Embassy Suites by Hilton, a global brand of upscale, all-suite hotels from Hilton (NYSE: HLT), announced today the opening of a newly-built hotel at Destiny USA, New York's largest shopping, dining, outlet and entertainment destination. Embassy Suites by Hilton takes pride in offering guests an approachable and stress-free experience at each of its spacious, all-suites hotel properties.
AccorHotels has expanded its ibis Styles brand to the United States with the opening of ibis Styles New York LaGuardia Airport. The ibis Styles New York LaGuardia Airport is not only the first ibis Styles hotel in the U.S., but it will also serve as the flagship hotel for the brand in the country. Located at the former site of the LaGuardia Airport Hotel, the property has undergone a major renovation to bring it within ibis Styles brand standards.
In his new role, Brandt will be responsible for overseeing all catering operations on property including event planning and event execution. He will serve as liaison between the Conrad New York and Union Square Events, the catering business of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. Union Square Events is Conrad New York’s exclusive catering partner. Brandt will play an integral role in expanding Conrad New York’s presence within Manhattan’s catering and events market. Having helmed catering and events operations at a variety of luxury properties in New York, Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia, Brandt brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the hotel. Prior to joining Conrad New York, Brandt served as associate director of catering at Waldorf Astoria New York, a post he held at the prestigious hotel from 2015 and 2017. Brandt joined the Waldorf Astoria New York team from Chicago, where he served as the vice president of sales and marketing at Kehoe Designs and the director of catering at the Palmer House Hilton. Brandt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics at Grand Valley State.
BD Hotels, led by developers Richard Born and Ira Drukier, is pleased to announce the appointment of Effie Tsavalias as General Manager of Pod Brooklyn, opening this September in the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. Tsavalias brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role from previous hospitality experience and will oversee all aspects of hotel operations at the 249 room property. Tsavalias’s role will include overseeing guest services, housekeeping, maintenance, sales, and spearheading the property’s grand opening.
Luca Brunelle has been appointed executive chef of The Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The historic Gideon Putnam is operated by global hospitality company Delaware North on behalf of New York State. In his role, Brunelle will oversee all culinary operations for the 124-room resort’s modern American eatery, Putnam’s Restaurant, as well as the seasonally-operated Putnam’s Patio. He will be responsible for production and catering management for the resort’s meeting spaces, including the newly renovated grand ballroom, as well as the training and development of kitchen staff. Brunelle joined Delaware North after more than 20 years of experience in the food service industry. He previously ran the kitchens at Cornell’s in Little Italy in Schenectady, N.Y.; Nicole’s Restaurant in Albany, N.Y.; and Brown’s Brewing in Troy, N.Y. His extensive experience includes event management, quality assurance of recipes, and crafting special and new menu items with a focus on waste minimization. The chef has also been an active figure in the local food and beverage community. He is a participant in the annual Cor-CIA programming with Master Chef Dale Miller, creating a joint scholarship program benefitting Cornell University and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Albany Country Club. He has executed cooking demonstrations on local television stations, and has earned two People's Choice Awards from the Albany Culinary Cornucopia and gold medals and awards from more than 20 American Culinary Federation-sponsored competitions.
The Pod Hotels today announces the opening of its flagship property, Pod Times Square, right in the center of New York City"s hustle and bustle this fall. A BD Hotels property (The Mercer, The Marlton, The Bowery, The Maritime, The Greenwich) Pod Times Square becomes the fifth asset in the Pod Hotel collection following the great success of Pod 51and Pod 39; Pod BK, the first property in an outer-borough; and Pod DC, the first property outside of New York City. The innovative hotels" proven micro-model boasts the highest percentage of occupancy across the entire BD Hotels portfolio and will take things a set further this fall with the introduction of its new real estate concept.
John Maibach’s track record for excellence is evident by his most recent role as general manager for Loews Boston Hotel. He led the property through a brand repositioning, was instrumental in introducing Loews in the Boson market and led the hotel’s extensive renovation. Now four years later, the hotel is a prominent member of the Boston tourism community. Starting as a Housekeeping Floor Manager at the Hotel Macklowe, now the Millennium Broadway, Maibach then worked as the Executive Director of Rooms at The Plaza, New York. Prior to starting with Loews, Maibach held other General Manager positions including The Copley Square (2007 – 2013) where he oversaw an $18 million renovation and was given the difficult task of transforming a two-star hotel into a luxury property. The complete re-invention and branding of The Copley Square was met with high rates of guest satisfaction and an increase in occupancy and revenue. As a native New York, John is excited to return to New York with his wife, two children and his beloved yellow lab, Lola-Maibs.
sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hospitality venues globally, is thrilled to announce the opening of Mondrian Park Avenue in New York this fall. Initially conceived as an SLS designed by Philippe Starck with a culinary concept by José Andrés, the project evolved after sbe's acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group in late 2016, and a renewed focus was placed on bringing the legacy of the iconic Mondrian brand to new markets around the world.
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced today that ONE UN New York will join the Hilton network as Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza on August 30 as Hilton Hotels & Resorts' seventh local property. The landmark hotel, situated alongside the United Nations headquarters, has long welcomed both leisure and business travelers, and the world's most esteemed leaders, diplomats and heads of state. The iconic property is now poised to deliver Hilton's flagship hospitality to visitors from across the globe. It has completed a $68 million phased renovation since 2012, which preserved the distinctive architecture and layout of the original Kevin Roche-designed building, while upgrading the hotel's 439 guest rooms and suites, meetings and event spaces, public areas and restaurant.
