A veteran of the hospitality industry with nearly 30 years of premier hotel management experience, Woodin is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the property.
Victor Palma has been appointed executive chef of golf resort, Rosewood CordeValle, located in San Martin, California. In his new role, Palma will lead the culinary team at the resort’s three distinctive dining venues: Il Vigneto, Lion’s Peak Grill and One Iron Bar.
Sal Abaunza was appointed general manager at Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs, California. Most recently, Abaunza was regional general manager for the Viceroy Hotel Group, overseeing California’s Viceroy Santa Monica, Viceroy Palm Springs, the Avalon in Beverly Hills and the L’Emitage.
The Courtyard San Francisco Downtown will be undergoing major renovations in the coming months and has named Amy Arbuckle to lead the project. The new general manager brings 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the role.In the midst of the remodel, the hotel named Arbuckle as the top Marriott official at the hotel, effective Aug. 1, 2016. Arbuckle started her hospitality career as a front-desk associate at a DoubleTree hotel in Albuquerque, NM before breaking into sales and marketing. Her most recent position was at San Francisco Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf, where she served as general manager for more than four years while significantly growing revenue and guest satisfaction scores. A Boston native, Arbuckle lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. In her spare time, she enjoys competing in triathlons and rooting for the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.
La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, announces the appointment of Andrew Cooper to the post of Executive Chef. Cooper will oversee all culinary operations for the timeless property including the iconic Morgan’s in the desert, Adobe Grill, and TWENTY6 .
The Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, announced Lilian Tolliver as Assistant Chief Engineer of the 556 room historic property. Lilian began an Engineering Apprenticeship at the Palace in 2005. Four years after completing her apprenticeship, she became a Journeyman Engineer. At that time, she was the 4th female Engineer working in the Bay Area hospitality industry and 6th in the Engineering industry as a whole. The Palace is very proud of Lilian and thrilled to appoint her Assistant Chief Engineer as she continues to make history at the iconic hotel. In a property that is more than 100 years old, it is not easy to be the first - at anything. Lilian has been the first at three things. While there have been women Engineers on the Palace team, Lilian was the hotel’s first female Engineering Apprentice, the first female Journeyman Engineer and now the first female Assist Chief. Lilian takes great pride in these accomplishments and hopes to inspire more women to enter the field. Lilian started working at the Palace in 1996 on a temporary basis in Accounts Receivable. Her skill and dedication earned her a permanent position in January 1997. She took on a greater role, handling both accounts receivable and payable, until 2000. Having an interest in Engineering, Lillian accepted a job as the department’s Administrative Assistant. This gave her hands on experience, real time interaction with daily operations and the motivation to further her career in Engineering. Prior to joining the Palace Hotel, Lilian work for three years at Hilton Hotels in Concord, California. In 1994, she joined the Kimpton Group and two years later moved to the Palace. In her new role as Assistant Chief Engineer, Lilian manages a staff of 13. She assists with all aspects of Engineering and works with her department to support the operation of the hotel. She also helps manage departmental budgets and capital projects. Lilian looks forward to sharing and learning alongside her team while building a stronger department to better serve the hotel and its guests. She is eager to accept new challenges that encourage growth and support positive change.
The Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Francisco is pleased to announce Chadwick (Chad) Howard as the Director of Restaurants & Bars. Chad joined the Palace team in October 2014 as a Restaurant & Bar Manager. In his new role, Chad manages 82 associates, 3 managers and 1 manager in training. He will oversee the operation of 3 iconic dining venues at the Palace Hotel; the 135 seat landmark Garden Court, the 40 seat GC Lounge and the famous 120 seat Pied Piper. He will also supervise In Room Dining for the 556 room luxury property.
The quintessential, beachfront Hotel Casa del Mar appoints Gemma Gray as its new executive chef, overseeing menu development, the kitchens of its two on-site restaurants, Catch and Terrazza Lounge, and the banquet department. A native of Salamanca, Spain, Gray is a seasoned chef specializing in seasonal California cuisine, drawing upon influences from her Mediterranean background and utilizing both classic and modern cooking techniques.
Pendry San Diego is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to the hotel’s executive team in preparation for the opening of the hotel in late 2016. A new luxury brand from Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry is a collection of hotels for the modern day traveler and will be each destination’s most inspired guest house. The new executives will join Pendry San Diego’s General Manager Michael O’Donohue and Director of Sales and Marketing Bob Frear in overseeing the development and launch of the 317-room property in the heart of the famed Gaslamp Quarter.
Pendry San Diego is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to the hotel’s executive team in preparation for the opening of the hotel in late 2016. A new luxury brand from Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry is a collection of hotels for the modern day traveler and will be each destination’s most inspired guest house. The new executives will join Pendry San Diego’s General Manager Michael O’Donohue and Director of Sales and Marketing Bob Frear in overseeing the development and launch of the 317-room property in the heart of the famed Gaslamp Quarter.
Pendry San Diego is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to the hotel’s executive team in preparation for the opening of the hotel in late 2016. A new luxury brand from Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry is a collection of hotels for the modern day traveler and will be each destination’s most inspired guest house. The new executives will join Pendry San Diego’s General Manager Michael O’Donohue and Director of Sales and Marketing Bob Frear in overseeing the development and launch of the 317-room property in the heart of the famed Gaslamp Quarter.
The InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco are proud to announce the following new hires and promotions across the revenue, accounting, and IT teams at the InterContinental San Francisco and InterContinental Mark Hopkins. Mae Mabuyo joins the InterContinental San Francisco team as Credit Manager. Born and raised in the Philippines, Mae’s university studies focused on commerce, business management, accounting, and finance. After graduating from Xavier University, she joined the Philippines Department of Education working in a variety of roles over the course of ten years from Accounting Clerk to Senior Bookkeeper and Budget Officer. She later joined the Marriott Hotels team, spending two years as an Accounting Clerk for the Silicon Valley-Fremont location in California before accepting a position at Coca-Cola in Union City as Distribution Center Administrator. She returned to the Marriott Silicon Valley team as Accounting Manager/Assistant Controller prior to joining the team at the InterContinental San Francisco.
The InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco are proud to announce the following new hires and promotions across the revenue, accounting, and IT teams at the InterContinental San Francisco and InterContinental Mark Hopkins. A member of the InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco team since 2012, Nick Hamati has been promoted from Area Revenue Manager to Area Director of Revenue. With degrees from the University of San Francisco and Cornell University, Nick worked as an instructor for University of San Francisco’s McLaren School of Management while interning for the private wealth management team at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He joined the InterContinental Hotels Group team as Revenue Analyst for the two San Francisco properties and was later promoted to Area Revenue Manager, adding the group’s Crowne Plaza San Jose-Silicon Valley hotel and Holiday Inn properties in San Francisco and Milpitas to his responsibilities.
The InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco are proud to announce the following new hires and promotions across the revenue, accounting, and IT teams at the InterContinental San Francisco and InterContinental Mark Hopkins. New Area Director of IT Dennis Wong brings hospitality experience from several San Francisco area hotels to his new position with the InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco. He spent the last two years working in hospitality as IT Manager at four Kimpton Hotels & Resorts properties and was most recently the Area IT Manager for Noble House Hotels and Resorts, including the Argonaut and Tuscan Hotels. Wong is responsible for day-to-day operations and troubleshooting of IT issues, infrastructure upgrades, desktop deployment, and more.
Hilton San Francisco Union Square has appointed Jason Tresh to the position of hotel manager. With more than 20 years of hospitality expertise, Tresh will take the helm of the the iconic 1,919-room hotel focusing on elevating guest satisfaction, managing day-to-day operations and ensuring the property continues to be an industry leader for business travelers, groups and leisure guests as well as push the boundaries of green hospitality.Most recently, Tresh served as the Director of Food & Beverage at New York Hilton Midtown, a position he held since 2009, where he helped to successfully reinvent the hotel’s food and beverage program. Prior to New York Hilton Midtown, Tresh held positions as Executive Assistant Manager and Director of Food and Beverage at Millenium Hilton; Assistant General Manager and Director of Catering at Madison Towers; and Corporate Sales Manager at Benchmark Hospitality, among others. Tresh earned a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and an Associate Degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence R.I.
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa is proud to welcome Alex Ahluwalia as the new general manager, overseeing the award-winning property in Southern California. Throughout his career in hospitality, Ahluwalia has managed multiple high-end luxury hotels and resorts across the nation and internationally, earning a wide array of accolades. Ahluwalia brings his global brand management skills and operational leadership to the 884-room property, which houses one of the region’s largest full service spas, The Biggest Loser Resort program, championship golf courses, PBI Tennis program, a number of reputable restaurants, and more.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts throughout the world present a “taste of place” in dining venues designed to showcase authentic local culture and fresh produce reflective of the destinations in which the hotels are located. At Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, the American Riviera is discovered in the flavours of Executive Chef Marco Fossati, who calls upon seminal cooking experiences and training in his native Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. This month, Chef Marco, a celebrated Four Seasons culinary leader who is new to Santa Barbara, has re-launched menus at both the Resort’s signature Bella Vista Restaurant and at Tydes Restaurant, an exclusive, ocean front dining experience.
Carta-Samuels brings more than a decade of hospitality sales and marketing experience working for established hotel and resort chains in the Bay Area including Hyatt, Hilton, Joie De Vivre and Embassy Suites. Prior to joining AC Hotel San Jose, LiLinda was the director of sales & marketing at Hyatt Place San Jose where she demonstrated great leadership skills and a talent for developing high performing teams.
Hadley joins AC Hotel San Jose with 10 years of hospitality management and operational experience. In this new role, Hadley will oversee all aspects of hotel operations while introducing AC Hotel San Jose’s authentic guest experience to travelers and locals of Silicon Valley. Sean was most recently the assistant general manager at Wild Palms Hotel in Sunnyvale, California, where he led the efforts in the hotel’s multi-million dollar renovation.
As an eight-year veteran with Destination Hotels, Mitch Mehr will now serve as Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations and Strategic Planning for Terranea Resort. Mehr previously led the Purchasing Department team as Director of Purchasing and Food and Beverage Projects at Terranea, and before his time at the property, held positions at Destination Hotels Corporate Office, Kimpton Hotel Group and with China Grille Management.