Kokua Hospitality, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, appointed Candice Cancino as GM at the Carmel Mission Inn in Carmel, Calif.
credit: Kokua Hospitality
Located just off the West Coast’s Highway 1, in the heart of Carmel, the hotel has 165 guestrooms, more than 4,500 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant and bar and a fitness center, as well as an outdoor pool, Jacuzzi and private gardens. Later this year, the property will undergo room renovations.
As part of an Air Force family, Cancino was born in the Philippines, calls Elk Grove, Calif., home and spent much of her childhood living and traveling in Asia. This lifetime of flexibility prepared her for the ins and outs, ups and downs of the hospitality industry. Cancino comes to Carmel Mission Inn with more than 20 years of experience ranging from boutique hotels to major luxury hotel brands.
While living in Switzerland, a friend introduced Cancino to the Lausanne Hotel School, and she was hooked on the curriculum and everything her friend was learning about the hospitality industry. Once back in the U.S., she followed this new interest in Dearborn, Mich., where she worked her way up at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in various positions and cities for 13 years. From there, Cancino went on to hold leadership roles at W Hotels, The Normandy Hotel Washington D.C., The Row New York, The High Line Hotel New York and Hyatt Herald Square New York. Cancino most recently served as GM of the King George Hotel, San Francisco.
“Candice’s forward-thinking management style provides the perfect balance of independence, flexibility, and accountability for a quickly developing hotel team,” Kirk Pederson, president of Kokua Hospitality, said in a statement. “Her desire to create lasting, positive, authentic experiences and memories for guests makes her perfect for our growing West Coast team.”
While not working, Cancino spends her free time exploring Highway 1 and visiting wineries with her pitbull mix, Coco.