The newly renovated The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii, located on Maui’s Northwest Shore, appointed Will Peniche as director of group sales. Internally promoted from his previous position as director of banquets, Peniche has a track record of instrumental sales-focused successes and leadership capabilities. A hospitality professional who has been with the Ritz-Carlton brand since 2013, Peniche will now lead the resort’s reactive and proactive group sales efforts.
Before his new role as director of group sales for The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Peniche mostly recently was director of banquets where he was directly responsible for $17 million in US banquets operation for the hotel, in addition to receiving the Marriott International’s 2017 Global GEM Award for event excellence, chosen among all luxury hotels worldwide. Prior to that, he served as food & beverage manager at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco before being promoted to director of banquets for the property.
Over the course of his career, Peniche has been recognized for his ability to surpass budget goals, increase employee engagement scores, and drastically improve overall guest satisfaction. In his new role as director of group sales, Peniche is dedicated to maximizing group revenue goals and sales objectives by implementing service strategies and initiatives with a focus on building long-term, value-based customer relationships.
“We are thrilled to see Will’s tremendous growth over the past few years and are delighted to continue working with him in this new capacity,” Mike Kass, GM of The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, said in a statement. “With his unrivaled skill set and undeniable dedication to results, we are confident he will continue to lead our sales team to a new level of excellence.”
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Peniche now resides in Lahaina, Hawaii, with his wife and newborn baby. In his spare time, he enjoys capturing the Maui landscapes through photography, as well as traveling the world to discover new destinations.
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation that updated the hotel's guestrooms, suites, residences, lobby and pool, and added a new food-and-beverage outlet, Kai Café.