Several upcoming hotels in the U.S. and Mexico have announced new additions to their leadership teams this week.
Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta
The Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta, scheduled to open later this month, has named Kristi Cotten-Morris as general manager and Yajaira Torres as director of sales & marketing.
Cotten-Morris will be responsible for overseeing all hotel operations and staff training of the new. Torres will establish strategic accounts and foster partner relationships to drive occupancy, maximize revenue, and elevate the hotel’s profile in key markets.
Both Cotten-Morris and Torres have worked at other Hyatt-branded properties in the Atlanta market in the past, Cotten-Morris at Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Torres at Hyatt Place Atlanta.
Of her 26 years in the industry, Cotten-Morris has spent 24 with Hyatt hotels. Since beginning her Hyatt career as a front desk agent at Hyatt Regency Hilton Head Island in 1997, Cotton-Morris has led Hyatt properties through rebrands, renovations and openings. She led a $73 million renovation at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport and served on Hyatt’s opening task force for several years, playing a key role in opening Hyatt Regency Boston, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and Hyatt Regency Jacksonville. Most recently, she worked in Philadelphia as the general manager of The Bellevue Hotel.
Yajaira Torres has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 13 years. She represented the second-ever Hyatt Centric hotel, Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami, and has helped support the brand’s evolution in the lifestyle hotel space.
Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya and Hilton Tulum All-Inclusive Resort
Hilton is set to open the new-build Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya and Hilton Tulum All-Inclusive Resort in early 2022. Santiago Rivera will be managing director of the two properties, overseeing guest experience and operations, and Javier Martinez will be hotel manager of the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya.
As the managing director of both the 349-room Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya and 735-room Hilton Tulum All-Inclusive Resort, Rivera is responsible for leading the opening of both properties, administering management across hotel operations, and spearheading the development and execution of strategic sales and marketing initiatives.
Rivera has more than 15 years of hospitality experience, building his career with Meliá Hotels International, where he led four openings and four rebrandings. Most recently, he acted as the area managing director for Meliá properties in the Dominican Republic. His experience in hospitality includes food and beverage manager, director of rooms, resident manager, hotel manager and general manager, across six countries and four continents from Tunisia to Shanghai to the Mediterranean coast of Spain. The last decade of his career has been in the Caribbean and Latin America, serving as hotel manager at Paradisus Playa del Carmen and general manager at Meliá Cabo Real, Paradisus Cancun, Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort and Meliá Caribe Beach Resort.
As the hotel manager of Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya, the brand’s first ever property in the Mexican Caribbean, Martinez will manage the administration of all day-to-day hotel services and activities at the new hotel.
Martinez most recently served as the general manager of Palmaïa – The House of Aïa. After graduating Les Roches Marbella International School of Hotel Management, one of Martinez’s first roles was with Hilton as an intern in 2006.
Conrad Nashville
The Conrad Nashville, set to open in May 2022, has appointed Martin Wormull as general manager and John Stack as director of sales & marketing.
Wormull joins the team from The Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton, where he served as the opening General Manager for two years. Additional luxury properties where Wormull has held other general manager positions include Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, Conrad Miami and The Drake.
In his new role, Stack will direct the property’s sales efforts including group sales, corporate travel and catering, developing annual sales goals and implementing strategies to ensure annual revenue goals are achieved. Previous roles include director of sales & marketing at The Peninsula Chicago, The Westin Michigan Avenue and The Westin O’Hare. Stack holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institution management from Pennsylvania State University.