Loews Coral Gables Hotel, opening November 3, 2022, is pleased to announce Ricardo Jarquin as Executive Chef. In this role, Chef Jarquin will spearhead all culinary aspects of the new 242-room hotel, located in the heart of The Plaza Coral Gables. This includes the development and implementation of menus and culinary points of view for all dining outlets, banquet functions and curated hotel culinary programming.
The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale has appointed Paula DaSilva to Director of Culinary and Beverage of the property. Since she first came on the South Florida dining scene in 2000, DaSilva has been a culinary darling; first as a rising star and later as an executive chef and one of the areas foremost talents in the realm of soulful, farm fresh cuisine. A member of the The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale family since 2017, she initially joined the culinary team as Chef de Cuisine of its acclaimed restaurant Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits. In her newly appointed role, DaSilva is directly responsible for the property's culinary outlets, beverage and wine program, in-room dining, Club Lounge, stewarding, purchasing and receiving and banquet operations. In addition, she continues to refine and strengthen operational and financial excellence with a substantial focus on elevating the customer experience. She brings more than 20 years of expertise in professional cooking, kitchen management and an unyielding dedication for excellence to the property.
The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale has appointed Jira Baird as Pastry Chef of the luxury property. A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Baird is influential in the creation, design and production of the venue's refined desserts and plays an essential role in the overall culinary operations for resort.
A South African native, Williams brings over thirty years of experience in luxury hotel sales and operations management, with past leadership roles at the Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, Sukhothai Bangkok, Waldorf Astoria Beijing and Conrad Seoul. Most recently, Williams oversaw the flagship Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills as its general manager, where she led her team to outperform luxury benchmarks, such as upholding the Forbes 5-Star rating for both the hotel and the spa.
A PGA Class A Professional, Corry will be responsible for directing and leading golf operations for the resort's 72 holes of golf - including maintenance, course restorations, budgeting, merchandise, and guest and member services. Most recently serving as Innisbrook's assistant director of golf, he has built and grown the PGA Junior League and created the club's own popular competitive league. He has also created successful holiday events for members, and taught group and individual lessons at the Innisbrook Golf Academy. Prior to joining Innisbrook, Corry served as Head Golf Professional at Feather Sound Country Club where he designed and implemented the on-site golf academy and grew tournament operations.
With more than two decades of experience as a golf professional at resorts and clubs, Barnes will manage most areas of the resort in his new role - from guest accommodations to housekeeping, sports, spa and recreation and guest services. He has spent more than 11 years at Innisbrook as director of golf and head golf professional, during which he led daily golf course operations that exceeded 120,000 rounds annually. Prior to joining the property in 2009, he served as golf operations manager at Walt Disney World's Disney Golf and head club professional at MetroWest Golf Club in Orlando.
224-room Hyatt Place hotel opens steps from Panama City Beach, featuring onsite restaurant, Coconut Charlie's Beach Bar & Grill, offering coastal-American dishes and handcrafted cocktails.
With over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Anthony Rico will be utilizing his multitude of talents as the new Managing Director at Mondrian South Beach. Anthony has proudly held a variety of executive level positions across multiple luxury properties such as General Manager at The Boca Raton Beach Club in Boca Raton, Florida; Assistant General Manager at SLS-Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas; and as Vice President of Operations at Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas, Nevada. By honing his skills in both hospitality and management throughout his accomplished career, Anthony will bring a fresh, energetic, and positive approach to his new leadership role at Mondrian South Beach.
Epicurean Hotel in the trendy Hyde Park historic district of South Tampa announced today the return of Jon Atanacio as executive chef. Atanacio will direct daily culinary operations at the hotel's signature Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar, and EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge, while also overseeing food and beverage offerings for the Epicurean's 5,200 square feet of function space for meetings, corporate parties, local catering events and special occasions.
A hospitality veteran with more than 25 years of experience, McCarron's hospitality career began in food and beverage, where he's held various managerial positions at The Ritz-Carlton properties in Atlanta, Boston and Pentagon City before taking on the role of banquet director at Four Seasons Atlanta. He then served as director of food & beverage at Four Seasons properties in Chicago and Boston before becoming hotel manager at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore and then Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. He joined Hilton in 2016 as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Orlando, where under his leadership, the hotel has received several accolades from Forbes Travel Guide, TripAdvisor, AAA, US News & World Report and more. McCarron received a degree in hotel management from the Institute Hotelier Cesar Ritz - Hotel Consult in Le Bouveret, Switzerland.
With more than 20 years of sales experience, Yurko has spent the last 15 years in Orlando, holding the position of senior sales manager at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin and most recently, assistant director of sales at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Prior to relocating to Florida, Yurko held a number of sales roles, including account executive with Hilton Direct USA, convention sales manager at Hilton Atlanta, and sales manager at InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. In her new role at Conrad Orlando, Yurko will oversee sales, marketing and advertising of the luxury property. Yurko holds a bachelor of science in hotel, restaurant and institutional management from Pennsylvania State University.
Arlo Hotels, an independent, experience-driven hotel brand with locations in Miami Beach and New York City's Midtown, NoMad and SoHo neighborhoods, announced today it will debut Arlo Wynwood this October. The property will be the first hotel to open in Miami's preeminent creative and cultural district, which is home to the largest concentration of street art in the world. The all-new 217-room, nine-story hotel will serve as the cultural hub for residents and visitors while offering savvy travelers prime access to the best of the region.
Margaritaville Beach House Key West announced today the appointment of Thomas "Tom" Anderson as its new General Manager. Anderson will oversee the dedicated team of hospitality professionals and day-to-day operations of the 186-room oceanfront property.
Netherlands-based hotel company citizenM officially opened its newest hotel, citizenM Miami, in the city's downtown on Monday.
Frank Hughes is Director of Food & Beverage for the onsite Coconut Charlie's Beach Bar & Grill, the third location of OTO's proprietary coastal restaurant concept.
Diana C. Canas is Director of Sales of Hyatt Place Panama City Beach/Beachfront.
Tyler Davies is General Manager of Hyatt Place Panama City Beach/Beachfront.
The high-design extended stay concept joins the new Water Street Tampa neighborhood featuring new amenities & lifestyle offerings operated by Method Co., including new co-living apartments, a pool deck with cabanas and bar, and co-working space.
An MBA recipient from The Crummer Graduate School of Business in Winter Park, FL, Francis' 28-year career in the hospitality industry began at Walt Disney World, followed by an impressive 18-year tenure with various Marriot Bonvoy brands. He started with the group sales team at The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando Grande Lakes and JW Marriott Grand Lakes Orlando and continued working in the group segment for The Ritz-Carlton, Naples and The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott, Los Angeles at LA LIVE. He launched his leisure sales experience just under a decade ago when he joined the team at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, and has since gained experience at other properties including The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Caribbean and Mexico, and The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. Francis brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and established relationships to his new role in overseeing the property's transient sales.
An Indiana native, Dampier's hospitality career began in Indianapolis after graduating from Indiana University with a BA in English. With 20 years of experience, she has held various leadership positions with renowned brands such as Hyatt, Conrad Hotels and Resorts, and other properties under the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. She brings extensive group and catering leadership knowledge and expertise to her new role where she will be spearheading sales for the luxury hotel's group events. She will also be overseeing weddings, social events, and corporate catering gatherings. Dampier and her family are boating aficionados and are eager to spend weekends sailing the Gulf upon their relocation to Sarasota.