Human Resources

📢 Twenty Four Seven Hotels expanded its leadership team, appointing Brian Hughes as executive vice president of business development and promoting Damien Abrams as vice president of lifestyle brands. Crescent Hotels & Resorts named Vanessa Claspill as chief commercial officer. GF Hotels & Resorts welcomed back John Parker as COO and hired Marcus Marshall as vice president of F&B. MGM Resorts International added Keith Barr to its board of directors. Hard Rock Hotel San Diego announced Mat Greene as managing director. Highgate appointed Nicholas Kuhns as GM of Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, while Andaz Maui at Wailea named Richard Elliott as GM. Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel selected Ludo de Jong as GM, and AC Hotel Columbus Dublin welcomed Deniz Akyuz as GM.

📌 Cloudbeds, a hospitality management technology firm, appoints Linda Vallner as Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Vallner, with expertise from Protel Hotelsoftware and Oracle Hospitality, particularly as Director of OPERA Product Suite, aims to transform the industry standard. Cloudbeds, founded in 2012 and recognized by Hotel Tech Report and World Travel Awards, serves properties in over 150 countries and was listed in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2023.

🏨 Ana Atienza became Guest Relations Manager at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco, where she oversees guest satisfaction. After studying hotel and restaurant management in the Philippines, Ana chose hospitality over broadcasting. She started her career as a barista and management trainee in the Philippines before advancing in the hospitality industry in San Francisco. The episode discusses the value of customer service, the challenges at the front desk, and the need for passion and patience in hospitality. Ana's advice includes not taking things personally and focusing on guest interactions. The discussion also highlights San Francisco's allure for visitors. ???? August 25, 2024.

🍴 Senior Food & Beverage Editor Bret Thorn has been with Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016. He launched the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" and wrote "Kitchen Dish" for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008. Educated at Tufts University (BA in History, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and Le Cordon Bleu Paris, he also studied in China and worked for ABC News during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and authored entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia and Companion in 2012 and 2015, respectively. He's a Disciples d’Escoffier inductee as of 2014.

💸 Christopher Trick appointed as chief marketing and performance officer at Sonesta International Hotels Corporation in Newton, Massachusetts. Prior to this, Trick served four years as Sonesta's SVP and CMO. With over 20 years in the hospitality industry, he has worked with Marriott, Wyndham, La Quinta, IHG, and Red Lion Hotels. Sonesta recently relaunched its website and introduced the Sonesta Travel Pass program in March. CEO John Murray praises Trick’s strategic vision and innovative marketing solutions.

📅 Jason Whelan has been appointed as managing director of Cover-More Blue Insurance Services Limited, a Dublin-based travel and insurance specialist and part of Zurich's Cover-More Group. Whelan has served the company, formerly known as Blue Insurance Ltd, for nearly twenty years and was the chief product officer for Cover-More in Europe since 2022. He will continue this role while leading strategies for growth and enhancing business capabilities in Ireland and the EEA, reporting to Cover-More Europe CEO Donna Dorairajoo.

🚿 Ansie Turner, Executive Housekeeper at City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport, leads a 365-room hotel's team. Started her career at The Don Hotels and joined City Lodge Hotels on 1 September 1999. The hotel features a #Café restaurant, bar, three boardrooms, fitness room, and pool. It operates 24/7 due to close airport proximity. Turner's nurturing leadership has shaped a disciplined yet caring team, starting her day at 4am to align with her staff.

🏥 Laurence Berman, previously VP of Disneyland Paris and MD of Jet Tours, is proposed as Independent Director for eDreams ODIGEO, set for shareholder approval on September 27, 2024. Berman, with a history on boards of Veranda Resorts, Valtur, and as a Global Advisory Board member at Chicago Booth School of Business, brings strategic expertise as the company nears the end of a 3.5-year growth plan, becoming the largest travel subscription business globally.

👤 Shane Pappas named GM of Jekyll Island Club Resort and Jekyll Ocean Club; Dan Peterson appointed SVP of Operations at Avion Hospitality; Christine San Nicolas becomes GM of Outrigger Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa; Chrystalle Anger is the new area director of front services at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort and Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort; Matthew Huss is the GM at Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge; Mike McLeod takes GM role at Hilton Portland Downtown and The Duniway; Julien Labays steps in as resort manager at Rosewood Baha Mar; Kate Eckhardt is the new director of sales and marketing at Radisson Salt Lake City Downtown; Katie de Besche promoted to director of sales at Viceroy Snowmass; Sally Glen appointed director of sales and marketing at Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club.

🍴 Chef Taz Sarhane was appointed head chef of Shoreditch restaurant Cycene in January 2023. Cycene, part of James and Christie Brown's Blue Mountain School, is ranked 48th in the UK. Sarhane plans to evolve the restaurant’s 10-course tasting menu, priced at £155, using seasonally available ingredients and preservation techniques. The Browns will update the restaurant's aesthetic in the coming month, including uniforms, artwork, and crockery. Cycene, launched in 2022 and earning a Michelin star within five months, seeks to highlight seasonal British produce under Sarhane's leadership.