Hotels in a number of regions in the U.S. announced new hires recently.
Southwest
Thompson San Antonio appointed Ted Knighton GM and Sofie Vasquez director of sales & marketing. Knighton previously served in leadership positions with Makeready Experience in Dallas. Most recently, he was GM at the Alida, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel in Savannah, Ga. He earlier served as GM at the Noelle in Nashville. Before that, he was assistant GM at Thompson Seattle and held management positions with Kimpton Hotels and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Vasquez, a career sales professional with more than 15 years of experience in the San Antonio market, has served in a number of sales leadership roles for global hotel brands. Most recently, Vasquez was an associate director of sales at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio. She previously held various sales roles at hotels in San Antonio, including La Cantera Hill Country Resort & Spa and Hyatt Place San Antonio/River Walk. She also served as director of worldwide sales at Hyatt from 2002 to 2008. Her earlier career experience includes tenures with La Quinta Inns and Choice Hotels International.
Replay Destinations, Yotel and Benchmark, a global hospitality company, announced that Brandon Tyler has been named general manager of the Yotelpad Park City (Utah). His past experience within Benchmark includes leadership positions at resort and hotel properties in destinations such as Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Dallas. Tyler brings 20 years of senior leadership experience within hospitality and in all areas of guest service to his new role.
Hall Arts Hotel, a boutique hotel in the Dallas Arts District, welcomed Ginger Martin as GM. A Texas native, Martin began her career as a front-desk agent and worked her way up the industry ladder, gaining a wealth of expert knowledge that spans more than 20 years. Martin has worked for a variety of hospitality brands across the country including Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and HEI Hotels and Resorts.
West
Michael O’Donohue is the new GM at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego. He brings more 28 years of hospitality experience to the role. With extensive experience in luxury hotel management, O’Donohue joins the team after nearly five years with Montage International as GM at Pendry San Diego. Before that, he spent 10 years working in various positions at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Before his time at Starwood, O’Donohue worked at InterContinental Hotels and Hilton Hotels. He started his career at Hilton Short Hills (N.J.).
Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas (Calif.) hired Benjamin Thiele as GM. The 130-room hotel is slated to open early 2021 as the first new-build Alila resort in the Americas and second property in the U.S. Thiele joins Hyatt following a decade with Kimpton Hotels, where he gained experience ranging from front of house to housekeeping management to leadership. Most recently, Thiele was at the helm of Kimpton’s Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Kristi Dickinson was named GM of Canyon Ranch Woodside (Calif.). Dickinson brings more than two decades of luxury hospitality and wellness experience to the role of managing the wellness retreat. she joins the property from Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., where she was director of spa & wellness. She has also held key executive positions at the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Conn.; Spa Montage at the Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah; and the Golden Door Spa at The Peaks Resort in Telluride, Colo.
Hāna-Maui Resort, A Destination Hotel in Hana, Hawaii, named Jon Benson GM. In this new role, Benson is responsible for management, operations and marketing of the resort, suites, bungalows and family residences, as well as assisting with the rebrand of the resort. Benson has more than 34 years of experience. He began his tenure with Hyatt in Southern California and has held various roles throughout his career. Most recently, he served as area GM at Hyatt Regency Long Beach (Calif.).
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino in Incline Village, Nev., named Kemp Dowdy its outdoor and adventure specialist. Through this new role, Dowdy will work one-on-one with guests to curate and personalize their Lake Tahoe experience. He has worked with several Hyatt properties throughout the country and has held roles ranging from recreation director at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa to general manager of the Bird & Bone Restaurant at Confidante Miami Beach. Dowdy also serves as the Hyatt Regency’s director of outlets.
Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection in Telluride, Colo., appointed Bryan Woody GM. Woody, who has more than 20 years of luxury hospitality experience, will oversee all operations for the 83-room and 71-residence property. Before joining Auberge Resorts Collection, he was COO of Spring Place, a collaborative workspace and membership club for global professionals and entrepreneurs. Woody also served as area GM for Morgans Hotel Group, and before that, as assistant director of food & beverage at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park and Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Towers in Manhattan.
South
Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans, which is scheduled to open in 2021, named Mali Carow GM. Carow joined Four Seasons 20 years ago as a server at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, moving to Washington, San Diego, the Maldives and then Amman, where she was promoted to hotel manager. She then transferred to the the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, in the same role, before the move to New Orleans.
Hawks Cay Resort in Duck Key, Fla., appointed Anna Lawrence as the resort’s new director of sales. Having worked in various properties throughout the Florida Keys for nearly a decade, Lawrence began her career in hospitality at Hawks Cay Resort as a summer intern in 2011. She rejoins the resort from Ocean Properties, where she was regional director of group sales responsible for the entire portfolio of their Florida Keys properties. he has worked in various positions at several Florida Keys resorts, including Hyatt Place at Faro Blanco and Islamorada Resort Collection.
The new managing director of the 360-room Trump International Beach Resort Miami in Sunny Isles, Fla., is Danny Williams. Williams, who joins the hotel with more than 30 years of hospitality experience, has held several leadership positions throughout his career. Most recently, he served as a consultant for Island Hospitality Advisors in Orlando. Previously, he held the position of regional VP of resort operations at Bluegreen Vacations. Before that role, he was GM of the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive
Midwest
The Last Hotel in St. Louis, which is part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, appointed Tyler John general manager and Carrie Hunt director of sales and marketing. John brings more than a decade of experience in hospitality to his role. Previously, he served as area general manager for two California boutique properties, The Lodge at Tiburon and Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos. In addition to hospitality management, John holds extensive experience within the food-and-beverage sector. Hunt joins the hotel with more than 15 years of hospitality, sales and marketing experience. Most recently, she served as the associate director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis. Before joining Hyatt, she held various hospitality management and marketing roles for several Hilton hotels.
Mid-Atlantic
Caesars Entertainment announced the appointment of Jacqueline Grace as senior VP and GM for Tropicana Atlantic City in New Jersey. Grace brings more than 20 years of experience within the financial and gaming industries in the Atlantic City market, most recently having served as vice president and assistant general manager at Caesars Entertainment’s Horseshoe Baltimore property.