The Boutique Search Firm
Heads Above the Rest - July 2021

The Newsletter of The Boutique Search Firm, a worldwide retained recruiting firm specializing in hospitality management.

Market Update

• This month continued the recovery in the hospitality market as seen by increased occupancy rates for rooms and higher employment
  
  • Hotel occupancy in the United States hit its highest level since late October 2019 at 70%.  Areas in Florida are leading the recovery and have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
    
  • Employment in the United States grew 5% from the same month of the prior year while Hospitality employment grew at 21% from the same month last year. 
    
  • Over 2 million people are back to work in the industry vs. the same point last year.
    

 
Recent Appointments

• Hotel Meliá Chiang Mai has announced that Edward E. Snoeks, will take charge of the new property that is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year in the heart of Chiang Mai’s city centre.  Previously he was the general manager of Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Causeway Bay and vice president of hotel operations at Hong Kong Parkview Hotel Services.
• Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) has appointed a new Director of Tourism, Miles Mercera.  Before joining, he has spent over 8 years with Curacao Hospitality and Tourism Association.
• Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) has appointed Dr. Robertico R. Croes as its Tourism Strategist & Advisor.  He also currently serves as the Director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
• PM Hotel Group today announces the promotion of Jennifer Diamond Haber to Senior Vice President, Brand and Communications. She previously served as Vice President/Managing Director at MSLGROUP.
• KSL Resorts, Irvine, California, announced the appointment of Kristie Goshow as its new chief commercial officer.  She was most recently chief marketing officer for Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Newport Beach, California, and prior she was senior vice president – commercial for Viceroy Hotel Group, West Hollywood, California.
• Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin has announced Jennifer Sharpe as its new senior catering sales manager and wedding planner. Having previously worked for the resort, she returns to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin after other positions with wedding and event companies including Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Wonderful Weddings and Events.
• Aparium Hotel Group today announced the appointment of Joe White as General Manager of the Hu. Hotel in Memphis, TN.  Most recently, White was the General Manager for The Chattanoogan Hotel in Tennessee.
• Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach has named Frank Barajas as its new executive chef.  Most recently, Barajas served as senior chef de cuisine at Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina.
• Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre, a new Marriott hotel managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts opening this fall in Owings Mills, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashlyn Pulvermiller as General Manager. She previously served as the General Manager of a full-service Marriott property in Upstate New York.
• The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach and Bal Harbour are pleased to announce Erica Tortora has been named Communications Manager. In her previous roles, she worked with a collection of well-established PR agencies including, The Brandman Agency and Hawkins International.
• Tamir Shanel has been named Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage Operations of Atlantis Paradise Island.  Previously, he has been in positions with Stronach Group Racing and Gaming.
• Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach has announced a new management team with David Morneau taking the helm as the new general manager and Tara Johns assuming the position of assistant general manager.
• Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, California, announced the appointment of Ajit Acharya as general manager. Acharya most recently served as club manager for the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach, California.
• JLL, a real estate and investment management firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, has announced the promotion of Jessica Bourdet as senior vice president and Northern California project and development services market lead. Bourdet most recently served as JLL’s vice president and lead for hospitality in Northern California, as well as the west relocation project management lead.
• Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, Massachusetts, announced a new culinary leadership team. It includes the appointment of Daniel Burger as executive sous chef.  He previously held roles at Encore Boston Harbor and the Mandarin Oriental in Boston.
• Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, Massachusetts, announced Julia Casale as assistant director of food and beverage.  She has been part of Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, since joining the pre-opening team in early 2019.
• Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston, Massachusetts, announced Jay Havey as food and beverage manager.
• The JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and Marriott Cancun Resort, Mexico, appointed Glaucia Canil to serve as director of sales and marketing. Canil previously served as sales manager with the Marriott Cancun Collection.
