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Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Opens

Things will get really hot in Texas beginning in July when a very cool Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel welcomes its first guests. Guests who defy conventional travel and prefer to blur the lines between business and pleasure will be well rewarded with the newly built luxurious hotel. Located in Plano, Texas on Legacy Drive at the intersection of Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121, the premier 304-room, 15-story hotel within the walkable epicenter of the $3 billion Legacy West urban mixed-use project is poised to bring a unique brand of hospitality sizzle and Zen to the progressive, recently opened development that boasts the North American headquarters of Toyota, United States headquarters of JC Penney and Frito-Lay and the regional headquarters of FedEx Office. Legacy West is the largest mixed-use development being built in North Texas.

Hyatt Place Austin/Round Rock Celebrates Official Opening

Hyatt Place Austin/Round Rock, the first, Hyatt-branded hotel, Round Rock, Texas is officially open. The 138-room hotel features the Hyatt Place brand"s intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities, such as free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food offerings. The hotel is owned by Sundance Hotel LLC and managed by Cincinnati, Ohio-based Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group, LLC.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Announces New Hotel in San Antonio

Embassy Suites by Hilton, a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT), announced today the opening of a newly-built hotel in San Antonio, Texas. Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Brooks Hotel & Spa is currently the only full-service hotel on the south side of San Antonio, where guests can stroll along the San Antonio River Walk or soak up local history at the San Antonio Missions. Embassy Suites by Hilton prides itself on offering guests an approachable and stress-free experience at each of its spacious, all-suites hotel properties.

Greg Dawes has been named Member at HFTP's International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame

Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is pleased to announce that Greg Dawes and Monika Nerger will be inducted into the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame at the 45th Annual Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) in Toronto, Ontario Canada next month. Greg Dawes is currently solutions architect/technical director at VT Group. He has 30+ years of experience in the communications industry with more than 15 years building relationships in the hospitality, education, government and healthcare verticals. He is a true GPON expert, and has been involved with optical LAN almost since the inception of the technology; his strength lies in designing and promoting Passive Optical LAN as the preferred infrastructure of choice in these markets. Dawes is an active member of Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), where he has authored a wide range of published works including: white papers, best practice guides, case studies, webinars and more. In 2012, he founded HTNG’s Fiber to the Room (FTTR) workgroup, and has been the chairman or co-chair of the group ever since.

Jay Spurr has been appointed as Director of Sales and Marketing at JW Marriott Austin

JW Marriott Austin is pleased to welcome Jay Spurr back to Austin as the Market Director of Sales and Marketing. Jay brings nearly 30 years of hospitality experience to this new position and will be primarily responsible for leading the JW Marriott Austin sales and marketing team with expanded responsibilities supporting the new Austin Marriott Downtown, set to begin construction this year. The return to Austin is a homecoming for Spurr, who previously served as the Director of Sales and Marketing for JW Marriott Austin from 2011-2015.

Michael Salerno has been appointed as General Manager for Neighborhood Services at Omni Frisco Hotel

Michael Salerno will serve as general manager for Neighborhood Services overseeing all financial, managerial and operational aspects of the American fare dining establishment. A North Texas native, Salerno brings more than 10 years of leadership experience in food and beverage to the Omni Frisco Hotel. He joins Omni from his role as general manager for Neighborhood Services in Addison, Texas. Prior to that, he served in assistant general manager positions for Fireside Pies in Plano, Texas, The Front Room at Hotel Lumen in Highland Park, Texas, and Salerno’s Restaurant in Flower Mound, Texas.

Dave Ricci has been appointed as Director of Human Resources at Omni Frisco Hotel

As director of human resources, Dave Ricci joins the Omni Frisco Hotel from Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, where he served in the same capacity since 2013. Prior to joining the Omni brand, he served as area director of human resources for Destination Hotels & Resorts, responsible for The Driskill in Austin and Hotel Derek in Houston. Ricci earned a Bachelor of Science in human resources management and services from California State University-Long Beach. He is a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional.

Justin McNeely has been appointed as Director of Engineering at Omni Frisco Hotel

Justin McNeely will be the director of engineering for the new luxury hotel. He moves to the Omni Frisco Hotel from Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West where he has served as director of engineering since 2014. Prior to his time at Omni Park West, McNeely served as assistant director of engineering at Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas. During his tenure with the brand, he has held a number of positions including technical engineer and engineering supervisor.

