Hotels in Florida, New York, Virginia, Nova Scotia and California have welcomed new leaders recently. The appointments comprise five general managers and a managing director of a two-hotel resort complex.
Hilton named Frederick Sawyers managing director for two of its Florida hotels, Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando. In this role, Sawyers will oversee the management of the 1,500-room Bonnet Creek resort complex, which includes 175,000 square feet of meeting and event space, 12 dining venues, a golf course and a spa. Sawyers, who brings 35 years of experience to his new position, most recently served as complex GM for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin complex, which includes 18 restaurants and lounges and a more than 320,000-square-foot meeting facility.
The 653-room InterContinental Miami welcomed Glenn Sampert as GM. Sampert joined the hotel after more than 30 years in hotel and restaurant operations. Most recently he held the role of regional VP for hotel operations at HEI Hotels & Resorts. Sampert has held GM at a number of other hotels, including The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston; The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz., and the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino in the Bahamas. The 34-floor InterContinental Miami includes 35 meeting rooms with more than 101,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space and several food-and-beverage outlets.
The 562-suite Conrad New York Midtown appointed Boris Guerov GM. Most recently GM of the 569-room Millennium Hilton New York Downtown, Guerov brings 20 years of hospitality management experience to his new position. Other past roles include hotel manager at Conrad New York Downtown and resort manager at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah in the United Arab Emirates.
Hilton McLean (Va.) Tysons Corner appointed Scott Hamilton GM. Having begun his career in food and beverage, the 20-year hospitality veteran most recently served as resident manager at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and managed by Hilton Management Services, includes more than 28,000 square feet of meeting space.
New Castle Hotels & Resorts named Matthew Mackenzie GM of the 310-room Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mackenzie previously served as GM of New Castle’s owned-and-operated Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he oversaw the renovation of the property’s golf course and nearly doubled the hotel’s historic high revenue mark.
The 38-room Canyon Ranch Woodside (Calif.) appointed Damien Craft GM. Craft, most recently director of spa and wellness for The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara (Calif.), has held a range of spa management roles across his career.