Hotels across the country have appointed new general managers in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.
Bahia Resort Hotel
Evans Hotels has appointed Babett Hirzel general manager of the Bahia Resort Hotel in San Diego.
Most recently, Hirzel was GM of the Carte Hotel San Diego, Curio Collection by Hilton. Her hospitality career began in a small town in former East Germany, where she worked with her family in her grandparents’ hotel. Since then, she has worked in luxury resorts and hotels in England, Switzerland, Spain and the United States. She has held senior leadership roles at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, Embassy Suites by Hilton San Diego/La Jolla, Hilton Austin, Hilton St. Louis Downtown and Hilton Atlanta.
Hirzel is a graduate of the Hotel Management School in Frankfurt and holds a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management.
Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach
Mark Bingle has been appointed general manager of the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, Fla.
A member of the Four Seasons team since 1996, Bingle began his career as a front desk agent at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in California, and has since worked across Eastern Europe, South America and the United States.
He became GM of two Four Seasons properties in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2016. He studied Spanish and Japanese linguistics at Georgetown University, and furthered his language studies at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador in Quito. He speaks English, Czech, Japanese and Spanish.
Hotel Monaco Denver
Adam White is the new general manager of the Hotel Monaco Denver.
Most recently, White was general manager of the Kimpton Brice Hotel in Savannah, Ga. He also worked in major markets including Los Angeles; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Austin, Texas; and now Denver, at Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and IHG, as well as independent hotels.
Kimpton Pittman Hotel
In Downtown Dallas, the Kimpton Pittman Hotel appointed Anna Contreras general manager. Contreras joins the Pittman following tenure as general manager of the Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach, Fla. She also held leadership roles at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar South Beach and was hotel manager at the 411-room Kimpton EPIC.
Royal Park Hotel
The Royal Park Hotel, a boutique property in downtown Rochester, Mich., appointed Autumn Griffith general manager.
Griffith has more than 15 years of experience across boutique and lifestyle hotels, most recently working as general manager of the Daxton Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton in nearby Birmingham. Her background also includes leadership roles with Common Thread Hotels and Soho House
Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort Lihue
The Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort Lihue in Hawaii appointed Monika Henry general manager.
Most recently, Henry was general manager of Sonesta White Plains (N.Y.) Downtown, where she led the hotel’s transition from Crowne Plaza to Sonesta Hotels & Resorts with a multimillion-dollar renovation. She also held leadership roles at the InterContinental Boston by IHG and The Westin Copley Place, Boston.
Wind Creek Chicago Southland
Wind Creek Hospitality appointed Jahnae Erpenbach executive vice president and general manager at the Wind Creek Chicago Southland.
Erpenbach joins the property following her role as general manager at Golden Nugget Danville. She has held executive leadership roles such as CEO and Board Chairperson of Spectacle Entertainment, where she helped develop and open the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. Her career spans marketing, operations, multi-property leadership, and corporate governance