Brian Richards joins the team at Virgin Hotels San Francisco as the Director of Food + Beverage. He will be responsible for not only building the new program from the ground up, but also helping his team to drive creative ideas and become leaders in the hotel dining industry.
Marriott International announced today that the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Ontario Chino Hills is set to open for business on Tuesday, October 2, 2018. On average, a TownePlace Suites opens every six days. Built for travelers looking for a simple and friendly place where they can settle-in, keep their routine, and easily connect to the Chino Hills area. The TownePlace Suites Ontario Chino Hills located at 15881 Pomona Rincon Rd, continues to exemplify the brand's rapid growth. The new hotel will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned by Soquel Rincon TPS LLC and managed by Twenty Four Seven Hotels of Newport Beach, California.
Kimpton Goodland announced today the appointment of Zachary Jellson as General Manager. In his new role, Jellson will be responsible for day-to-day hotel operations, guest relations and business development for the 158-room boutique hotel.
Adams will bring an unparalleled level of knowledge and enthusiasm to The Del with over a decade of hospitality, sales and management experience. In his new role as Director of National Accounts for the iconic San Diego hotel, he will oversee large groups in all markets for the property, as well as have a special focus on the luxury Beach Village product and sports clients. Adams brings extensive experience in the hospitality industry to the position, most recently acting as Associate Director of Sales for Hyatt Regency La Jolla at the Aventine for over four years. During his time with the property, Adams led the sales team through its most profitable year, guiding his team members to achieve the hotel's highest group volume and average daily rate (2016). For these efforts, he received Hyatt's 2016 Elite Performers Award. Prior to his time with Hyatt, Adams was a part of the National Account Coverage Team at Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton Hotel, as sales manager. Here he was awarded Kimpton's esteemed Top of the Top Line award in 2012 after his successful work with East Coast biotech, pharmaceutical, medical and manufacturing clients.
Marline Avelar has been appointed director of sales and marketing of Rosewood CordeValle, the luxury resort located in San Martin, California. In this role, Avelar will oversee the resort's sales and marketing departments, acting as a leader in innovation and strategy. As part of her recent promotion, Avelar will call upon her strong leadership skills and wealth of knowledge to develop and implement creative sales and marketing plans for Rosewood CordeValle.
Edward Mady, Regional Director West Coast USA and General Manager, has named Michael Santoro executive chef of The Beverly Hills Hotel. Chef Santoro arrives at the hotel on October 17, and will be responsible for overseeing the property's entire culinary operation, including the legendary Polo Lounge, Fountain Coffee Room, Cabana Café, Bar Nineteen12, in-room dining, and banquets and events.
The Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento International Airport, located just three miles south of the airport, has been acquired by Santa Clara-based real estate company JMK Hotels, LLC and the Kehriotis family. Scott Griemsmann and Subu Thiagarajan of Paramount Lodging Advisors represented both Buyer and Seller in this transaction. Under its new ownership, the property will undergo a $2 million full-scale reno vation to include an exterior refresh, plus all 100 guestrooms, common areas, 14,000 square-feet of meetings space, and The Gateway restaurant. The renovation commenced in July 2018 and is expected to be completed in early 2019, remaining open over the duration.
Viceroy Hotel Group is enticing travelers to leave the status quo with the announcement of its new San Francisco boutique hotel, Hotel Emblem. The 96-room property, formerly Hotel Rex, will re-open in early 2019 after an extensive renovation and rebrand inspired by the Beat Generation. San Francisco's famous cultural movement awoke the nation's rebellious side, and Hotel Emblem will bring the vibe back as a free-thinking enclave brimming with creative design elements and modern provocations.
Rodrigo Ibanez has been named Director of Operations for the 102-acre oceanfront resort. In his role at Terranea Resort, Ibanez will oversee the Front Office, Guest Services, Housekeeping, Laundry, Loss Prevention, Golf, Spa, and Retail teams. Ibanez was part of Terranea's pre-opening team in 2009, and went on to oversee the Front Office team before eventually taking on the Director of Rooms position. Ibanez returns to the iconic Southern California destination after most recently leading the Rooms division at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas from April 2016-August 2018. He has over 10 years in Rooms Division leadership roles throughout different brands and companies, including the Omni Los Angeles, the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown, NJ, and the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Ibanez received a degree in Hotel Management and Hospitality from the International Buenos Aires Hotel and Restaurant School.
In his new role as General Manager, Scherer provides strategic direction and oversees day-to-day operations at Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Beverly Hills, located just minutes from the heart of Beverly Hills. Additionally, as Director of Operations Los Angeles, Scherer is responsible for guiding and directing the leadership for Kimpton Hotels in Los Angeles. Additional properties include the Kimpton Everly Hotel, Kimpton La Peer Hotel and Kimpton Hotel Wilshire.