• Geraldine Dobey has been appointed as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Paris, France. The appointment marks Dobey’s return to the Group as she was previously part of the leadership team at the Group’s Geneva property. Dobey will also oversee the operations of Mandarin Oriental, Geneva, Switzerland and Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech, Morocco.
• The Franklin London, England, has appointed Mishaal Eid as hotel manager. Eid joins The Franklin from the Flemings Mayfair Hotel, London, where he was rooms division manager.
• Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, California, announced the appointment of Gordon Fischmann as general manager of its alfresco dining hotspot, The Rooftop by JG. Most recently, Fischmann held positions at properties throughout Southern California, including restaurant managerial roles at The Beverly Hilton, The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, Park Hyatt Aviara Golf Club & Spa, and Balboa Bay Resort.
• Yedla Management Company, Huntsville, Alabama, announced two key leadership hires at its AC Hotel Nashville Brentwood, Tennessee. Michael Hickerson joins as general manager and Michael Owenby will serve as director of sales. Previously, Hickerson was the GM of the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina. Owenby recently served as the director of sales for AC Hotel Huntsville Downtown, Huntsville, Alabama.
• Elli Jafari has been promoted to managing director of The Standard, London, England. Jafari joined the hotel as general manager in August 2018.
• Richard Langonne has been appointed as general manager of Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, China. He was most recently hotel manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
• Oakwood, a hospitality management brand headquartered in California, announced the appointment of Marcel Lindt as vice president of development, Oakwood, Europe. Prior to joining Oakwood, he served as Accor’s vice president of development for residential and extended stay in Europe.
• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, Maui, Hawaii, has appointed two new team members to its food and beverage department – Mark Majewski as executive chef and Lanakila Graves as director of restaurants and bars. Majewski most recently worked for Marriott International’s Operation Support Resources team as executive sous chef, deployed to temporary assignments across the country. Graves previously served as director of services at Sheraton Maui.
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Boston – Cambridge, Boston, Massachusetts, announced the appointment of Stephen Nass as director of sales and marketing. Most recently, he acted as interim director of sales and marketing for the brand transition of the Royal Sonesta San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Royal Sonesta Washington DC.
• Sage Hotel Management, Denver, Colorado, announced that Patrick Pahlke has been appointed as executive vice president and chief commercial officer for the company. He joins Sage from Santa Monica, California-based PROPER Hospitality.
• Weylan Rhame has been announced as general manager of Unscripted Durham in North Carolina. He most recently served as area general manager in San Antonio, Texas, overseeing both the Doubletree San Antonio Downtown and the Bevy Hotel, a Doubletree by Hilton, in Boerne, Texas.
• Grand View Lodge, Spa and Golf Resort, Nisswa, Minnesota, announced the appointment of Denise Schultz as senior director of sales and marketing. Prior to this, she was the director of group sales for HEI Hotels and Resorts, Norwalk, Connecticut.
• Naples Grande Beach Resort, Naples, Florida, announced the appointment of Marcos Seville as the new executive chef. His previous experience includes time at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona.
• Edward Shapard has been named the new managing director of The Langham, Chicago, Illinois. He joins from New York where he was general manager for The Dominick Hotel.
• Kimberly Straube has been appointed director of operations at Fairmont San Francisco, California. She most recently served as director of food & beverage at Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Francisco.
• Lauren Strickland has been appointed group sales manager for Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown. She joins Fairmont from Volt Energy where she was consultant of business development.
• The Mandarin Oriental, Boston, Massachusetts, announced the appointment of Alper Toydemir to the position of director of commerce. Alper joins Mandarin Oriental, Boston from Maybourne Hotel Group in London and Beverly Hills where he served as director of sales for North America and the Eastern Region.
• Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, Newton, Massachusetts, announced five new Franchise & Development leaders: Mike Castro joins as a senior vice president of Select Service Brands (SSB). Castro comes to Sonesta having spent much of his career at RLH Corporation, Denver, Colorado. Keith Biumi joins as a senior vice president of Upscale Brands (USB). Biumi has worked at IHG, UK; Choice Hotels, Rockville, Maryland; and Marriott, Bethesda, Maryland. Chris Leiser joins as a regional vice president of USB. Leiser worked with Full-Service, Upper Scale Brands previously at Wyndham Hotels Group, Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, and Choice Hotels International. Ahmer Naushad joins as a vice president of Analytics and Administration. Naushad has held positions at Gencom, Miami, Florida; Miral Asset Management, Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Dubai, UAE. Mike Higgins joins as a regional vice president of USB. Higgins has experience at his prior positions at IHG, Choice, and Domio, New York.