DRIFTWOOD ADDS TO LEADERSHIP TEAM
Driftwood Hospitality Management (DHM) has announced three key promotions to its leadership team. Bryan Postema has been named COO, Michael Buddemeyer has been appointed vice president of operations focus service and Michael Diaz has been promoted to chief strategy officer.
As the COO, Postema will be responsible for all aspects of hotel operations across its over 80-property portfolio, ensuring guest satisfaction, setting financial milestones and exceeding brand standards. Previously, Postema served as managing director – Driftwood Capital Assets.
Buddemeyer will lead strategy and operational initiatives across DHM’s newly created focus service and extended-stay unit. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, Buddemeyer’s promotion coincides with the addition of the Fairfax Springhill Suites and Element Melbourne Oceanfront properties to the focus service division. Earlier, Buddemeyer served as a regional director of operations and general manager with DHM.
In his new role as chief strategy officer, Diaz will focus on long-term planning and strategic growth initiatives in his new role. He previously served as COO since the company’s inception in 1998, managing Driftwood’s global hotel portfolio and operations structure.
FRENCHMAN’S REEF NAMES NEW EXEC STEERING COMMITTEE
Frenchman’s Reef, the Caribbean vacation destination including The Westin Beach Resort & Spa and Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort, Autograph Collection, has announced a new steering committee. The team members include:
- Martin Smith as managing director. He will be in charge of all operations for the two interconnected resorts. Most recently, Smith served as complex general manager of Eden Roc Miami Beach and Nobu Hotel Miami Beach.
- Andrew Haas as vice president, commercial services. He brings 25 years of experience to his new role, with a focus on building brands, developing leadership and enhancing hotel and associate performance. Haas spent 21 years at Marriott International, where he held various leadership roles in sales, marketing and revenue management and served as the corporate liaison for 65 North American franchise management companies.
- Maria Vilchez as general manager, Buoy Haus Beach Resort. With 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently Vilchez served as hotel manager at Eden Roc Miami Beach and oversaw all aspects of front office, guest services, VIP services, parking, bell, public areas, housekeeping and security.
PROMOTIONS AT PREFERRED TRAVEL GROUP
Preferred Travel Group, the family-owned company that operates global travel and hospitality brands and programs, has announced four promotions to global leadership positions. These include:
- Stephanie Calhoun as the new senior vice president, operations – Historic Hotels. In her new role, she will oversee operations, member services, events and marketing communications for the Historic Hotels business unit.
- Christopher Ahlgrim has been elevated to vice president, Americas East. He will oversee the profitability and growth of the Northeast, Southeast, South Central U.S. regions and the non-Spanish speaking Caribbean, continuing to lead strategic development efforts and regional business development.
- Renee Haddad has been promoted to vice president, hotel revenue optimization – U.S. & Canada. Her new role will see her driving strategy and execution within the regional leadership team and the global revenue and distribution leadership team.
- Priscilla Haryadi has been promoted to area managing director, Northern Europe. In this new role, her region has expanded to oversee the growth and retention of over 70 member hotels across France, Switzerland, the U.K., Ireland and the Nordics.
MORE MOVES
Pendry Hotels & Resorts has appointed Katherine “Kati” Gregory as the new director of sales and marketing of Sagamore Pendry Baltimore. Gregory will oversee all aspects of group and transient business, catering sales, meetings and events; as well as marketing and public relations for the hotel.
With more than 17 years of experience to her new role, she began her career with Hilton, representing five Chicago hotels, going on to lead the sales team for W Hotels Chicago. Gregory later introduced Convene to the Chicago market as area director of sales, guiding the team through the opening of four properties. Most recently, she served as director of sales and marketing at the Thesis Hotel Miami in South Florida.
Hotel Granada, the boutique hotel by Aparium Hotel Group located in midtown Atlanta, has welcomed Lucits Dean as director of sales.
Dean brings more than 17 years of hospitality experience to her new role and has held several leadership roles, including director of sales for EVEN Hotels and task force sales for Schulte Hospitality, as well as sales manager and director of sales and marketing for Crown Plaza Houston, Hyatt Regency North Houston and several Holiday Inn properties across the greater Houston area.
The Chatwal, New York, the luxury hotel in Manhattan, has named Sebastian Gurevich as the property’s new hotel manager. Bringing more than 17 years of leadership experience spanning nine Hyatt properties in seven cities, Gurevich will oversee daily operations and uphold the hotel’s luxury standards.
Since beginning his career with Hyatt Hotels in 2007 as a front desk agent at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Gurevich rose through various roles to his most recent position as area director of operations overseeing Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis. From there, he led the launch of the first Caption by Hyatt, a lifestyle brand within the Hyatt portfolio.
Sunriver Resort, the resort destination in Pacific Northwest, and Caldera Springs, a residential resort community located adjacent to Sunriver Resort, has announced the following two leadership appointments:
- Krista Miller has been named vice president of real estate and development. Miller will oversee the Caldera Springs expansion project, all Sunriver Resort development projects, Caldera Springs Real Estate and Sunriver Realty.
- Megan Roe has been appointed general manager of Caldera Springs. Roe started her career at Sunriver Resort in 2004 and will succeed Miller as general manager of Caldera Springs. She will oversee all operations, including Forest House, Lake House, Shore Shack, Caldera Links and The Outpost.
Both promotions follow the retirement of longtime Sunriver Resort real estate executive and Caldera Springs expansion project director John Fettig, whose career with Sunriver Resort has spanned more than three decades.
