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People & Places Presented
by Association News (August 2015)
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Los
Angeles, CA – August 2015 / 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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Liz
Fitzsimmons has been named executive director of the Maryland Office
of Tourism Development. She previously served as the office’s assistant
director of advertising and communications.
Gina
Gemberling has been named executive director of the Springfield (Illinois)
Convention & Visitors Bureau after serving as acting executive director.
She has been with the bureau since 1993.
Experience
Kissimmee (Florida) has appointed Misty Johantgen as chief operating
officer, a newly created position for the organization. She most recently
served as senior vice-president of member relations and support services
for Visit Orlando (Florida).
Laura
Chmielewski has been appointed vice-president of marketing and communications
at Team San Jose (California). Chmielewski most recently served as director
of marketing and communications at The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
in Florida.
The
Louisville (Kentucky) Convention & Visitors Bureau has promoted Keri
Willard to sales manager of its convention development department.
Prior to her new role, Willard worked as a convention sales assistant.
Jennie
Denison has been named national sales director of Visit Mesa (Arizona).
She most recently was an account executive for Marriott International,
where she represented the Southwest.
Visit
Anaheim is the new official name of the Anaheim/Orange County (California)
Visitor & Convention Bureau. Prior to deciding on its new name and
brand, the organization conducted multiple focus groups and key stakeholder
interviews to better understand how travelers perceived the destination,
which includes Anaheim, Garden Grove and the greater Orange County area.
Hospitality
& Suppliers
Jill
Estorino has been promoted to executive vice-president of global marketing
and sales for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. A 24-year Disney veteran,
Estorino previously served as senior vice-president of marketing and sales.
Kevin
Kelly has been named general manager of the Ritz-Carlton/Half Moon
Bay in California. Kelly most recently served as dual general manager of
two properties in the greater Miami area: the Ritz-Carlton/South Beach
and the Ritz-Carlton/Bal Harbour.
Patrick
Staib has been named general manager of the new Bethany Beach Ocean
Suites, which opened in July in Bethany Beach, Delaware. He previously
was regional director of operations for the Real Hospitality Group in Maryland.
Philipp
Posch has been named general manager of the Trump International Hotel
& Tower/Vancouver (British Columbia), scheduled to open in 2016 with
147 guest rooms and 15,000 square feet of event space. Posch will transition
from his current position at the Trump International Hotel & Tower/Chicago.
John
Luke has been named general manager of Florida’s Hilton/Orlando. He
most recently served as general manager of the Hilton/Minneapolis.
Dominie
Lenz has been named general manager of the Furnace Creek Resort in
Death Valley, California. Lenz was previously general manager of the Cavallo
Point Lodge in Sausalito, California, and regional general manager of Xanterra
Parks & Resorts, Inc.
Lester
Scott has been appointed managing director of the Carillon Hotel &
Spa in Miami Beach, Florida. Scott most recently served as general manager
and director of hotel operations in China for the Capella Hotel Group.
Parvaneh
Miller has been hired as director of sales and marketing at the Andaz/Wall
Street in New York City. Miller most recently served as director of sales
and marketing at the Andaz/Savannah in Georgia.
Corinne
Whittington has been appointed director of national accounts at the
Hawks Cay Resort in Duck Key, Florida, where she will lead sales initiatives
related to meetings, events and conferences. Whittington previously served
as account director at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa in
South Carolina.
Kristen
Olsson has been named director of regional sales for the Best Western
Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg, California, and the Best Western Sonoma Valley
Inn in Sonoma, California. Most recently, Olsson headed sales and marketing
at the Grand Hotel in Sunnyvale and the Cupertino Inn in Cupertino.
Carrie
Stremsterfer has been named associate director of sales at the Hyatt
Regency/St. Louis at the Arch. She most recently served as director of
sales and marketing at the Hilton Garden Inn/ Washington, D.C.–Georgetown
Area.
Christine
Legris has been appointed group sales manager at the Sonesta/Fort Lauderdale
Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she will oversee Florida’s association
and corporate markets. Most recently, she served as sales manager for the
Hilton Cabana Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.
Marianna
Ogando has been named director of meetings and events at the Andaz/Fifth
Avenue in New York City. She most recently served as director of catering
sales and conference services for Warwick International Hotels & Resorts.
Construction
& Expansion
The
Kalahari
Resort has opened in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains with 457 guest
rooms, an outdoor water park and a convention center with 65,000 square
feet of meeting space. A second phase of construction is underway and scheduled
to complete in 2017 when the resort will offer nearly 1,000 guest rooms
and an expanded outdoor water park.
The
Victoria
College Conference & Education Center recently opened in Victoria,
Texas. The 116,000-square-foot center has 15 meeting spaces and can accommodate
up to 500 attendees.
The
AC/Chicago
Downtown has opened in the city’s River North neighborhood. Features
include 226 guest rooms, an indoor pool and 3,000 square feet of meeting
space for up to 105.
The
DoubleTree
by Hilton/Washington, D.C.–Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, has
completed the final phase of a $25 million renovation, which included updates
to its 631 guest rooms, entry, lobby and bar. The property offers 31,000
square feet of meeting space.
The
Omni/Chicago
is showing off the effects of its new, $11 million renovation. The multiyear
makeover transformed all 347 guest suites and public spaces, and updated
the 676 Restaurant & Bar and its 8,000 square feet of event space.
Its newest meeting room, the 1,624-square-foot Van Gogh, has floor-to-ceiling
windows and can host up to 160 people.
The
Venetian in Las Vegas has completed a year-long renovation project
that updated all of its standard guest suites. The resort offers 4,028
guest rooms and more than 2.25 million square feet of meeting and convention
space.
The
Hilton/San
Francisco–Union Square has unveiled its redesigned Tower 1 guest rooms,
the third phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation project. The hotel
now offers 1,919 guest rooms and 134,000 square feet of event space.
In
Newport Beach, California, the Island Hotel Newport Beach has completed
an 18-month renovation. It has a new look, updated technology and customized
amenities, and welcomes groups with 292 guest rooms and more than 23,000
square feet of meeting space.
Hotel
Maya in Long Beach, California, has completed a $4 million renovation
project that enhanced guest rooms and added two event spaces: the Lagunita
Pavilion, which can host up to 600 for receptions, and the 10,000-square-foot
Vista del Mar. The 199-room hotel has 30,000 square feet of meeting space.
The
Bethesda
Marriott in Maryland has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation
of its guest rooms, event space, lobby, restaurant and fitness center.
The hotel offers 407 guest rooms and 18,500 square feet of meeting space.
And
Finally...
There’s
been quite a buzz on the green roof of the Music City Center in
Nashville, Tennessee—the four-acre space is now home to more than 100,000
bees. The bees are estimated to produce 360 pounds of honey, to be used
by the Music City Center’s culinary team and jarred for promotional use.
The first harvest is expected by the spring of 2016.
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What’s
Ahead at Convention Centers for Meeting and Event Planners?
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Download “Convention
Trends 2015” (PDF
File)
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