Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. and Kokua Hospitality, LLC are pleased to announce the appointment of Garry Cox as General Manager of the Axiom Hotel (28 Cyril Magnin St.), opening in the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square in the former Powell Hotel space in fall 2015. With over three decades of experience in hospitality management, Cox brings a diverse operational expertise from all facets of the hotel industry to his new role.
Bob Chapek has been named Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, it was announced today by Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas O. Staggs, Chief Operating Officer, The Walt Disney Company. A 22-year veteran of The Walt Disney Company, Mr. Chapek has served since 2011 as President of Disney Consumer Products, driving a technology-led transformation of the Company’s consumer products, retail and publishing operations. He assumes his new role effective immediately. As Chairman of Parks and Resorts, Mr. Chapek succeeds Mr. Staggs, who was named Disney’s Chief Operating Officer earlier this month. Mr. Chapek will report to both Mr. Iger and Mr. Staggs.
InterContinental Resorts French Polynesia and Maitai Hotels has promoted Raphael Bernard to the role of Director of Sales & Marketing North America. Bernard’s responsibilities encompass all North America sales and marketing efforts for the InterContinental Resorts French Polynesia and Maitai Hotels in French Polynesia. He will report to Philippe Brovelli, Regional Vice President of Operations for InterContinental Resorts French Polynesia. Bernard joined InterContinental Resorts French Polynesia as Sales Manager for North America in 2011. Prior to this role, he was Sales Manager, North America, for Sofitel Luxury Hotels and Resorts French Polynesia. In addition to his hotel industry experience, Bernard holds a bachelor’s of arts degree from The American University of Paris in France.
Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto and Quattro Restaurant have plenty in store for 2015 with new restaurant General Manager David Farah at the helm. Growing up in Colorado, David is no stranger to great food, craft beers, and whiskies. From cooking alongside his mother to picking seasonal vegetables from his uncle’s farm, his experiences have ultimately led him to hospitality. With a degree in International Business from Pepperdine University, David has managed restaurants for Hillstone Restaurant Group, Vail Cascade Resort, and Eureka Restaurant. David’s dream has always been to work for Four Seasons, and he’s excited to be living in the Bay Area to enjoy all of the seasonal produce, local purveyors, and vibrant food scene in Silicon Valley.
Maxime Cormier has been appointed regional spa director by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and spa director at Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, California. Maxime is the first regional spa director for the ultra-luxury hotel group.
Before joining the South Bay hotel's team, Gupta served as the event leader at Santa Clara Marriott. Prior to this, he held positions as director of meetings and special events, director of event operations and senior food and beverage operations manager at various Marriott establishments across the U.S. Prior to joining Marriott, Gupta spent 12 years working for Omni Hotels & Resorts and other top-rated companies in Asia and Europe, giving him a well-rounded outlook on the hospitality industry as a whole. Gupta has received numerous honors and awards over the years, including the Global Event Management Award of Excellence for North America Lodging Operations in 2008, Chairman Circle's Award in 2012 and 2013 and Host Hotel Excellence in 2013. Proving his talent as an exceptional event leader, Gupta has successfully grown a strong loyal customer base working with Google, Apple, Cisco, HP, Intel and NFL accounts including the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, New York Giants and New England Patriots.
An East Coast native, Matthew Feddock began his hospitality career in catering and eventually moved into restaurants with the opening of Brasserie Ruhlmann in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan in 2005. Over the years, Feddock has worked with some of the industries finest including Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and American Sommelier Association President Andrew Bell. Having held a range of roles such as bartender, sommelier, and general manager at some of the most prestigious hotels and restaurants in New York City, Feddock acquired well-rounded experience in the hospitality field.
Stephanie Bondoc was Assistant Director of Sales at Hotel Maya from 2011-2015. She oversaw sales for the property that included more than 30,000-square-feet of flexible meeting spaces. Bondoc was Group Sales Manager at The Westin Long Beach from 2006-2011, preceded by Sales positions at The DoubleTree San Pedro and The Westin Long Beach.
Greg Guthrie spent the last four years first as Hotel Manager at the 199-room Hotel Maya. His responsibilities included overseeing all Hotel operations including food and beverage and the rooms department. Guthrie has held a variety of hospitality positions but most recently prior to Hotel Maya was Director of Food and Beverage at Kyoto Grand Hotel in Los Angeles and Sheraton Cerritos in Cerritos, Calif. His hospitality positions have taken him from San Diego and San Francisco to Chicago and Columbus.
It is our pleasure to announce that Shannon Simpson will be joining us in the role of Pool Bar & Grill Manager at the best address effective February 9th 2015. Shannon comes to us with over 10 years of experience working in hotels, 7 of those being working in Food & Beverage Leadership roles. Most recently she was the Food & Beverage Manager for Le Meridien Dallas – The Stoneleigh and prior to that she was the Beverage and Restaurant Manager for the Anaheim Marriott Hotel. Shannon has also worked as an Accounts Receivable Agent and Purchasing Manager for other companies. Shannon possesses a Bachelors of Science in Business Management from the City University Seattle.
