A number of hotels around the country ended January and kicked off February by naming new general managers. Here are some names to know at some notable properties.
JW Marriott Scottsdale
In Arizona, the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa has named Leo Percopo as area GM. Percopo will oversee the resort along with the rest of the full-service managed Marriott hotels in Arizona.
Before joining the team, Percopo spent 17 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, where he held key leadership positions including resort manager at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort in Scottsdale and general manager at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, which he led through its opening in 2020. Percopo was a key member of the brand’s Eastern Region leadership team and spearheaded the roll-out of Alternative Work Arrangement in an effort to drive work-life balance, retain leaders and attract new talent. Most recently, Percopo was VP of operations and area managing director for Omni Hotels & Resorts, where he oversaw 26 hotels and resorts.
Del Mar Beach Hotel
Taylor Miller is the new GM of the Del Mar Beach Hotel in San Diego. In this role, Miller will oversee all operations for the 46-room California coastal hotel and its three residences. She will also work closely with the management team at Azul Hospitality Group to grow the overall revenue for the property.
Miller first entered the hospitality industry at Moxy San Diego Gaslamp as a crew member and culture sidekick while studying at San Diego State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality & Tourism Management. She then learned about guest services at Pantai Inn in La Jolla, Calif., before expanding to operations and leadership with Azul Hospitality Group at the Moxy San Diego Gaslamp. Most recently, she was complex director of rooms at Westin and Sheraton Carlsbad (Calif.) resorts.
Whiteface Lodge
Jonathan Peels is the new GM of the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Peels has more than 15 years of management experience at hotels and resorts around the country. Most recently, he was the resort manager of Palm Beach Singer Island (Fla.) Marriott Beach Resort & Spa, where he was responsible for managing the operations.
Marriott Marquis Houston
Nour Laasri has been appointed Marriott International’s new area GM for Houston and GM for the Marriott Marquis Houston. In his role as general manager, Laasri will act as the primary strategic leader for the 1,000-room Marriott Marquis Houston, overseeing all day-to-day operations, financial performance, sales and revenue generation. As area general manager, Laasri will serve as an active member of the Houston community and will help the hotel team foster relationships with local officials and businesses in the area.
Laasri’s hospitality career spans nearly four decades with Marriott International, having held leadership positions in food and beverage, operations and franchise operations. For 10 years, Laasri was GM at the Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana, Dallas Marriott City Center and the Marriott St. Louis Grand. Most recently, Laasri was the area GM for Pennsylvania and GM at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.
Mission Inn Resort & Club
Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla., part of the MMI Hotel Group, has named Cindy Staley its new general manager. In this role, Staley is responsible for overseeing the hotel’s daily operations. She will work to develop and implement growth strategies for the resort, manage the hotel budget to optimize performance and supervise all resort staff.
Staley has held management positions in hospitality for more than 25 years, primarily with concepts in Florida, ranging from Miami to Orlando, since 1998. Her most recent role was GM at B Resort & Spa in The Disney Springs Resort Area.
B Resort & Spa
B Resort & Spa, located in the Disney Springs Resort Area in Orlando, has tapped Kai Fischer as the new general manager. An industry veteran with more than 30 years of hospitality experience, Fischer will oversee all aspects of the resort, including operations, sales, marketing and food and beverage alongside the resort’s management company, Performance Hospitality Management.
After graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Fischer started his career by opening the Marriott Castle Harbour Bermuda as the food and beverage complex manager. He was the general manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Tampa Westshore and oversaw the Ocean Place Beach Resort & Spa in Long Branch, N.J. Fischer also was the opening general manager of Hilton Aventura Miami. Previously, Fischer served as the multiproperty director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour
Eugenia Dwyer is the new GM at the The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour in Miami. Dwyer follows in the footsteps of her grandparents, who worked in the hospitality industry in her home country of Argentina. She previously was GM of the Eden Roc & Nobu Miami Beach.
Dwyer worked across multiple brands in varying New York City locations, such as The Westin Times Square, Waldorf Astoria and W Hotels in both Times Square and Hoboken, N.J. In 2012, she accepted her first manager role at the NYLO hotel in New York City, followed by a promotion to complex general manager for The Gates and 24 North in Key West, Fla. She earned a Bachelor in Hospitality Management from CUNY New York City College of Technology as well as various advanced professional certifications from New York University and Cornell University.
Amangiri
In South Utah, Amangiri recently appointed Audrey Huttert as the new general manager. A veteran of the hospitality industry with more than two decades of experience, Huttert comes to Amangiri from the Dominican Republic, where was the general manager for Amanera, another Aman resort. Before that, she managed several international resorts including The Ritz-Carlton, Abama in Tenerife, Spain; Langkawi in Malaysia; Abu Dhabi Grand Canal in the UAE; Wolfsburg in Germany; Mukul, Auberge Resorts Collection in Nicaragua; Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos; and the Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort in Portugal.
Originally from Belgium, Huttert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the Ecôle Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland.
Renaissance Honolulu
Hospitality management company Highgate has named Matthew Grauso the opening GM of the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa at Sky Ala Moana. Grauso will be responsible for overseeing the management and operations of the upcoming Marriott property, scheduled to open in late 2023 on Oahu.
Grauso was the GM at the ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach in Honolulu for the past five years and will stay on in this role until his successor has been named. He also was the GM at Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, hotel manager at The Sheraton Waikiki and director of human resources at The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas, all in Hawaii.
Danfords Hotel & Marina
Danfords Hotel & Marina in Port Jefferson Village on the North Shore of New York’s Long Island has named Derrick Erwee the new GM. Erwee has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality and food and beverage industries.
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Erwee managed various restaurants and private clubs in his home city before moving to the United States in 2009. He worked along the East Coast as restaurant manager at the Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.; clubhouse manager at the Muttontown Club in New York City; and food & beverage manager at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, Maine. Most recently, Erwee was the assistant GM at Sound View Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island.