Mike Hensley has been named the general manager of Best Western Plus Hacienda Hotel, a 200-room property overlooking the historic district in Old Town San Diego. Hensley is in charge of day-to-day operations, marketing and managing the property fiscally and physically.
Hotel Zephyr, Davidson Hotels & Resorts’ first property within its new lifestyle & luxury collection and one of San Francisco’s newest boutique hotels, today announced the appointment of Jill Plemons as Director of Sales and Marketing. In her new role, Plemons is responsible for spearheading all sales and marketing for the 361-key, premier waterfront property located in Fisherman’s Wharf following the unveiling of a transformative, $32-million full redesign in 2015.
Pendry Hotels, the new brand established by Montage Hotels & Resorts, is pleased to announce Michael O’Donohue as General Manager of their first hotel, Pendry San Diego, in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp District. With over 22 years of experience in luxury hotel management, O’Donohue joins Pendry with an extensive and diverse hospitality background. He spent the last ten years working in various positions at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, most recently as General Manager of W San Diego, where he spent three years overseeing the 258 room hotel. Before that, he was the Hotel Manager at W Atlanta Midtown. Prior to his tenure at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, O’Donohue worked at Intercontinental Hotels and Hilton Hotels.
Benchmark Hospitality International, a U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Sietse Nabben general manager for Hotel Zelos, a Personal Luxury property located in San Francisco, California. Greg Champion, president and COO, made the announcement. Sietse Nabben was previously area general manager for Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa, located in Sausalito, California, as well as The Lodge at Tiburon, located in Tiburon, California. Prior to this role, he held numerous leadership positions for hotels located in Boston, Munich, Chicago and San Francisco. Mr. Nabben earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Hospitality Management from Hotelschool Heerlen in The Netherlands. He resides with his wife in Sausalito.
Leonard Czarnecki, General Manager Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Hankton to the position of Marketing Manager.
La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, announced the appointment of Rich Hohman as executive director of golf effective November 30, 2015. Hohman will be responsible for one of the largest golf operations in the United States, with nine championship golf courses designed by masters of the game - Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Arnold Palmer - as well as the famed Pete Dye-designed TPC Stadium Course at PGA WEST. Hohman will also be responsible for operating five clubhouses and two private country clubs, The Club at PGA WEST and The Citrus Club at La Quinta Resort. Hailed as The Western Home of Golf in America®, PGA WEST is also home to the PGA WEST Golf Academy. A veteran of the golf and resort club industries with 25+ years' experience, Hohman previously served as President of Kitson & Partners Golf Division where he oversaw assignments for the Mauna Kea Resort on Hawaii's Big Island, Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami and PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. During his career, he has held senior executive posts responsible for more than 150 public, private and resort golf facilities throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Hohman's tenure includes key positions in planning, construction and operations of world class golf developments within The Ginn Company in Florida and operations and management posts within the American Golf Corporation, where he advanced to Senior Vice President of Operations overseeing 95 golf facilities in the eastern United States. Hohman received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He is a volunteer for The First Tee and enjoys reading and all sports. Rich and his wife Teresa will relocate to the La Quinta area from South Florida, and their two daughters are finishing up Masters programs in Florida.
Ashlee Fairbanks has been named General Manager at WATERTABLE at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, the resort’s award-winning signature restaurant and gastro bar. Fairbanks brings more than 10 years of hospitality experience including roles at highly lauded culinary destinations in Southern California and Las Vegas.
indy Gagle has been appointed director of sales & marketing for the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center currently under construction in the heart of UCLA’s vibrant campus. The university-based conference center, which will offer 254 spacious guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, is scheduled to open in August of next year. Les Utley, general manager, made the announcement.
Kokua Hospitality, LLC, a hotel management firm based in Chicago, has announced Julie Buettner as the new General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Airport. In this role, she will manage and lead all day-to-day operations for the LEED-certified, 159-room hotel and its amenities, as well as oversee a team of 40 employees.
Montage Beverly Hills recently appointed Amelia Winfrey as Spa Director of Spa Montage Beverly Hills. Winfrey brings more than a decade of experience to one of the nation's most celebrated zip codes. In her new role, Winfrey oversees daily operations and wellness programs at Beverly Hills' only Forbes Five Star spa. The 20,000-sq. ft. urban sanctuary includes a comprehensive range of treatments designed for optimal wellness and visible results along with a designated spa retail space, well-appointed facilities featuring resort-style amenities and a mosaic tiled co-ed mineral pool a robust fitness program and a skilled team of talented spa therapists and estheticians.