In his new role, Mueller will oversee all aspects of the property and lead business operations for continued growth in 2015 and beyond. Solage Calistoga, located in the heart of Napa Valley, features 89 contemporary guest studios; the 20,000 square foot, award-winning Spa Solage (currently undergoing a $1.2 million renovation); and the recently remodeled, six-time Michelin Star-rated Solbar restaurant, which reopened in January following a $1.1 million renovation.
DiProfio is a San Diego county resident with more than 15 years experience in hospitality marketing for leading restaurant and consumer brands. Most recently, DiProfio served as vice president of marketing & public relations of Slater’s 50/50, an innovative casual dining southern California restaurant company. While there, she led the $40-million, marketing-centric company through an explosive growth period, successfully expanding from two to seven restaurants within a four year period.
Michael comes to the Hyatt Place San Jose from The Westin San Francisco Airport where he was the Director of Operations. In that role, he directed the function of the 397 room hotel and worked with department managers to implement inventive and efficient systems throughout the property. Michael was instrumental in achieving improved guest and employee satisfaction scores and increasing profitability.
Most recently, Rice held the position of General Manager of Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa, where he led the 493-room resort in exceeding previous guest satisfaction rates. Under his leadership, the property was named one of the Top 25 Resorts in the Southwest on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2013 Readers Choice Awards. Rice began his hospitality career with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts 30 years ago as an Assistant Room Service Manager at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Florida. While there, he held several positions of responsibility in the food and beverage department over a period of six years. Rice was later appointed Director of Operations at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa, where he worked for two years before moving into General Manager positions at the Hyatt Regency Irvine and the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in California. With a fierce commitment to community service, Rice has been a visible business leader in each community in which he has lived. In Irvine, he was a founding member of the Tourism Improvement District for the City of Irvine, an arm of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, and also served on the Board of the Orange County Tourism Council. He held positions on the Board of Directors and Executive Board of the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureaus as well as the National Advisory Board of Northern Arizona University School of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
With more than 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Rocco most recently served as Director of Group Sales for The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami and The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami. Prior to his positions in sales, Rocco served as Assistant Director of Finance in Key Biscayne. His finance experience also included Assistant Director of Finance at the Kaua’i Marriott Resort and Staff Accountant for Marriott International Lodging.
InterContinental Hotels Group completed its $430 million acquisition of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the company announced Friday. Following the acquisition, first announced in December, IHG now counts the 62 Kimpton hotels as part of its portfolio of more than 4,700 hotels. Additionally, Kimpton on Friday announced that COO Mike DeFrino has taken over as Kimpton's CEO. Former CEO Mike Depatie, along with a few other Kimpton top executives, now is managing KHP Capital Partners, which handles real estate investments that include 30 percent of Kimpton's portfolio and pipeline.
Sean Coogan, as Regional Director of Operations and General Manager at Welk Resort San Diego, will oversee operations in Palm Springs and Tahoe, as well as San Diego. Coogan will be transitioning into this new role immediately. He has been a leader with Welk Resorts for more than 25 years, starting as Box Office Supervisor, and advancing through a number of appointments to his most recent position as general manager. In his new role, Coogan’s leadership, good humor and commitment to a first-class guest experience will continue to inspire his teams and grow the company.
Michelle Morikawa joined Welk Resorts in 2001 and worked in Reservations and Villa Rentals. Her previous experience with TimeShareWare led to opportunities in IT, where she most recently was the project manager. She started her career at the Imperial Hawaii Resort in Waikiki in 1997, where she worked in Owner Services, and then as executive assistant to the general manager. - See more at: http://ehotelier.com/news/2015/01/15/welk-resorts-appoints-two-new-general-managers#sthash.IpC8g193.dpuf
Riviera Palm Springs, situated at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains in the heart of old Palm Springs, today announced the appointment of Michael Macleod as director of sales and marketing. A native of Vancouver, Macleod brings to his new post a distinguished history working with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, including leadership roles at properties in Vancouver, Rancho Mirage and San Diego, and a proven ability to successfully increase sales and revenue in both the domestic and international markets. In his new role, Macleod will work to solidify the position of the hotel as well as develop and implement strategies that promote new business opportunities.Throughout his career, Macleod has focused on sales and marketing within the luxury hospitality industry. Before joining the team at Riviera Palm Springs, Macleod served as regional sales manager at BellStar Hotels & Resorts, associate director of sales at Pan Pacific Vancouver, director of sales at Starwood Hotels and Resorts in San Diego, director of sales and marketing at Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa, sales manager and interim director of sales and marketing at Westin Bayshore Vancouver, and sales manager at Furry Creek Golf and Country Club.
Humphreys is succeeding Dania Duke who will be transferring to the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine as General Manager. Most recently General Manager of the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, Humphreys has a long history with Hyatt Hotels. Prior to his position at Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, he was the Senior Executive Assistant Manager of Rooms at Grand Hyatt San Francisco. Humphreys’ began his career with Hyatt in 1993 as a bellman at the Hyatt in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Humphreys gained management experience in other Hyatt hotels in such locales as South Carolina, Southern California, Washington State and Hawaii.