower Manhattan’s premier waterfront hotel where he will manage the planning and execution of all events by Union Square Events, the hotel’s exclusive catering partner. In his new position, Richardson will play an integral role in expanding team training efforts, enhance and streamline processes at the two institutions, and ensure Union Square Events continues to deliver excellence to Conrad New York and its clients. Prior to this role, Richardson was assistant director of banquets at CPS Events at The Plaza Hotel in New York. During his time at CPS Events, Richardson was responsible for the supervision of all banquet management personnel and oversaw front of house staff and beverage program operations in their entirety. Richardson began his career as banquet events manager in 2002 at Pier Sixty and remained with the company through April 2014. He quickly moved up the ranks from assistant director of banquets, to senior corporate catering sales manager in 2008, where he was responsible for managing Pier Sixty’s multimillion dollar sales portfolio and day-to-day operations. After acquiring a multitude of hospitality experience at Pier Sixty, Richardson joined the team at The White Apron, where he served as director of events and sales. Richardson currently resides in North Bergen, N.J. and received his Bachelor’s Degree from Elon College in Burlington, N.C.

Rebecca Hubbard has been appointed as General Manager at Lotte New York Palace

Lotte New York Palace announced today the appointment of long time hotel manager, Rebecca Hubbard, as the new General Manager. Hubbard, approaching her five-year anniversary with the property, has established herself as a leading force in maintaining and growing the property’s esteemed reputation through her true passion and extreme dedication.

Vincent de Croock has been named Director of Sales, Marketing & Events at Hyatt Times Square New York

Prior to this role, de Croock was the Director of Sales & Marketing at De L’Europe in Amsterdam, in which he managed a team of 19 to achieve 14 consecutive record-setting months in room revenue. No stranger to the Hyatt family, he began his career in hospitality in 2005 at the Park Hyatt Madrid as Sales Manager and later Senior Sales Manager. He later moved to Park Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC where here served as Associate Director of Sales at Park and later Director of Sales & Marketing at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables in Florida. De Croock was also the opening Director of Sales & Marketing at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica.De Croock graduated from the Superior School for Hotel Management Maastricht, Netherlands. He has been recognized with various awards during his time at Hyatt properties including Department of the Year and Manager of the Quarter.

Thomas Gisler has been promoted to Director of Food & Beverage at Cornell University's Statler Hotel

The Statler Hotel on the Cornell University campus is pleased to announce the promotion of Thomas Gisler to director of food and beverage. Gisler had served as executive chef of the Statler since 2005. In his expanded role, he will leverage his substantial culinary wisdom and experience as he oversees both front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house food-and-beverage (F&B) operations at the hotel.

Alain D’Addio has been appointed as General Manager at Novotel New York Times Square

Novotel, the midscale brand from AccorHotels, has announced the appointment of Alain D’Addio as General Manager of Novotel New York Times Square. In this role, D’Addio will oversee all operations of the hotel’s U.S. flagship, with responsibilities including sales and marketing, food & beverage, and assuring an inviting and exciting stay for guests. D’Addio joins Novotel New York Times Square from Novotel Moscow City, where as General Manager he created innovative food & beverage projects; achieved the highest turnover, profitability and fee contribution to AccorHotels Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States; and played a key role in helping the hotel become a market leader.

Kevin Toomer has been appointed as Director of Sales at BridgeStreet

BridgeStreet Global Hospitality the leading solution for international serviced apartment experiences announces the appointment of Kevin Toomer as Director of Sales for New York City. Kevin will focus on leading BridgeStreets New York City sales team and driving revenue in the market. In addition, he will be a valuable contributor in the areas of marketing, business development and strategy.

Cara Leonard has been appointed as Senior Managing Director at Savills Studley

Savills Studley announced today that it has strengthened its commercial real estate structured financing capability with the addition of Cara Leonard, an experienced hotel investment banking recruit who will join the groups Hotel Investment Banking platform as Senior Managing Director in Los Angeles. Cara will be part of Savills Global Hotel Group led by George Nicholas. Prior to joining Savills Studley, Cara was the strategic head of the structured finance platform at Lowe Enterprise Investors (LEI) where she was responsible for sourcing, underwriting, structuring and negotiating debt and preferred equity investments in hotels. In that role, she also led portfolio and asset management and played a key role in capital formation and investment strategy. While at LEI, Cara also served as the portfolio manager for the firm’s hospitality fund and led investor marketing for the firms comingled funds and separate accounts.

Abby Murtagh has been appointed as Resident Manager at Waldorf Astoria New York

The previous Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage, Murtagh will continue to bring powerful leadership, direction and operational accountability for both rooms and food and beverage divisions in her new role as Resident Manager. With experience spanning twenty years in the hospitality industry, Murtagh has held impressive leadership roles throughout her career within diverse enterprises, including Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company, CapStar, Interstate, Kimpton, Merritt/HEI, Northwood Hospitality and the Luxury division of Hilton Worldwide. Murtagh earned a bachelor’s degree from The Cornell School of Hotel Administration with a concentration in Food and Beverage.

David Garcelon has been promoted to Director of Food & Beverage at Waldorf Astoria New York

Garcelon is no stranger to the kitchen with over twenty years of executive chef experience held at various locations across North America. In addition to his previous role as Director of Culinary at Waldorf Astoria New York, Garcelon’s extensive experience in the industry make him uniquely qualified for his new role as Executive Director of Food & Beverage. Prior to joining Waldorf Astoria New York, Garcelon held positions at Fairmont Royal Hotel in Toronto, The Fairmont Southampton Bermuda, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, Alberta; and CP Hotels’ The Lodge at Kananaskis, Kananaskis, Alberta where he implemented programming to support sustainability and further his passion for food. Garcelon, a transplant from New Brunswick, Canada, is a graduate of Cornell University and alumni of the Culinary Institute of Canada. He is also a Certified Food and Beverage Executive with the American Hotel & Motel Association and a Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation.

William Parris has been appointed as National Sales Director at Gemstone Hotels and Resorts

Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, a full-service hotel management company that specializes in operating luxury and upscale urban hotels and resorts, today announced that William Parris has joined the company as national sales director. In his new position, Parris will open a NYC sales office, with a focus on group and national accounts, as well as the social, entertainment and travel industry markets. With 16 operating hotels, and several others either opening or coming under management over the next year, Parris’ impact will be felt immediately throughout the national portfolio.

Paul McNeil has been appointed as General Manager at Marriott Syracuse Downtown

The Marriott Syracuse Downtown today announced the executive leadership team for the historic hotel. Currently in the latter stages of a $70 million renovation to restore the historic former Hotel Syracuse to its 20th Century grandeur, the hotel is slated to open in July 2016. Experienced hotelier, Paul McNeil was named General Manager of the property in 2015.