Hotels across the country (and beyond) have appointed new sales and marketing leaders in the first few weeks of the year. Here are some names to know for 2024.
Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver
Sarah Krieger is the new sales coordinator at the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver. Krieger has more than 13 years in hotel management in metropolitan cities, having graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a double Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Spanish.
She started her career as a front desk agent at the Hilton Times Square in New York City and spent more than a decade in various management positions at hotels across the country, eventually becoming dual assistant general manager at the Aloft Element Hotel in Austin, Texas. During this time, Krieger naturally gravitated towards hotel sales, which led her to her current role.
Krieger’s core responsibilities include managing accounts, preparing presentations and proposals, servicing client needs, maintaining synergy with other departments within the hotel and providing support to the sales team to meet group and business sales goals.
Hotel Terra Jackson Hole (Wyo.) and Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa
Noble House Hotels & Resorts appointed Jason Sitte as the new area director of sales and catering for the Hotel Terra Jackson Hole and Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Jackson Hole, Wyo. In his new role, Sitte will oversee all aspects of revenue generation for two properties as well as the food and beverage sales for catering and on-property outlets.
Sitte began his career more than 10 years ago as a sales manager at The Commons in Minneapolis, another Noble House Hotels & Resorts property, and moved up the ranks to director of sales and marketing. He also worked for resorts under Hilton and Loews Hotels & Co. flags.
Kimpton Schofield Hotel, Ohio
Nicole Sowders has been promoted to director of sales of the Kimpton Schofield Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, from her previous role as Ambassador of Awesome. Sowders has been with the Kimpton Schofield for one year but began with the restaurant and ownership group more than three years ago.
During her time with both the Kimpton Schofield and the ownership group, Sowders has prepared specialty cocktails and created fun launches such as Plant Pals.
King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Hawaii
On Hawaii Island, the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort appointed Revell Newton as the new director of sales and marketing.
Before joining King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Newton held key leadership roles at luxury resorts across Oahu, Kauai and Maui, including general manager of Aqua-Aston Hospitality and vice president of sales, marketing, and business development at Castle Hospitality Group. Before that, Newton's journey in the hospitality sector also led him to serve as the General Manager of the Outrigger Waikiki, hotel manager at the Sheraton Kona Resort, where he played a pivotal role in enhancing guest experiences, as well as director of sales and marketing for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Waikiki, and director of sales and marketing for Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa and Kapalua Bay Hotel (a Luxury Collection Resort).
At King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Newton will spearhead sales and marketing efforts, optimizing opportunities for leisure, business and group travelers.
Palace Hotel, Calif.
San Francisco’s Palace Hotel, a member of Marriott International’s Luxury Collection, appointed Geoffrey Sarabia-Mason as director of sales and marketing. Sarabia-Mason will be responsible for planning and implementing sales and marketing programs for the landmark hotel.
Before his new role at Palace Hotel, Sarabia-Mason was vice president of operations at Radiate Hospitality, where he was responsible for the strategic growth of 11 company-owned hotels. During his tenure, he oversaw full renovations of three properties, opened two new hotels, drove a company rebranding initiative and led leadership summits for top executives.
Sarabia-Mason also held the role of director of sales and marketing at the Hayes Mansion San Jose, where he was responsible for managing all day-to-day activities related to sales, conference services, reservations and front office operations. Sarabia-Mason also held leadership positions at the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau in the East Bay, and Pyramid Hotel Group in the San Francisco Bay Area, among others.
Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa
Highgate has appointed Scott Kawasaki as director of sales and marketing of the new Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa, set to open in March. In his new role, Kawasaki will lead all sales efforts to maximize revenue and overall profit, as well as oversee all marketing and public relations strategies.
With nearly three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Kawasaki most recently was area director of sales and strategy, Asia, for Highgate’s Hawaii portfolio. Before that, he was the director of sales and marketing at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, and director of public relations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Waikiki.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach has promoted Jon Ushijima to director of international sales. In his new position, he is responsible for leading all of the resort’s strategic sales initiatives in key international markets including Japan, Korea, China, Australia and Canada.
Ushijima has nearly 30 years of combined hospitality operations and sales experience. He first joined the resort in 2015 as director of resort sales - Asia under Irongate, developer of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach. As a pre-opening team member, he spearheaded strategic sales and initiatives in Asia. In 2018, he officially joined the brand as director of Asia sales. Before joining the resort, he held a number of sales and operations leadership positions at other hotels and resorts in Hawaii including The Kahala Hotel & Resort and Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ four properties in Waikiki and the Sheraton Maui.
Born in Okinawa and raised in Honolulu, Ushijima graduated from Saint Louis School and earned a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.
The Setai, Miami Beach
The Setai, Miami Beach, appointed Rodrigo Formoso director of sales.
In his new role at The Setai, under the leadership of Executive Director of Sales & Marketing Iván Bauzá Iraola, Formoso will drive sales growth and serve as an ambassador for the hotel in the leisure market. His primary focus will be leisure sales across the U.S., working with domestic travel agencies.
Formoso has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality sector, having worked at Ritz-Carlton, Kempinski, and Grand Fiesta Americana Hotels and Resorts. Most recently, he was the director of sales and marketing at Kempinski Hotel Cancun, where he helped rebrand the hotel from The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun.
Zemi Beach House, Anguilla
Frank Pierce has returned to Zemi Beach House, the 76-key LXR Hotels & Resorts property in Anguilla as the director of sales and marketing. Pierce has more than 25 years of professional experience in hotel sales and management.
In his new role, Pierce will lead all aspects of sales and marketing for the hotel, including the planning and implementation of sales strategies for maximizing the hotel’s revenues and occupancy. Pierce will also work closely with Zemi’s General Manager Paulo Paias in overseeing operation and reservations for the resort.
Pierce rejoins his former colleagues Paias and Reservations Manager Kishma Sasso, both of whom were members of the hotel’s inaugural team when it opened in 2016.
Before rejoining Zemi, Pierce was the director of sales, Americas for the Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Saint James, Barbados, where he oversaw the U.S. luxury consortia and travel agencies, Canada and Latin America. While at Zemi from 2016 to 2020, Pierce managed sales of the US, Europe and Latin America.