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Association News
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People & Places Presented by Association News (May 2016)
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Los Angeles, CA – May 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / Each monthly issue of Association News contains information from state and regional associations, convention bureaus, hotels and hotel chains and other meeting facilities.

CVBs/DMOs
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Association News (May 2016)Tom Noonan has been named president and CEO of the Austin (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau. With 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Noonan most recently served as president and CEO of Visit Baltimore. Prior to that, he spent nearly two decades working at the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Alex Shelton has been appointed vice-president of convention sales, services and sports at the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Shelton most recently served as the vice-president of sales and marketing at Innovative Expo in Las Vegas.

William McBroom has been named director of conference sales at the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches (Florida) Visitors & Convention Bureau. A 28-year hospitality veteran, McBroom most recently served as director of sales and marketing at the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort.

Alexandra Collins has been appointed national sales manager of Visit Winston-Salem (North Carolina). Collins more recently served as group association sales manager at the city’s Twin City Quarter. Prior to that, she worked at the Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jim Kissinger has retired as vice-president of sales at Visit Anaheim (California). Kissinger began working at the bureau in 1984 as a convention sales director.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Michael Murphy has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency/ Austin in Texas, which is in the process of completing a multimillion-dollar renovation. Murphy has worked for the Hyatt Corporation for more than 20 years and most recently served as general manager of the Hyatt Regency/Westlake in Westlake Village, California.

Victoria Meyers has been hired as general manager of the Wyndham Garden/ Shreveport in Louisiana, which recently completed the final phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation. Meyers previously served as general manager of properties including the Holiday Inn/Dayton-Fairborn I-675 in Fairborn, Ohio, and the Wingate by Wyndham/ Tupelo in Mississippi.

Kelly Steward was recently named general manager of the Ritz-Carlton/ Rancho Mirage in Southern California. Steward has spent 15 years with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and has served as an opening trainer for 19 Ritz-Carlton properties. She most recently served as the general manager of the Ritz-Carlton/Cleveland.

Tiffany Davis has been appointed general manager of the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Davis most recently served as general manager of the Hilton Key Largo Resort in Florida. 

Scott Tripoli has been appointed general manager of the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama. He most recently served as general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton/Orlando at SeaWorld in Florida.

Holly Turner has been named general manager of the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. Turner has 19 years of experience and started her career at the Omni Mandalay. Most recently, Turner served as hotel manager of the Omni/Fort Worth, also located in Texas.

Alexandra Byrne has been promoted to general manager of the Sofitel/ Washington, D.C.–Lafayette Square, making her the first female general manager of the hotel. She most recently served as the hotel’s director of sales and marketing.

Olivier Servat has been named general manager of the recently opened ME by Meliá/Miami, the first property of the new hotel brand to debut in the United States. Servat has 20 years of experience and most recently served as the senior consultant for Steigenberger Hotels AG.

Carmen Cruz has been named general manager of the Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa in Sausalito, California. Cruz previously was general manager of Hotel Zephyr in San Francisco. Casa Madrona has also completed a renovation of its 1,620-square-foot Brio Ballroom, which can host up to 100 for a seated banquet or 150 for a standing reception.

Josh Heidenreich has been named area managing director and general manager for the Omni/Fort Worth. Heidenreich will oversee operations of Omni’s New Orleans properties, which include the Omni Royal Orleans, the Omni Royal Crescent Hotel and the Omni/Riverfront. He most recently served as general manager of the Omni/Providence in Rhode Island.

Michael Pramshafer has been named vice-president of sales and marketing at the Guest House at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, which is scheduled to open October 27. Pramshafer previously served as vice-president of sales at the SLS/Las Vegas and vice-president of resort sales and marketing at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa.

Dionne Williams has been promoted to executive director of group sales at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Previously serving as the venue’s director of national sales, Williams will now be responsible for leading the association and corporate sales team.

Jodi Graham has been named senior sales manager of the Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, California. She previously was senior sales manager at the Saguaro in Palm Springs, California.

Sarah Smith has been named senior sales manager of the Fairmont/Austin in Texas. Smith previously was national sales manager for the Fairmont/Chicago.

Construction & Expansion

The Hyatt House / Naples – 5th Avenue has opened along the Gordon River in Naples, Florida, the city’s first hotel in more than eight years. The property offers 183 guest rooms and 3,160 square feet of space throughout its four function rooms.

The Hilton/San Francisco-Union Square has completed a $25 million renovation that included upgrades to its 1,919 guest accommodations, common areas and its more than 134,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel also launched two new food and beverage outlets: Herb N’ Kitchen and a lobby bar.

The Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Washington, recently wrapped up a $12.5 million renovation of its interiors and exterior. Highlights include new lobby seating, upgraded audiovisual systems, lighting, data and wireless services, new digital signage, new carpets and improved meeting rooms. The venue offers 54,000 square feet of event space and can host up to 3,500 people.

Also in Bellevue, the Embassy Suites by Hilton/Seattle-Bellevue has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. Its guest rooms, in-house restaurant, meeting space and public spaces have all been updated. The hotel features 240 guest rooms and 12,000 square feet of function space.

The historic Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort in Tucson, Arizona, has completed a multimillion-dollar expansion, which included the addition of 32 guest rooms, new event space and the enhancement of existing meeting venues. The 59-room hotel now offers more than 4,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Renaissance/Boca Raton in Florida has unveiled a new design following a multimillion-dollar renovation, which included updates to all 189 guest rooms, 15,000 square feet of event space, common spaces, restaurants and bar.

The AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center at the University of Texas/Austin has completed a $6.5 million, four-month renovation of its 297 guest rooms, which feature a new look and new technology. The venue offers 40,000 square feet of event space.

The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, has completed a $4.1 million renovation of 37,600 square feet of its indoor meeting space. Completed in two stages, the renovation included an update of two ballrooms, two pre-function spaces, eight meeting rooms, one executive ballroom, one meeting planners’ office and two technology nooks. The hotel offers 454 guest rooms and a total of more than 75,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, has completed a revitalization of its 800 guest rooms. The 14-story hotel offers 60,000 square feet of event space among its 22 meetings rooms.

And Finally…

The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has launched its limited-edition #WHHSH beer, the newest element of its “What Happens Here, Stays Here” destination marketing campaign. Available only at select LVCVA-sponsored events, the pale ale has hints of citrus and pine and is crafted locally by the Tenaya Creek Brewery.

This current issue of Association News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

About Schneider Publishing
Schneider Publishing is the parent company of Association News, America’s most-read magazine for association executives, and SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine. In addition to Meetings Quest, Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, TEAMS ’16 will be held September 26–29, 2016, in Atlantic City. The group travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million hotel room nights annually.

For press information, please contact Ann Shepphird, or call 310-577-3700.

Association News, Meetings Quest, SportsTravel and TEAMS are registered trademarks of Schneider Publishing.

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Publishing Dates: 05/05/16 – 07/05/16
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