Executives, GMs in new positions

Two executives and three general managers have taken new positions recently.

Executives

Remington Hotels appointed Don Falgoust VP of food & beverage strategy execution. He will lead all F&B initiatives for Remington Hotels’ 87 properties.

Bringing close to 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry to the role, Falgoust will be responsible for providing strategic leadership, guidance and direction for all new and existing concepts and initiatives, collaborating with the Remington Hotels development team and hotel owners on F&B ideation and operations for new-build and conversion hotels and working alongside operations and sales leaders to ensure the highest standards and efficiency for all F&B outlets, catering and banquets.

For the past 12 years Falgoust served first as VP of F&B at FelCor and then at RLJ Lodging Trust after the company acquired FelCor two years ago. In his role, he oversaw all aspects of food and beverage operations for up to 158 hotels, focusing on revenue generation, profitability, training and service delivery. During his tenure he also developed more than 15 unique restaurant and bar concepts, including Oak Long Bar & Kitchen at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston and St. Cloud Rooftop bar at The Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City.

Falgoust began his hospitality career serving in a variety of roles, including corporate director of food & beverage and area director of food & beverage for companies including Hyatt Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Westin Hotels, as well as a number of independent restaurants.

G6 Hospitality, the parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the United States and Canada, announced John Laplante’s promotion to chief information officer. In his new role, Laplante will oversee the organization’s IT operations, IT security, DevOps, guest relations, reservations, e-commerce and distribution. As part of the executive leadership team, he will report directly to CEO Rob Palleschi.

Previously VP of information technology, program management office and contact center operations, Laplante has served the Motel 6 IT team in various capacities for 18 years. While leading the IT program management office and quality assurance teams, he spearheaded significant advancement in the company’s software and product-development processes. Having managed the capital IT budget for the past eight years, Laplante has also been a critical leader in G6’s full adoption of the project management collaborative framework. He also oversaw the successful transformation of the G6 contact center and guest relations functions to an integrated business process outsourcing partner. 

Laplante has over 20 years of experience in the technology sector with various organizations, including Infusion Management Systems, Cingular Wireless, Accor North America (previous owner of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands) and Intellicentrics.

General Managers

Knob Hill Inn, a boutique hotel located in Ketchum, Idaho, has announced that Alexandria Barnhardt has been selected its general manager. Columbia Hospitality manages the property.

In her new role, Barnhardt will oversee all hotel operations and team members.

Barnhardt brings extensive hospitality knowledge to her new position. Before Knob Hill, she was the snow sports and mountain operations administrative manager for Sun Valley Company, responsible for managing all personnel operations for the snow sports front desk, plus assisting with guest services.

After graduating from Pepperdine University, Barnhardt began her career in hospitality at Lagardère Sports & Entertainment in St. Simons Island, Georgia, as its assistant director of player relations, golf division.

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island in Florida announced the promotion of Greg Cook to GM. In his new role, Cook will manage all aspects of the resort, including the design and launch of Coquina, a newly alfresco restaurant inspired by the island’s Spanish Colonial period as well as a planned renovation of the hotel’s guestrooms and suites. Cook also will oversee enhanced cleanliness protocols at the hotel.

Cook most recently served as the GM of The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.). His most recent projects there include the $17 million nautically inspired renovation of the hotel’s guestrooms and Club Lounge, along with the launch of Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits.

Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona, Ariz., hired Nick Solomon as the new general manager. Solomon is a veteran of the hospitality industry with nearly two decades of experience, successfully launching and managing multimillion-dollar, luxury hotels.

Solomon led nine different opening teams for The Ritz-Carlton brand around the globe, including Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico; The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach in Hawaii; and The Ritz-Carlton, Bacara in Santa Barbara, Calif. He also led front-of-house and back-of-house operations at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel and The Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey in Southern California.

In addition, Solomon was also responsible for launching 50 percent of Marriott’s Edition brand in major markets across the United States including in Miami Beach, Fla.; New York City; and West Hollywood, Calif., where he most recently served as the assistant general manager.