Pacifica, Meyer Jabara name new leaders

A number of hotel companies have appointed new leaders in recent days. Here are a few names to know.

Pacifica Hotels

Pacifica Hotels has named Alexandra Gaffan the company’s SVP of people and culture and Erin Smith as VP of sales.

Gaffan has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has been with Pacifica Hotels since 1995. She spent the first part of her career in operations and worked her way up to GM of multiple Pacifica properties. She then joined the home office team as an area manager and continued on to director of sales and training, director of training and development and most recently VP of people and culture. 

Smith worked in hospitality for more than 20 years before joining Pacifica in July 2020 as corporate director of sales. Before joining the team, Smith worked as regional VP of sales and marketing at Dimension Development, Atrium Hospitality and Sage Hospitality. She also was director of sales and marketing at The Mining Exchange: a Wyndham Grand Hotel, the area director of sales and marketing at Hilton, the director of sales and marketing at The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, the director of sales and marketing at Silverwood Hotel & Conference Center, the regional sales manager at La Quinta Inns and the senior sales manager at Embassy Suites.

Rebel Hospitality

Rebel Hospitality has appointed Donna Hassett as VP of finance. Hassett has worked in the industry for more than 25 years, holding positions with hotel portfolios owned by real estate investment trusts, private equity and high-net-worth individuals.

Before joining the Rebel Hospitality team, Hassett was VP of hotel finance at Aimbridge Hospitality. In addition, she previously led financial processes for Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotels of New York and the W New York Times Square. She earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.

HVMG

Hospitality Ventures Management Group has named Peter Hoffman SVP of select brands. In his new role, Hoffman will oversee and be responsible for the performance of the company’s existing portfolio of select-service properties.

Before joining HVMG, Hoffman most recently was EVP of the select-service division at Aimbridge Hospitality. While there, he provided executive level leadership to support the merger of Aimbridge and Interstate Hotels & Resorts and was responsible for 281 hotels. 

Before the merger, he was SVP of operations for Interstate, where he led the operations of 80 select-service hotels, and SVP of asset management for BRE Hotels & Resorts. Hoffman was responsible for BRE’s 175-hotel select-service portfolio. 

Meyer Jabara Hotels

Heidi Nielsen is the new VP of investments and asset management for Meyer Jabara Hotels. Nielsen was managing director at HVS for almost 16 years. In this new role, she will oversee the MJH portfolio of hotels and identify new investment opportunities in top markets.

Nielsen has written on the dynamics of lodging markets proximate to major U.S. military installations as well as providing overall coverage of hotel markets in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; and Charleston, S.C. She is active with the College of Charleston where she mentors students, provides guidance on group projects and serves as a guest speaker in the classroom. Nielsen currently serves on the college’s Hospitality and Tourism Management executive board. She holds a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston and has front-line hotel experience with The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.

Selina

Lifestyle and experiential hospitality brand Selina has made two appointments. 

Eyal Amzallag is the company’s new chief operations officer. In this role, Amzallag is responsible for overseeing the operations of Selina’s growing portfolio of hotels.

Amzallag has spent two decades rising through the ranks at Club Med, most recently as managing director South Europe, Middle East & Emerging Markets. Before that role, Amzallag was managing director of Russia and CIS; country manager, Scandinavia; and resort general manager. 

Lena Katz has joined Selina’s executive team as chief technology officer. In this role, Katz is responsible for overseeing Selina’s technology roadmap and innovation initiatives including product development.

During her 20-year career, Katz has established and led global research and development groups. Most recently, she worked at Israel-based ridesharing company Gett, where she served as VP of research & development at Gett Delivery. She also worked at Hewlett Packard, Israel Aerospace Industries’ MBT Space Division and the Israeli Military Intelligence. Katz received her Bachelor of Science in electronics and communications engineering from the Holon Institute of Technology.

First Hospitality

First Hospitality has appointed Suzanne Saunders SVP of construction. In her new role, Saunders is responsible for the leading and oversight of construction teams in all aspects of development activity. She will also manage budgets, logistics and financial analytics for construction tasks.

Before joining First Hospitality, Saunders spent more than four years working for Hospitality Ventures Management Group as the VP of design and construction. She also worked for Hyatt Hotels Corp. in a variety of roles, including VP of design services for the Americas. Additionally, Saunders has a background in corporate real estate and development management roles, as well as manufacturing and logistics planning experience. 

Saunders holds a BS in industrial technology and an Associate of Applied Science in drafting technology from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.