Williams has nearly three decades of global luxury hotel leadership and specializes in leading marketing campaigns.

The move follows an announcement made in December by current president and CEO Chip Rogers that he would step down in late January.

As part of the program, the AH&LEF will award $500,000 to groups in six markets with the goal of guiding young workers to the hotel industry.

Pierri has close to three decades of hospitality experience, most recently serving as resort manager at Lansdowne Resort and Spa in Leesburg, Va.

Hassan El Neklawy most recently was GM at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown, a position he held since 2014.

Dragan Andrejic, who originally is from Belgrade, Serbia, will lead the hotel while pursuing his master certificate in hospitality management.

Investments into technology may lead to displaced employees in the hotel sector, and industry experts are examining the areas most at risk for disruption.

Steve Griffin now serves as EVP and CFO and Randall King fills the EVP and COO roles.