The Boutique Search Firm
Heads above the Rest - March 2020

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

​​​​THE AMERICAS

• Airbnb has appointed Catherine Powell Head of Airbnb Experiences. She is the former President, Disney Parks Western Region, and Président of Disneyland Paris.
• Frederick Sawyers has been named Managing Director of the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Most recently, Sawyers served as Complex General Manager for Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin.
• The InterContinental Houston – Medical Center has named Jorge Landa General Manager. Landa was most recently Area General Manager, overseeing the InterContinental Cleveland, the InterContinental Suites Cleveland and the Holiday Inn Cleveland Clinic. He had previously served as General Manager of the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.
• Allen Highfield has been named General Manager of the Montage Healdsburg. Since 2014, he had been with the Montage Deer Valley as General Manager. Highfield is the former General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, and the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown.
• Downtown Portland’s Hi-Lo Hotel has named Dannel Christian General Manager. He was most recently the General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Portland/Hillsboro.
• Patrick Smith has been promoted to Managing Director, The Americas, at The Leading Hotels of the World. He was most recently serving as Senior Director of Group Sales – North America. Smith is the former Director of Sales of the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore in Santa Barbara.
• Alain Negueloua takes over from Sileshi Mengiste as Vice President and General Manager of the Bardessono Hotel and Spa in Yountville. Negueloua was the General Manager of Las Alcobas Napa, following 5 years as General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Boston. As for Mengiste, he is now the Managing Director of the Estate Yountville.
• Christophe Chabaud has joined the Silver Cloud Hotel Tacoma at Point Ruston, slated to open this year. He most recently had a short stint with Aegis Living in Seattle. Chabaud had previously been with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts for 16 years, before moving into the role of General Manager with Seabrook Hospitality in Pacific Beach, WA.
• Shane Krige has joined The Abaco Club on Winding Bay as General Manager. He was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of the Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club. Krige is the former General Manager of the Fairmont Washington, D.C., the Ritz-Carlton Bangalore, and the Plaza, New York. 
• Peter Ambros has been named General Manager of the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey. He is the former General Manager for the Four Points by Sheraton Little Rock and the Holiday Inn Airport and Conference Center Memphis.
• The Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach has appointed Michael Medeiros General Manager. Medeiros has been with Sonesta for more than 29 years, most recently overseeing the Royal Sonesta Boston.
• Brad Cance is the new General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. He was most recently a National Sales Director with Avendra. Cance is the former General Manager of the Cavalier Hotel and the Bethesda Country Club. He had been the General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach and the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis.
• The Park Hyatt St. Kitts has appointed Marc Schneider General Manager. Most recently, Schneider was the Resort Manager of the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.
• The Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota has named Okan Karadağ General Manager. He most recently served as General Manager of the Radisson Hotel Nashville.
• David Fascitelli has been promoted at The Jefferson in Washington, D.C. to Hotel Manager. He joined the hotel in 2017 as Director of Food and Beverage. 
• Marriott International has appointed Jim Scholefield Chief Information and Digital Officer. He had previously held similar roles with Merck & Co., Nike and the Coca-Cola Company. Scholefield takes over from Marriott’s Chief Information Officer, Bruce Hoffmeister, who is retiring after 30 years with Marriott.
• Virgin Hotels has named Guy Lindsey Vice President of Construction. He is the former Senior Vice President of Design and Construction at Park Hotels and Resorts and Sunstone Hotel Investors.
• The Fairmont Century Plaza has named Daniel Sabo Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently in the same role at Paligroup Management in Los Angeles.  
• The Harbor Club in Saint Lucia has appointed Cristian Rebolledo Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef. The CIA graduate was most recently at the Turks & Caicos Collection in charge of food and beverage for the Beach House, the Alexandra and Blue Haven.
• The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has appointed David Samuel Director of Food and Beverage. He was most recently in the same role at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in New Mexico. 
• Erwin Pals has been named Vice President of Food and Beverage of the Ocean Reef Club. He was most recently with the Ritz-Carlton Naples as Executive Assistant Manager – Food and Beverage.
• Rosewood Hotel Group has promoted Caroline MacDonald to Group Vice President of Sales, Distribution and Business Performance. She was most recently serving the company as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing after joining the group as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, in 2016. Prior to Rosewood, McDonald spent 15 years with Auberge Resorts.
• Eastwest Hospitality has hired Antoni Yelamos in the newly-created position of Vice President, Food and Beverage. He was previously the Chief Creative Officer of Food Culture, following 9 years as Director of Development for Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup.
• Estelle Mapp has been named Director of Sales and Marketing of the Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa. She is the former Director of Sales and Marketing for the Tideline Ocean Resort and Spa in Palm Beach, and the Hyatt Place Charlotte.
• The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort has appointed Jim Curtis Director of Sales and Marketing. Most recently, he was the Area Director of Sales for Omni Hotels & Resorts where he led sales and marketing efforts for the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate.
• The Sofitel New York has tapped Dayna Zeitlin as Director of Sales and Marketing. Zeitlin was most recently Director of Business Development and Optimization for the Fairmont San Francisco.
• Don Chock has been named Area Director of Sales and Marketing, overseeing both the Kimpton Palomar Beverly Hills and the Kimpton Hotel Wilshire. Chock is the former Director of Marketing and Operations of the Ranch at Laguna Beach and the St. Regis Princeville Resort. He also spent several years in sales positions with Ritz-Carlton.
• The Commodore Perry Estate has named Brett Briseno Director of Sales and Marketing. Briseno most recently served as Director of Sales and Marketing at the W Austin Hotel & Residences. Previously, he held sales and marketing positions at the W Dallas – Victory Hotel & Residences and the W Minneapolis – The Foshay, and Le Meridien Chambers.
• The Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and the JB Duke Hotel has named Julie Barrow as Area Director of Sales and Marketing. She is the former Director of Marketing of the Four Seasons Philadelphia and the Four Seasons Houston.
• The Sheraton New York Times Square has named Jim Mooney Director of Sales. He was most recently Vice President of Sales for Interstate Hotels and Resorts. Mooney had previously served as Area Director of Sales and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, as well as Director of Sales for the Westin New York at Times Square and the Millennium Broadway Hotel.
• Philippe Piel is the new Executive Chef at the Grand Velas Los Cabos. He is the former Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Montreal and the Director of Food and Beverage of the Four Seasons Punta Mita.
• Isaac Esparza has been named Food and Beverage Manager and Executive Chef of the Casa Velas in Mexico. Most recently, he served as Executive Sous Chef of sister property Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit.
• Jason Franey has joined the Fairmont Century Plaza as Executive Chef of Lumière. He is the former Executive Chef of the San Francisco Proper Hotel, Restaurant 1833 in Monterey, and Canlis Seattle.
• The Driskill has appointed Mark Dayanandan as its new Executive Chef. He had previously held the same position at the Hilton Austin and the Omni Barton Creek.