AccorHotels’ loyalty and concierge services arm, John Paul, has appointed Amber Treshnell as CEO, Americas. In this newly established role, she will be responsible for overall company performance in the Americas, building on recent successes and ensuring the continued growth of the business.
ibis Styles, the economy brand from AccorHotels has made its debut in the United States with the opening of ibis Styles New York LaGuardia Airport.
Cachet Hospitality Group, the Asia-Pacific based hotel management company opens its inaugural U.S. hotel, Cachet Boutique NYC, in Midtown Manhattan in September 2017. The Cachet brand combines its design-centric aesthetic and East meets West hospitality, and infuses it with New York City flair to bring a unique food and entertainment experience to Manhattan. Cachet Boutique NYC will feature 105 rooms and villas, a Playboy Club NYC and two restaurants, EDEN and the Bellbrook.
Sofitel New York has hired Amber Kasses as its new director of sales and marketing. She joins the luxury Midtown hotel after a nine-year managerial career with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.Kasses was most recently director of sales and marketing for Fairmont Newport Beach, where she was responsible for building, training and managing a team of 17 revenue-generating managers and colleagues. She was promoted to that position in 2015 after two years as director of revenue management.
Conrad New York announced today the appointment of Adam Heffron as Hotel Manager. In his role, Heffron will support in managing daily operations of the luxury all-suite hotel. Heffron brings more than a decade of hospitality management experience to Conrad New York, he most recently served as the General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Jersey City since 2015.Heffron will be a strategic business leader responsible for expanding the hotel’s success in all operational, revenue based and customer relations facets. Heffron previously served as the General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Jersey City, where he was the leader for 198 room, all-suite hotel and was selected as a member of the 2016 DoubleTree Circle of Leadership, recognizing the brands top performing General Managers. Additionally, Heffron spent more than 10 years in a variety of roles including, Director of Operations at the Hilton Newark Airport, Assistant General Manager of the Embassy Suites Washington D.C Convention Center and Assistant General Manager of Hotel Lombardy, Washington, DC. Heffron began his career as the revenue manager of RB Properties, Inc. in 2006. Heffron earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Towson University and a Certificate in Advanced Hospitality Revenue Management from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. He resides in Jersey City, New Jersey with his wife, Neda and 4 year old daughter, Madeline.
The Peninsula New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Pradeep Raman as Resident Manager of the Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond property. Pradeep will be responsible for overseeing all operational departments at The Peninsula New York while leading the property in its continued pursuit of the highest quality of service standards and guest satisfaction.
Pietro Consorti has been recently appointed Executive Chef, Andaz Wall Street. Consorti has a long history with Hyatt which spans 10 years and various destinations, from Milan, Italy to Louisville, Kentucky. Chef Consorti oversees the culinary operation of Andaz Wall Street's dining outlets, including the upcoming transition of its full-service restaurant, Dina Rata, into a more modern, locally infused space for lunch and dinner. He also oversees all in-house banquets including the hotel's premier banquet space, Wall & Water, and in-room dining.
Wells will lead all group and transient sales efforts and manage strategic marketing partnerships for the 348-room hotel, which opened in March 2016.
Home2 Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) industry-first All Suites portfolio, announced today its newest property, Home2 Suites by Hilton Oswego. Designed for travelers who want to maintain their normal routine, the hotel features 89 suites and a range of value, tech-focused and eco-conscious amenities. Close to downtown, the property's debut complements Oswego County's year-round tourism draw driven by the fishing industry.*
Homewood Suites by Hilton, part of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) All Suites portfolio, announced today its newest property, Homewood Suites by Hilton Saratoga Springs. Designed for guests who want to travel on their own terms, Homewood Suites by Hilton Saratoga Springs offers guests all the comforts of home, whether they are traveling for work or enjoying a well-earned getaway. With 113 new suites, the hotel is ideally located in the foothills of the Adirondack Park and continues the brand's expansion in the state of New York.
New York Hilton Midtown is pleased to announce the appointment of Julien Pierlas as director of food and beverage. In his new role, Pierlas will manage the food and beverage program for the 1,929-room hotel including the Herb N’ Kitchen market/restaurant and extensive banquet facilities. “I am very excited to introduce Julien and am confident that his past experience, including a four-year tenure at Hilton’s own Waldorf Astoria New York, will bring great value to the food and beverage operations team as we continue to provide exceptional conferences, meetings and events,” said Diarmuid Dwyer, general manager, New York Hilton Midtown. Pierlas joins the hotel’s F&B team from Manhattan’s renowned Waldorf Astoria New York where he previously held positions including senior restaurant manager, director of restaurants, and most recently, assistant director of food and beverage. Prior to that, Pierlas served as the assistant general manager at The Ace Hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant The Breslin in New York City, working with famed chef April Bloomfield. Earlier in his career, Pierlas began in London as the restaurant manager at Les Amis de Brula, chef de rang at Scott’s Restaurant, and general manager at La Buvette. Pierlas is a graduate of Lycée Eucalyptus in Nice, France. As one of New York City’s largest hotels and home to the city’s largest hotel ballroom, New York Hilton Midtown is renowned for executing seamless corporate meetings, high-profile events, celebrity gatherings and more. The hotel is also home to Herb N’ Kitchen, an innovative, Hilton-branded dining concept that infuses seasonally fresh, locally sourced food into a convenient “on-the-go” urban market for fast, quality-driven, affordable meals.