Santa Monica's Hotel Casa Del Mar appoints Charlie Lopez-Quintana to GM

Hotel Casa Del Mar, an Edward Thomas Collection property, appointed Charlie Lopez-Quintana as the oceanfront property’s GM. In his new role, Lopez-Quintana will be responsible for leading all aspects of operations for the luxury seaside Santa Monica, Calif., hotel, including elevating service levels and overseeing the resort’s food and beverage programming at culinary outposts Catch, Terrazza Lounge and the recently-opened Wine Room.

Lopez-Quintana has more than 20 years of global experience in the hospitality industry and arrives at Hotel Casa Del Mar following eight years at Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, where he served as the executive director of resort operations and was responsible for overseeing both the front- and back-of-the house operations teams that include accommodations, spa, recreation, fitness, golf and retail.

“With a wealth of knowledge in luxury hospitality and a diverse international background in hotel management, we couldn’t be more excited to have Charlie as our leader at Hotel Casa Del Mar,” Klaus Mennekes, VP and managing director of the Edward Thomas Collection, said in a statement. “Committed to providing an exceptional guest experience, we are confident Charlie will further elevate the world-class accommodations and unparalleled service for which our property is so renowned.”

Prior to his role at Terranea Resort, Lopez-Quintana spent more than 15 years with the Ritz-Carlton company in Europe, the Middle East and Asia where he assisted in the opening of nine Ritz-Carlton properties. He moved to the United States in 2001 to open The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay and supported the opening of seven additional Ritz Carlton properties in Dubai, Doha, Grand Cayman, Battery Park, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Tenerife.

Lopez-Quintana is a native of Barcelona, Spain, and holds a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality sciences from Universitat de Barcelona. His passion for the hospitality industry stems from his grandmother, who spent more than 50 years as a restaurant chef and owner and first introduced him to the business. Lopez-Quintana is a multi-linguist fluent in Spanish, English, French, Catalan and conversational in Italian. In his free time, Lopez-Quintana is committed to community involvement and has served on the chair committee for Ride for Humanity/Habitat for Humanity, The Pancreatic Cancer Organization executive committee, Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce, Palos Verdes Marathon chair committee and also a member of The Marine Mammal Care Center and International Bird Rescue.