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People & Places Presented By Association News (August 2016)
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CVBs/DMOs
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Brad Van Dommelen has been appointed director of the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau. He spent much of his career in Michigan and held positions including senior vice-president of strategic business development at the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. Van Dommelen most recently served as president and CEO of Traverse City (Michigan) Tourism, where Trevor Tkach has been selected to take his place as president and CEO. Tkach previously served as executive director of the National Cherry Festival, which is based in Traverse City.

Arlan J. (A.J.) Frels has been named executive director of the La Crosse County (Wisconsin) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Frels most recently led the Carson Valley (Nevada) Visitors Authority, which encompasses four communities within the Great Basin area of Lake Tahoe.

Scott Hershberger has been named director of tourism and cultural heritage at VisitPittsburgh, the tourism promotion agency for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Hershberger most recently served as director of economic development for Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc., where he was responsible for promoting the city of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.

Stacie Esteban has been named corporate sales manager at the Frisco (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau. She has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently serving as the director of sales for the Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas/Frisco North–FieldhouseUSA in Frisco.

The Louisville (Kentucky) Convention & Visitors Bureau has promoted Katie Kubitskey to marketing communications manager and convention services specialist. She previously served as the bureau’s convention sales assistant.

Kim Powers has been appointed group services manager at the Hampton (Virginia) Convention & Visitor Bureau. Powers most recently served as the special events and sales and marketing manager for the Tidewater Builders Association.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Magda King has been named general manager of the Antlers at Vail in Vail, Colorado, effective October 1. King will assume the role after the retirement of Rob Levine, who will step down after 38 years with the property, 29 of them spent serving as general manager. King has been with the Antlers at Vail for 10 years, most recently as assistant general manager.

Rebecca Hubbard has been named general manager of the Lotte New York Palace in New York City, where she has worked since 2011. Prior to starting at the property, Hubbard served as executive assistant manager at the Trump/ SoHo, also in New York City.

Douglas Libby has been named general manager of the Devil’s Thumb Ranch & Spa in Tabernash, Colorado. In addition, Libby will oversee operations for nearby sister properties and restaurants in Winter Park, Colorado: the Vasquez Creek Inn, the Trailhead Inn, Volario’s and Caffé Giocondo. Libby previously was general manager of the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jaime Piedras has been appointed general manager of the Gran Meliá/ Puerto Rico. Piedras most recently served as global management control director at Meliá Hotels International.

Bill Cottrill has been promoted to general manager of the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel in South Lake Tahoe, California. Cottrill has most recently served as the property’s chief manager officer.

The Marriott Napa Valley Hotel & Spa in Napa, California, has appointed Amanda Hawkins-Vogel as general manager and Angela Cava as director of sales and marketing. Hawkins-Vogel has worked for properties including Il Lugano Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cava formerly served in various sales roles for properties including the St. Regis Aspen Resort and the Madeline Hotel & Residences in Telluride.

The Halcyon, a hotel scheduled to open in the Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood this month, has hired Cindy Bedan as its general manager and Anne Frye as director of sales. Bedan most recently served as interim general manager of the Éilan Hotel & Spa in San Antonio. Frye previously was opening director of sales and marketing for the SpringHill Suites/Denver Downtown at MSU Denver.

In Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Teresa Alfonso has been named hotel director at the Royal Hideaway Playacar Resort, which is undergoing a renovation scheduled to be complete in December. This is a return for Alfonso; she previously led resort operations from the property’s launch through its first seven years.

Patrick Fisher has been named executive director of hotel operations for the MGM National Harbor, which is scheduled to open this year in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Fisher most recently served as director of rooms at the Ritz-Carlton/Washington, D.C.

Karina Davies has been named director of sales and marketing for the Fairmont/ Washington, D.C.-Georgetown. Davies most recently served as director of sales and marketing at the Fairmont/ Ajman in the United Arab Emirates.

Cat Carter has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton Grand/Chicago and Westin/ Chicago River North. Carter most recently served as director of sales at the Sheraton Grand/Chicago.

Daniel Ben-Efraim has been named director of marketing at the Loews Regency Hotel in New York City. Ben-Efraim most recently was director of sales and marketing at The London/NYC and also worked as associate director of sales for The London Hotels in New York City and West Hollywood, California.

Nicholas Mirabile has been named vice-president of business development at GES, a global, full-service provider for live events. Mirabile most recently was vice-president of business development and global events for TBA Global.

Construction & Expansion

The Watergate Hotel has opened in Washington, D.C., following the completion of an extensive $125 million renovation. Additionally, the Top of the Gate rooftop lounge is scheduled to open later this summer. The 336-room hotel provides 27,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including a brand-new ballroom and 10,000 square feet of outdoor terraces overlooking the Potomac River.

Also making its debut in Washington, D.C., is the Kimpton/Glover Park. The hotel features 154 guest rooms and provides 3,860 square feet of function space, including a divisible ballroom and a terrace, each of which can host up to 150.

The 21c Museum Hotel/Oklahoma City recently opened in the Oklahoma capital. The downtown property is an adaptive reuse of the Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant and offers 135 guest rooms, 14,000 square feet of event space and a restaurant.

The Rush Creek Lodge has opened less than a mile from the west entrance of Yosemite National Park in California. The property offers 143 lodge rooms, suites and villas, a restaurant and tavern and meeting space for up to 250 people.

The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has completed a $78 million renovation, rounding out the downtown property’s $216 million, decade-long transformation. The most-recent improvements included updates to the hotel’s 1,663 guest rooms, its public spaces and its 160,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has completed a $20 million renovation that has enhanced its 295 guest rooms. The hotel offers more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 2,019-room Hyatt Regency/Chicago has unveiled new meeting space, bringing its total to 240,000 square feet of flexible space. The East Tower of the hotel now has an additional 10,297 square feet of space, and the West Tower has added 1,608 square feet of space.

In Naples, Florida, the 474-room Naples Grande Beach Resort recently wrapped up an $8 million renovation of its Naples Grande Golf Club. The championship course also received a significant update. The resort welcomes groups with 474 guest rooms and more than 83,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa in Riviera Beach, Florida, has unveiled a $6.8 million renovation of its 193 guest rooms and event spaces. The hotel offers 3,600 square feet of meeting space.

The 622-room Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, has completed a $4.5 million renovation. Updates were made to the hotel’s 27,548 square feet of meeting space. Additional renovation plans will add 1,300 square feet of pre-function space. The update is expected to be complete this summer.

And Finally...

The Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau has unveiled a new brand platform, logo and creative for marketing the city’s tourism initiatives. The new platform will be featured on its new website, which is going live this month.

“The Beatles Love,” a Cirque du Soleil production, recently celebrated 10 years on the Las Vegas Strip. In honor of the anniversary, the show has undergone a creative evolution that features all-new acts. “The Beatles Love” is presented at the 3,044-room Mirage Hotel & Casino, which offers more than 170,000 square feet of meeting space.

Note: The above “People & Places” information is available – with photos – in this PDF file.

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

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