Ahead of the property's opening next month, Concord Hospitality has named leadership for the upcoming Renaissance Milwaukee West, along with the adjoining restaurant Eldr+Rime.
Vik Khokhar will be the hotel's general manager, Chantal Bazzoni-Boncher will be director of sales and marketing, Michael Laughran will be director of beverage and food outlets, Gary Baca will be executive chef and Alex Lyskowicz will be executive sous chef.
Concord Hospitality is developing the property and will manage both the hotel and the restaurant when they open.
Vik Khokhar
With more than two decades of industry experience in luxury and lifestyle hotels, Khokhar will open Renaissance Milwaukee West as the property's first GM. Born in New Delhi, Khokhar spent his early days in India before he relocated to the Netherlands to pursue a career in the hospitality business. He studied hospitality administration at the International School of Hospitality Management in Friesland and began his career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in St. Louis, where he was recognized as “Leader of the Year.”
Most recently, Khokhar served as the director of hotel operations of the Renaissance Chicago Downtown.
Chantal Bazzoni-Boncher
Bazzoni-Boncher, Renaissance Milwaukee West’s new director of sales and marketing, graduated with a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Confederation College in Ontario, Canada. With her degree in hand, Bazzoni-Boncher joined CSM Corporation, where she worked with various hotels in the Milwaukee area. In 2018, she was awarded CSM Director of Sales of the Year.
Michael “Mick” Laughran
Joining the team as the director of B&F outlets, Laughran will oversee all on-property dining aspects, including the lobby lounge, market dining and in-room dining program, as well as the operations of the adjacent restaurant, Eldr+Rime. Before joining Renaissance Milwaukee West, Laughran served as the fine dining manager of Potawatomi Hotel and Casino and the general manager of Maxie’s Milwaukee. Laughran holds a Level 1 Certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Gary Baca
Coming to Milwaukee and Eldr+Rime from Chicago’s western suburbs, executive chef Baca has led several restaurants over a career that spans more than two decades. Specializing in steak, seafood and progressive American cuisines, Baca most recently worked at Michael Jordan’s Steak House and has previously been the executive chef and partner at Lettuce Entertain You, overseeing culinary operations at Chicago’s Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Scoozi and more. A California native, Baca studied at Santa Barbara City College and University of California, Berkeley.
Alex Lyskowicz
Executive sous chef Lyskowicz joins the team after previously serving as the executive chef at the Iron Horse Hotel. While there, Lyskowicz oversaw all food-and-beverage outlets at the hotel as well as offsite catering and events. Lyskowicz specializes in rustic wood-fire cooking and Wisconsin farm-to-table cuisine.