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People & Places Presented by Association News (October 2015)
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CVBs/DMOs
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Ross Jefferson has been appointed president and CEO of Destination Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Jefferson has more than 15 years of management experience, including serving for five years as executive director of Discover Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada.

Richard Staub has been named senior vice-president of convention sales at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau. He most recently was managing director and general manager of the Sheraton/Philadelphia-Downtown.

Michael Drake has been appointed to director of sales, meetings and conventions, international at Tourism Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Drake most recently served as associate director of international and association sales for Starwood Hotels in Toronto.

Ella Gonzalez has been appointed director of national accounts at the Providence Warwick (Rhode Island) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Gonzalez most recently served as sales manager for the Hyatt Regency/Newport, also in Rhode Island, where she was responsible for association and government markets and other group business.

Chris McKinney has been named director of national accounts at Visit Spokane (Washington). McKinney previously worked for Marriott and Hilton hotels and, most recently, the Renaissance/Seattle.

The Fort Worth (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Stacey Johnson as director of sales for the Mid-Atlantic region. Johnson previously served as director of group sales for the Washington Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington, D.C.

Kristen Chenoweth has been named sales and marketing manager of the Springfield (Illinois) Convention & Visitors Bureau. She most recently served as the bureau’s digital marketing specialist.

The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission has hired Libby Dischert and David Rayment as national convention sales managers. Dischert is responsible for managing sales activities in the Midwest and Northeast. She previously served as a senior meeting planner for Experient, Inc. Rayment is responsible for directing and coordinating sales activities in the West. He previously served as director of national accounts for the West Coast at Gaylord Hotels.

Alena Sheire has been hired as a sports and convention sales manager at the Boise (Idaho) Convention & Visitors Bureau, marking the first time in five years that the bureau has expanded its sales team. Sheire previously worked at Red Sky Public Relations and Scentsy, both located in the greater Boise area.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Tricia Primrose has been named the global chief communications and public affairs officer at Marriott Interna tional. She most recently served as a partner at Rational 360, a strategic public relations and communications firm based in Washington, D.C.

Scott Blakeslee has been appointed general manager of the Paséa Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach, California, which is expected to open in early 2016 as a Meritage Collection property. Blakeslee previously served as general manager of the InterContinental/Dallas. Prior to that, he was vice-president and general manager of the Palms Place Hotel & Spa and vice-president of strategic business development at the Palms Casino Resort, both Las Vegas properties.

Martin Wormull has been named general manager of the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, which is expected to open in Florida in early 2016. Prior to his appointment, Wormull served as senior director of luxury-brand performance management in the Americas for Hilton Worldwide luxury and lifestyle brands.

Julian Moore has been appointed general manager of the Park Hyatt/St. Kitts in the Caribbean, which is expected to open in 2016. Moore most recently served as general manager of the Park Hyatt/Maldives Hadahaa.

Mohan Koka has been named general manager of the Loews/New Orleans. Koka has more than 14 years of hospitality experience and most recently served as hotel manager of the Loews/Atlanta.

Roseann Grippo has been appointed general manager of the Waterstone Resort & Marina in Boca Raton, Florida. Previously, Grippo served as senior director of beverage operations for Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas.

International Hospitality Enterprises has named Alain Tiphaine general manager of La Concha Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He most recently served as the owner and general manager of the Villa Montana Beach Resort, also located in Puerto Rico.

Militza Orama, formerly the director of sales and marketing at La Concha, has been appointed to the same position at the recently renovated Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in San Juan.

Hermes Croatto has replaced Orama at La Concha, a promotion from his previous position as La Concha’s associate director of sales.

Greg Miller has been appointed vice-president and managing director of the former Ritz-Carlton/Phoenix, which is scheduled to reopen in December as a Marriott Autograph Collection property following a multimillion-dollar renovation. In addition to leading the renovation and opening of the yet-to-be-named hotel, Miller will maintain his current role as vice-president and managing director for Destination Hotels’ Southwest properties.

Joseph DeMille has been named director of sales and marketing at the Turnberry Isle Resort in Aventura, Florida. DeMille has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and most recently served as director of sales and marketing at the Dolce/Atlanta- Peachtree in Peachtree City, Georgia.

Heidi Albertson has been appointed director of national sales at the Riverhouse Hotel & Convention Center in Bend, Oregon. She most recently served as national sports sales manager at the Hilton/Eugene, also in Oregon.

Construction & Expansion

The College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, recently completed an extensive, multiyear renovation, which led to its platinum LEED certification—now one of four such hotels in the country. All 237 guest rooms, public areas and 40,000 square feet of event space were updated.

The Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto has completed a $40 million renovation, which began in fall 2013. All 301 guest rooms and suites have been renovated as well as its 22,000 square feet of meeting space, and updates were made to the hotel’s lobby, restaurant and bar.

The 350,000-square-foot expansion of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas recently opened with several features including new exhibit space, a 20,000-square-foot foyer and underground parking. When the second and final phase of the expansion is complete, set for January 2016, the facility will boast more than 2 million square feet of space, including a 70,000-square-foot ballroom, and offer more than 900,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space.

The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa on Marco Island, Florida, has reopened with 726 guest rooms and 65,000 square feet of meeting space following the completion of the first phase of a $250 million expansion. A second phase of renovations is underway and scheduled for completion by late December 2016.

The Wenatchee Convention Center in Wenatchee, Washington, recently completed a $3 million remodel, which included updates to its Grand Apple Ballroom and Orchard Exhibit Hall, which offer 10,080 and 7,560 square feet of space, respectively. Both received new lighting, carpeting and acoustical ceiling systems. The lobby outside of the ballroom also received new carpeting. The convention center features a total of 50,000 square feet of meeting space and is served by the Coast/Wenatchee Center, connected by a sky bridge.

In Bend, Oregon, the Pronghorn Resort has introduced a new meeting space in its 55,000-square-foot Clubhouse. The 635-square-foot Fireside Room can accommodate up to 40 seated guests and is equipped with audiovisual technology, a self-contained videoconferencing system, high-speed Wi-Fi and a full-service bar and coffee station. The resort offers a total of 25,172 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

The landmark Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas has completed a multimillion-dollar update to its 24,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Enhancements were made to its Grand and Century ballrooms, pre-function spaces, nearby restrooms and the 24-hour business center.

The Montage/Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, has added more than 7,700 square feet of new function space. The 2,000-square-foot Empire Terrace overlooks the Uinta Mountains, the 3,000-square-foot Empire Lounge features a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows and the 2,750-square-foot Empire Room can be divided into two spaces. The property offers more than 50,000 square feet of event space.

And Finally...

The Certified Tourism Ambassador program recently reached a new milestone: As of August, it counts more than 15,000 active volunteers. Rick Smith, who volunteers at the information desk at the Charles M. Schultz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California, became the organization’s 15,000th active member when he passed his certification test. Since its inception in 2006, the CTA program has certified individuals to help build local tourism by enhancing the visitor experience.
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