Filament Hospitality announces the appointment of hotel veteran Marie-Helene Morowati to its executive team as general manager of V Palm Springs Hotel. Owned by celebrity lawyers Mark Geragos and Brian Kabateck and set to open its doors this winter, the property is managed by Filament Hospitality, a full-service management company, specializing in dynamic resorts in exciting destinations worldwide.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. (NHHR) – a collection of luxury hotels and resorts – proudly announces the appointment of Tricia Sterling as spa director at SpaTerre at Kona Kai Resort & Spa, located at the tip of Shelter Island in San Diego. In her new role, Sterling will create innovative spa experiences and oversee stellar customer service.
La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA WEST, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, announced the appointment of Lynne Rolley as Executive Director of Tennis, effective December 15, 2015. Rolley will be responsible for the leadership and oversight of all tennis operations at La Quinta Resort & Club including instruction, clinics, seasonal tennis camps and educational/social programs serving the 776-guestroom resort and members of The Citrus Club at La Quinta Resort. Consistently ranked one of the top tennis resorts in the U.S., by Tennis Magazine, La Quinta's state-of-the-art facility includes 23 courts (5 Har-Tru clay, 18 hard courts) and signature tournament-style stadium center court, as well as a pro shop and Center Court Cafe. A USPTA certified teaching professional with more than 40 years of instruction and coaching expertise, Rolley previously served as Director of Tennis at Berkeley Tennis Club in Berkeley, California where she was responsible for all member operations since 2007. She also held posts as Tournament Director for the Girls' 18 & Under National Championships and the Pacific Coast Senior & Family National Championships. Her lifelong passion turned career also included posts as Director of Women's Tennis for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) wherein she coached Jennifer Capriati and U.S. Open winner Lindsey Davenport to center court. Rolley was also Director of Programs for the USTA's Player Development including collegiate tennis. She is also the first woman to coach a men's NCAA collegiate tennis team in the U.S., early in her career at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. Ranked in the top ten as a junior player in the USTA, Rolley resides in Palm Desert and is a certified PTR and USPTA Elite Pro 1, member of the ITF International Coaches Commission and 2008 inductee into the Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame.
Gary Sims has been named managing director of Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, the resort currently celebrating 50 years as California’s premier destination for mind, body and sport. With almost 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry working for notable brands worldwide, Sims will lead the 400-acre, 600-room property.
LOS ANGELES, -- Beginning a new and exciting chapter for Courtyard and Residence Inn L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles, Marriott has announced seasoned veteran Jim Redington as the new dual general manager of the one-of-a-kind hotel.
Most recently, Manchen served as director of sales and marketing at San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Prior sales and marketing experience with a diverse portfolio of Hilton Worldwide properties includes Hilton Waikoloa Village, La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort and PGA West, Conrad Chicago, the DoubleTree by Hilton San Jose, DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco Airport and Pointe Hilton Resorts. He has held positions at five California-based properties and began his career in hospitality as a management trainee at The Beverly Hilton.
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, the tallest urban waterfront hotel on the west coast, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Adams as area vice president and general manager. In his new role, Adams will oversee Grand Hyatt San Diego's entire operation. Adams has fulfilled a variety of roles including general manager of Hyatt Regency Chicago, area vice president and general manager of Hyatt Regency San Francisco and Grand Hyatt New York, and vice president of operations for Hyatt, North America. Most recently he held the title of vice president, France for seven Hyatt properties. Adam's love of travel and native Southern Californian mindset reflects the magnificent aesthetic that Grand Hyatt San Diego emanates.
Teri McIllwain has been named culinary director at Cape Rey Carlsbad, a Hilton Resort. In her new role, McIllwain will leverage her diverse industry experience and passion for locally sourced, healthy cuisine to develop fresh menus, social offerings and group activities both at the resort's ocean view Chandler's restaurant and through the catering and room service divisions. McIllwain's fresh approach in Chandler's includes creating new seasonal, coastal-inspired menus that are centered on premium ingredients sourced from local and sustainable farms. Menus also feature weekly dishes inspired by the best ingredients from nearby farmer's markets. To help her in the quest, McIllwain has recruited Matt Geremia, formerly a chef at the popular Solana Beach eatery Crush, to step into the role of senior sous chef and her second in command.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts – a collection of luxury hotels and resorts – proudly announces the promotion of Brad Naucler to General Manager of Kona Kai Resort & Spa, located at the tip of Shelter Island in San Diego. In this role, Naucler will provide leadership and will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the resort. Prior to joining the Kona Kai Resort & Spa team, Naucler served as director of sales at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, where he was responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies, drive sales and create brand awareness. Throughout his years of experience, Naucler spent much of his career is a progression of sales and leadership positions including director of sales and marketing at Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, where he managed 11 directors and managers in achieving $30 million in hotel revenue budget.
Benchmark Hospitality International, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company, has named Chad Schyvincht global sales director of sports and entertainment. In this role, Mr. Schyvincht will be an active member of Benchmark Hospitality's global sales team and will be based in the company's west coast offices in San Francisco, California. Ted Davis, Benchmark Hospitality's chief sales & marketing officer, made the announcement.