Tugaoen brings more than two decades of hospitality sales experience to her new role. As Area Director of Sales & Marketing, Tugaoen leads the department's initiatives at Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Beverly Hills as well as Kimpton Hotel Wilshire. Previously, Tugaoen worked as the Director of Sales & Marketing for The Westin Long Beach where she assisted with the development of the brand's marketing discipline, consistently surpassing sales goals. Tugaoen's experience also includes hotel sales & marketing positions at several boutique and large-scale properties in top-tier convention and leisure travel destinations such as Boston, New York and New Orleans.
There was a time a few decades ago when the global hospitality brand, InterContinental, was a prominent fixture on San Diego's waterfront, a forerunner to upscale lodging on the bay. Yet as quickly as the hotel chain arrived, it was gone within three years, replaced by the Marriott moniker.
Park James Hotel, part of broughtonHOTELS, is set to bring a one-of-a-kind hospitality and entertainment experience to California's tech capital with the opening of a 61-room luxury boutique hotel and chef-driven restaurant, Oak Violet, on September 24, 2018.
Darren brings more than 15 years of experience to his new role and most recently served as Director of Conference Services & Catering at Fairmont Orchid, a 32-acre, tropical island paradise located beach front on the big island of Hawaii.
Sion began his Fairmont Hotels & Resorts career in 2000 as an Assistant Reception Manager at Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, ON. He soon transitioned to the Conference Services team at the hotel, where he held several positions including Conference Concierge Manager, Executive Meetings Manager and Conference Services-Catering Manager before being promoted to Assistant Director of Conference Services & Catering. In 2010, Sion took his career to California and worked as the Director of Convention Services & Catering at Fairmont San Francisco.
Newly appointed as the Director of Sales at The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows, Hallie Leitter manages the sales team and oversees marketing, room and group sales, catering and events. Leitter served as a sales manager for The Westgate Hotel in San Diego and event sales manager for restaurant group, McCormick & Schmick's, which own and operate Morton's The Steakhouse, The Oceanaire, McCormick & Schmick's, and Mastro's Restaurants.
Johanna Philipps has been named director of sales and marketing at Rosewood Sand Hill, the ultra-luxury hotel in Menlo Park, California. In this role, Philipps will develop and implement innovative sales and marketing strategies for the award-winning 121-room property. With over 10 years of experience in hospitality sales, Philipps will apply her vast experience to her new position at Rosewood Sand Hill. Most recently, Philipps served as director of sales at Rosewood Sand Hill, where she aided in growing the hotel's sales and media presence. Previously, Philipps also acted as group sales manager for Rosewood Sand Hill, during which time she was charged with cultivating business within the local California, eastern United States, and international markets. In the past, Philipps has also held roles as senior catering sales manager and group sales coordinator at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco. Philipps graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology-Organizational Studies and Communication.
Hilton San Diego Sales Complex has appointed Mario Thompson to the position of area director of sales and marketing for Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines and DoubleTree by Hilton San Diego - Mission Valley. Thompson most recently served as the director of sales and marketing at the 757-room Hilton Baltimore. Mario joined Hilton in 2009 as a senior sales manager for the corporate and pharmaceutical markets at the 1249-room Hilton Atlanta. During his tenure at the downtown hotel, Thompson was promoted to assistant director of sales in 2011, and then to the director of sales position in 2012. In 2013, Mario joined the Hiltons of Washington, DC sales complex as the director of sales prior to joining Hilton Baltimore in 2015. In his latest role, Thompson will oversee all marketing and sales activities while developing business strategies that drive market share, increase revenue and exceed business goals for the three San Diego hotels. Prior to joining Hilton, Mario held leadership roles in the front office, sales and catering at the New York Marriott Downtown from 2001 to 2006 where he was awarded Chairman's Circle in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, he was a senior sales manager for the Atlanta Marriott Marquis where he achieved President's Circle in 2007 and 2008 Global Sales Team of the Year. Mario enjoys golf, cooking and spending time with family. He will be relocating to San Diego with his wife Nicole and four daughters Briana, Olivia, April and Sophia.
Kokua Hospitality, LLC, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, announces the appointment of Candice Cancino as general manager (GM) at Carmel Mission Inn (3665 Rio Road, Carmel, CA). Since joining y's West Coast portfolio in early 2017, the members of this team at the coastal boutique property have dedicated themselves to the vision of the hotel and continue to add expert team members aligned with that vision.
Best Western® Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of the Best Western Plus Cameron's Inn, located at 1400 Cabrillo Hwy S. Owned by Hiten Suraj with Stay Cal Hotels, the 100 percent smoke-free hotel features 46 guest rooms and eight suites. The Best Western Plus Cameron's Inn is a new construction hotel and the first property developed in Half Moon Bay in almost 20 years.