St. Regis Chicago sets executive team ahead of opening

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts has set its executive team of The St. Regis Chicago, ahead of the hotel’s May opening. Designed by Architect Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang and developed by Magellan Development, the 101-story St. Regis Chicago is the tallest building in the world designed by a female architect, according to the hotel. 

Oliver Gibbons, GM at The St. Regis Chicago Hotel and Residences, will lead The St. Regis Chicago team and oversee the day-to-day operations of the property, which includes a 192-room hotel; 393 residences; two restaurants in partnership with chefs Evan Funke and Hisanobu Osaka; a holistic wellness, spa and fitness center; and more than 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Gibbons has helped lead the team through the completion of the hotel’s development over the last two years. Gibbons has held leadership positions at the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills and Waldorf Astoria Chicago, which followed a decade’s tenure with Accor hotels and resorts in Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the United States.

Frederick Pérez, GM at The Residences at the St. Regis Chicago, will oversee day-to-day operations of the 393 residences. Beginning his career with Marriott in 2000, Pérez has worked in a variety of hotel roles over the last two decades, most recently as director of operations at The Ritz-Carlton Club & Residences, Vail, Colo.; and as director of residences at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Mexico City.

Yago del Rincon, director of operations, has more than two decades of luxury hotel leadership experience across seven Ritz-Carlton hotels, including Hotel Arts Barcelona – a Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, and executing nearly 20 hotel openings.

Jackie Collens, director of sales and marketing, will be responsible for guestroom and catering sales, revenue and marketing goals. Collens brings two decades of experience from flagship luxury hotels throughout New York City, havinng held leadership positions at the Waldorf Astoria and Towers as well as The St. Regis New York. Previously, she was the asset manager for Ty Warner, owner of Four Seasons Hotel New York.

Becker Lara, director of engineering, will lead the engineering teams and projects for both The St. Regis Chicago Hotel and Residences. Lara lead engineering operations for the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile during a major renovation.

Kamil Kowalski, director of finance and accounting, will be responsible for guiding all financial operations. Kowalski has served in leadership roles across several Marriott Chicagoland hotels, including Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel and Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.

Rita Grant, director of human resources, will lead human resources efforts for both The St. Regis Chicago Hotel and Residences, including building, acquiring and retaining  talent across all divisions and levels. Grant has held a number of human resources roles, most recently at the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, where she was a member of the 2015 opening team.

Megan Candioto, director of revenue management, has nearly two decades of experience working with international hotel brands and will be responsible for hotel’s top-line revenue strategy. She has held positions at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lake; Four Seasons Resort Nevis; Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel (Calif.); Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara (Calif.); and most recently with Park Hyatt Chicago, relaunching the property after an extensive renovation.

Supporting the executive leadership team are Director of Wellness Kerri Stokes and Executive Butler Rafael De Valdes. Stokes joins the team with more than a decade of luxury wellness and spa experience, including the Spa & Health Club at Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Chicago, and The Spa at the Peninsula Chicago, and will oversee all spa, wellness and fitness operations. De Valdes will oversee the St. Regis butler service team, having previously held the role of director of guest services at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, where he managed a team of 25 butlers.