Gayla Guyse has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing at Omni Frisco Hotel

Gayla Guyse will serve as the property’s director of sales & marketing responsible for overseeing all sales and marketing efforts including managing, developing and implementing strategies that drive group, catering, business and leisure travel revenue. An accomplished 19-year Omni veteran, Guyse has held a number of leadership roles within the company including director of sales & marketing, director of catering & convention services and group sales manager, all at Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West.

Ken Woods has been appointed as Director of Finance at Omni Frisco Hotel

Industry veteran Ken Woods will serve as the director of finance. He comes to Frisco from Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas where he has served as director of finance since 2014. Prior to that, Woods worked at a number of properties within the brand including Omni Providence Hotel from 2013-2014, Omni Richmond Hotel from 2008-2013 and Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West from 2006-2008. Before joining Omni Hotels & Resorts, Woods worked for other notable hospitality brands including Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Remington Hospitality and Embassy Suites. He attended Southeastern Academy where he earned a degree in hotel and motel management.

Lexy Coley has been appointed as Director of Operations at Omni Frisco Hotel

Lexy Coley will assume the role of the hotel’s director of operations. Coley joins the Omni Frisco Hotel from its sister property, the Omni Dallas Hotel, where she held several director level positions since 2011. Coley joined the Omni brand in 2007 as director of front office operations at Omni San Diego Hotel. Prior to that, Coley held leadership positions with Wynn Resorts, as well as Caesars Entertainment Corporation. She graduated from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas with a dual master’s degree in business and hotel administration, as well as a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration.

Vision Unveiled For $150 Million Flagship Hotel At Texas Live!

Loews Hotels & Co., The Cordish Companies, and the Texas Rangers announced their vision today for the hotel and convention center at Texas Live!, the $250 million world-class dining, entertainment and hospitality destination being developed in partnership between The Cordish Companies, Texas Rangers and City of Arlington in Arlington, TX. The new $150 million flagship hotel, Live! by Loews – Arlington, TX, will be the first of its kind in the country, providing guests an unprecedented upscale experience that blends sports and entertainment with first-class hospitality and superior amenities. Texas Live!, anchored by Live! by Loews, is a part of a $4 billion vision for the Arlington Entertainment District that includes the Rangers new $1 billion ballpark and preservation of Globe Life Park. Ideally positioned between the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, the project will become a resort-style destination for sports fans, visitors, and families, as well as a spectacular location for meetings, special events and conventions.

John Owens has been appointed as VP of Sales, North America at ReviewPro

The incorporation of Owens to spearhead the company’s North American expansion efforts will enable ReviewPro to strengthen the team based out of the US and significantly increase market share. Owens will be growing sales and account management teams and focus not only on supporting existing clients such as Red Lion Hotels, Hard Rock International, Loews Hotels, Library Hotel Collection and Morgans Hotel Group, but also increasing the roster of hotel brands that partner with ReviewPro to leverage Guest Intelligence to upgrade the guest experience.

Lynn Pollock has been appointed as director of catering and conference services at The Chattanoogan, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels

BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has named Lynn Pollock director of catering and conference services for The Chattanoogan, a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property located in the revitalized center of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tom Cupo, regional managing director, made the announcement. Lynn Pollock was previously assistant director of catering & conference services for the Grand Wailea Resort in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii for over 16 years. Prior to that, Ms. Pollock held the position of director of catering at the Silvertree Hotel in Aspen, Colorado, and the Wyndham Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Highly Anticipated Omni Frisco Hotel Now Open for Bookings

The Omni Frisco Hotel, the cornerstone of The Star, which is anchored by the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and Ford Center, is now open for business and leisure traveler bookings. This new contemporary hotel and lifestyle hub will open in July 2017 and will exude an understated luxury – designed to surpass the varying wants and desires of today"s diverse business and leisure travelers in every way, while also offering one of the area"s most highly-acclaimed, yet approachable, dining establishments.

Dave Jacobs has been appointed as General Manager at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines

Jacobs joins the property from Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago where he worked at the property as its general manager for more than 10 years. Jacobs has worked with Hyatt Corporation for more than 32 years, with more than 21 years of experience as general manager. He began his career in the hospitality industry in Hyatt’s Corporate Management Trainee Program. His first position at Hyatt was night cleaning supervisor and he has worked in several positions in the company ranging from front desk agent and housekeeping to rooms executive.

Brady Armstrong has been appointed as Area Sales Director at Hospitality Management Corporation

Hospitality Management Corporation has added Brady Armstrong as area director of sales. He will be responsible for top-line revenue for a select group of HMC-managed hotels in the oil and gas regions of South and West Texas. He will also oversee sales and marketing efforts, inclusive of weekly sales calls, account positioning, reporting and facilitating cross-sell opportunities.