GF Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons announce hires

GF Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts named new executives recently:

GF Hotels & Resorts

Philadephia-based GF Hotels & Resorts, a hotel ownership and management company with more than 140 upscale and midscale U.S. hotels and resorts in its portfolio, appointed Jay Burnett chief investment officer, continuing to strengthen its skilled leadership team amid one of the most challenging years for the hospitality industry.

Burnett brings with him years of experience as he was senior vice president, investments and development at Auro Hotels in Greenville, S.C., where he was involved with hotel and land acquisitions, feasibility, due diligence, asset management and divestitures. Before joining Auro, a successor to JHM Hotels, Burnett was vice president of corporate strategies at GF Hotels & Resorts. Before that he was with AMC Delancey Group in a hotel asset management role.

Burnett began his career behind the front desk at the Hampton Inn in Charlottesville, Va. After that, he held multiple corporate positions within a six-year time period with Marriott International including information technology, revenue management, competitive analysis and sales and marketing analysis.

Burnett attended the University of Virginia where he earned a bachelor of science degree in commerce before earning his master of management in hospitality from the Cornell Hotel School.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

Joanna Flint was named chief commercial officer at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The newly created role will oversee the development and execution of the group’s commercial strategy while also taking executive responsibility for all aspects of Mandarin Oriental’s customer experience. Flint will take over the responsibilities of Chief Marketing Officer Jill Kluge, who retires from Mandarin Oriental in September 2021.

Before joining Mandarin Oriental, Flint spent 12 years at Google in general management and sales leadership roles, most recently as managing director - global partner business, with responsibility for industry go-to-market and commercialization for Google’s media and technology partners in Asia Pacific. Before Google, she was principal consultant at Ogilvy Asia Pacific. This followed a decade in the travel industry leading global eCommerce, CRM and customer service transformation programs for Singapore Airlines and British Airways.  

“It is a privilege to join Mandarin Oriental at such an important time; a brand I’ve always admired for service excellence and luxury,” Flint said. “This opportunity is boundless, and I’m excited to return to the travel industry to work with our colleagues and partners around the world to shape the group’s future for our customers.”

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts added Marc Speichert to its executive leadership team in the role of executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He will oversee the development and execution of the company’s integrated commercial strategy with a mandate that includes the identification of new products and markets; revenue growth across the company; brand marketing, global public relations and social media; data analytics, market insights and customer engagement; the brand’s extensive digital ecosystem; and global distribution and worldwide reservations.

In collaboration with other members of the executive leadership team, Speichert will be involved in all touchpoints of the Four Seasons guest experience, from the brand’s hotels and resorts, restaurants, bars and spas, to the growing Four Seasons residential portfolio and product extensions including the Four Seasons Private Jet and online retail program, as well as digital engagement through social media and the Four Seasons App.

Before joining Four Seasons, Speichert was global chief digital officer at GSK Consumer Healthcare for four years. Previously, Speichert was a senior executive at Google on its global clients and agency solutions team. Before Google, he was the first chief marketing officer at L’Oreal. He began his marketing career with a progressive 12-year tenure at Colgate-Palmolive.

Speichert holds a masters in marketing management from ESCP Business School in Paris. He serves as chairman of MMA Global’s Chief Digital Officer Board and sits on the advisory board of Glasswing Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on funding entrepreneurs harnessing the power of AI and frontier technologies.