EUROPE

• Hotelier Frank Marrenbach will be leaving his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Oetker Collection. Marrenbach’s successor at Oetker will be Chief Financial Officer Dr. Timo Gruenert. Marrenbach will be joining family-owned Althoff Hotels as Managing Partner.
• St. Martins Lane London has named Marie-Laure Akdag General Manager. She had previously served as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing Europe at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts before taking on her most recently role as Vice President Private Clients at Burberrys.
• George Avgoustis has been promoted to General Manager at the Grace Hotel Santorini. He had joined the resort in 2018 as Assistant Hotel Manager before moving into his most recent role of Hotel Manager.
• The Hotel Bristol Berlin has named Stefan Athmann General Manager. Athmann was most recently managing the Schlosshotel Berlin which he will continue to manage as General Manager. He is the former General Manager of the Regent Hotel Berlin and General Manager and Area General Manager Europe of the Regent Porto Montenegro.
• Manuel Enfedaque has been named Food and Beverage Director at the Hôtel Négresco. He was the former Food and Beverage Director of the Hotel Radisson Blu Nice and Dining Club Director at the Rainbow Room.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

• The Louis T Collection has named Anselm Cuypers Corporate Director of Food and Beverage. He is the former Director of Food and Beverage for the Novotel Hua Hin and the Novotel Surin Beach.
• Troy Hickox has been promoted to Head of Hotels & Lifestyle Development at the Galaxy Entertainment Group. He joined the company in 2014 as Assistant Senior Vice President of Hotel & Lifestyle Development Services before taking on his most recent role as Director – Premium Hotel Management.
• Thomas Schmitt-Glaeser has been appointed General Manager of the Sukhothai Shanghai and Vice President for Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts. Since 2016, he had served as General Manager of the Sukhothai Bangkok.
• Marie-Laure Fleury has moved to the Four Seasons Sydney to take on the role of Hotel Manager. The Lausanne graduate is the former Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Tunis and Resident Manager of the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa.
• Eric Swanson has moved to the InterContinental Chong Li as General Manager. He was most recently in the same role at the InterContinental Pyeong Chang. Swanson is the former General Manager of the Millenium Seoul Hilton, the Marco Polo Parkside Hotel Beijing, and the Leela Palace Kempinski Hotel.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

• Hamza Sehili takes over from Marie-Laure Fleury as the new Hotel Manager of the Four Seasons Tunis. Sehili is the former Executive Assistant Manager – Rooms of the Jumeirah Mina A’ Salam and the Madinat Jumeirah.
• The Al Bait Sharjah has named Albert Meow Hotel Manager. He was most recently overseeing sales and marketing at the Oberoi Beach Resort Al Zorah, Ajman.
• Kalyana Krishnamoorthy has returned to Qatar to join the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village as Director of Food and Beverage. He had previously been part of the pre-opening team that opened St. Regis Doha in 2013. He was most recently with Cavallo Point as Director of Food and Beverage.