The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced the appointment of Brett Horton as chief advocacy officer. For the past decade, Horton has served as Chief of Staff to U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). In this newly created role, he will oversee AHLA’s comprehensive advocacy, political engagement, and government affairs strategies to advance the hotel industry’s priorities at the federal, state, and local levels.
Kempinski Hotels has announced the appointment of Paul Lonergan as chief operating and asset management officer. This role will oversee the luxury hotel group’s operations and asset management strategy in EMEA, Americas, and Asia Pacific (excluding China & Mongolia). Lonergan brings more than three decades of global hospitality experience, combining 20 years in senior operational leadership with 15 years in commercial hotel asset management.
Dimension Hospitality announced the appointment of Aimee Mangold as chief human resources officer. Mangold brings 25 years of experience to the role. She joins Dimension Hospitality from SROA Capital, where she served as vice president of human resources. She previously worked for Kolter Hospitality, The Procaccianti Group, and Interstate Hotels.
TPG Hotels & Resorts announced that Brian Bradford has joined the company as senior vice president, hospitality finance. In this role, Bradford will have direct oversight and accountability for the accounting and finance function across the company’s portfolios. Bradford joins TPG Hotels & Resorts from Remington Hospitality, where he served as senior vice president of corporate accounting.
CoralTree Hospitality announced the appointments of Darlene Vanderlaan and Ben Whitefox as vice presidents of finance. Vanderlaan brings more than 25 years of experience. She previously served as director of resort operations development and programming for Holiday Inn Club Vacations. Whitefox has held roles at Sage Hospitality and Hilton. Most recently, he served as regional director of operations, finance at Sage.
IHM Outdoors, the outdoor and resort-focused division of Island Hospitality Management, announced the promotion of Hayden Schlosser to divisional vice president, outdoors division. In his new role, he will continue to ensure the operational success of the outdoors portfolio and oversee multiple positions added in the recent expansion. Schlosser’s executive roles include general manager of the Residence Inn, Mountain View, as well as the Residence Inn, Silicon Valley II, and the Residence Inn, San Diego/Mission Valley.
Travelsoft announced the appointment of Axel Nazarian as managing director. Nazarian is a Telecom Paris engineer with nearly two decades of leadership experience in e-commerce, omnichannel transformation, and international operations. Before joining Travelsoft, he held executive positions at Carrefour, most recently serving as e-commerce executive director for Carrefour Spain.
a&o Hostels announced the appointment of Kristina Golik as the brand’s first director of operations and integration. Golik previously became a management trainee in 2018 and then general manager at a&o Aachen in 2019. At the end of 2022, she took on the position of COO assistant.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa announced the appointment of Heather G. Eubank as director of events. Eubank brings 35 years of hospitality experience to her new role. Over nearly three decades with Hyatt Hotels, she has held various event leadership roles across the brand.
Viceroy Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Oksana Gyulnazaryan as area general manager for Viceroy Washington DC and Hotel Zena. Gyulnazaryan brings over 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the role. She has held leadership positions at properties across the United States, including Hyatt Regency Milwaukee and the Chicago Marriott Burr Ridge.
The Tess announced the appointment of Nils Bergmann as general manager. Bergmann brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to the role. His career includes roles with W Hotels, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, AC Marriott, and Hilton’s Curio Collection. Most recently, he served as general manager of The Charter Hotel Seattle, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton.
The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel announced the appointment of Emily Nichols as general manager. Nichols will oversee the hotel’s daily operations. Nichols previously spent over 15 years gaining experience in Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York before joining the Kimpton Alton Hotel in San Francisco. She has also held leadership roles at The Kimpton Buchanan and the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
Hilton announced the appointment of Mustafa Suer as general manager of the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead. Suer brings over 20 years of leadership experience, having led hotels and resorts across three continents under brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. In his new role at Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead, he will oversee all aspects of hotel operations.
The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples announced the appointment of Andrew Rogers as market general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples and The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón. Rogers brings more than three decades of experience in luxury hospitality to the role. Rogers joins The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples after serving as general manager of The Ritz-Carlton New York.
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina announced the appointment of Jason Calderala as director of rooms. He brings 15 years of hospitality experience working at Hyatt Hotels around the country to his new role. He has held leadership roles at Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport as executive housekeeper and director of outlets, followed by assistant director of operations and director of operations at Hyatt Regency Savannah.
Hilton announced the appointment of Juan Gonzalez Izquierdo as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. Izquierdo brings two decades of luxury hospitality experience to the role. Most recently, Izquierdo served as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead. Previously, he served as hotel manager at Conrad New York Downtown.
Palm House announced the appointment of Grant Friedman as general manager. Friedman brings more than three decades of experience to the role. He has held senior management roles with Four Seasons, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, Acqualina Resort & Residences, and Wymara Resort + Villas in Turks & Caicos. Most recently, he consulted with Kaleidoscope Hospitality on the forthcoming Whitfield Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays and complementary hardware and software solutions, announced the promotion of Bruce Wyrwitzke to the role of senior director of sales for North America. Wyrwitzke previously joined PPDS as sales director in 2021. In his new position, Wyrwitzke will oversee all PPDS sales in North America.
Pacifica Hotels announced the appointment of Dominic Gerardi as director of food and beverage at Seacliff Inn in Aptos, California. Gerardi brings over 30 years of leadership experience across hospitality, food service, and retail.
Great Oak Manor announced the appointment of Jordan Lloyd as executive chef and culinary director. Lloyd will lead the next chapter of Great Oak Manor’s culinary programming, including the expansion of an on-property garden and opening the Manor’s own restaurant. His resume includes positions on the service teams at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons in Washington, DC, and JOËL at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta.
Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter and Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk announced the promotion of Elizabeth Martinez to the role of senior sous chef, where she will oversee culinary operations across both properties alongside Executive Sous Chef Benjamin Annotti. This includes the Tributary at Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter and the Current & Craft, Marriott Riverwalk’s new restaurant. Martinez brings more than two decades of experience to the role.
Equinox Hospitality announced that Brian Quinn has joined the company as senior advisor. As senior advisor, Quinn will advise on strategic opportunities and partnerships. Quinn has worked at hospitality companies such as Hilton, IHG, Choice Hotels, and, most recently, Sonesta International, where he served as chief development officer.
Naples Grande Beach Resort announced the appointment of Cassandra Affleck as director of national accounts. In her new role, Affleck will focus on developing and strengthening relationships with national corporate and association clients and driving group sales performance. Affleck brings more than a decade of leadership experience to her new position. Most recently, she served as commercial director of sales at the Washington Hilton.
Makeready announced the appointment of Suya Davenport as vice president of leisure sales and the promotion of Tiffany Alves Hafer to vice president of global sales – Group. Davenport brings more than 35 years of experience in global luxury travel and hospitality to her new role. Davenport most recently served as vice president of global sales – travel industry at Pyramid Global Hospitality. Alves Hafer has nearly two decades of experience, including leadership roles at The Beekman and Thompson Hotels.
Atrium Hospitality announced four promotions; Peter O’Neall has been promoted to senior vice president of finance, Rakesh Gupta to
senior vice president of information technology, Bryan Drackett, to vice president of talent acquisition and HR technology, and Sandi Snead to vice president of operations.
