|
People & Places Presented By Association News (December 2016)
|

CVBs/DMOs
|
Kevin Dallas has been appointed CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority. He will start his new position in January after current CEO Bill Hanbury completes his term. Dallas served as chief product and marketing officer at the United Kingdom–based Worldpay Group, which specializes in payments-processing technology and solutions.

Mark McMinn has been appointed vice-president of sales at the Monterey County (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau. McMinn most recently served as director of sales and destination services at Team San Jose (California), and prior to that, he was director of sales at the Tempe (Arizona) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visit Spokane (Washington) has appointed Jeff Poole as senior director of sales and national accounts in the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern regions, a newly created position. Poole has experience working at Visit Albuquerque (New Mexico) and Omni Hotels. 

Anita Cerana has been named national account director at Visit Seattle. She will promote Seattle as a convention and meeting destination for associations and corporations in the Southeast as well as in the sports market. Cerana previously spent two years working as public affairs assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea, and also has experience working for Visit Jacksonville (Florida) and the Beaches.

Shane Sorenson has been promoted to SMERF and government sales manager at Visit Plano (Texas), where he previously served as convention services coordinator. Prior to his time at Visit Plano, Sorenson was a convention services representative for the Wichita Falls (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visit Baltimore has hired Kelly Nagle as director of communications and Julia Watkins as public relations manager. Nagle previously served as communications manager at Santa Monica (California) Travel & Tourism. Watkins previously worked at Planit agency where she led public relations efforts.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Thomas McCartney recently assumed the role of president and general manager of the Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, California. McCartney most recently served as chief operating officer of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. 

Steve Basch has been promoted to CEO of the Atlanta-based Shepard, a nationwide general-service contractor offering event-production series for trade shows, conferences, corporate events and exhibitions. He previously served as the company’s vice-president of finance.

Nick Briner has been hired as general manager of the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Briner spent more than 20 years at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas in a variety of executive roles. He has also worked at Davidson Hotels & Resorts and at properties including the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Clear Point, Alabama and the Sheraton/Washington in Washington, D.C.

Amaury Piedra has been named general manager of the Wyndham Grand Rio Ma r Beach Resort & Spa in Río Grande, Puerto Rico. Piedra most recently served as general manager of the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.

Terry Buchholz has been appointed general manager of L’Auberge Del Mar in Del Mar, California. Buchholz previously served as area director of operations for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

Jim Haughney has been named general manager of the Waterstone Resort & Marina in Boca Raton, Florida. With more than 30 years of experience, Haughney most recently served as vice-president of operations at the Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida. 

Alexandra Walsh has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the Westin/New York at Times Square. She previously was director of sales and marketing at Sheraton on the Park in Sydney.

Terra Calegari has been named director of sales and marketing for the Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, California. Calegari previously served as director of sales and marketing at the Landing Resort & Spa in South Lake Tahoe, California, and at the Omni/San Francisco.

Alison Berg has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin, Texas. Berg most recently served as director of sales and marketing at the Westin/Austin Downtown, located in Austin, Texas.

Brad Mettler has been named director of sales and marketing at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Mettler most recently served as director of sales and marketing for the Grand Hyatt/New York in New York City.

Bryan Gay has named vice-president of sales, conventions and meetings at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. Gay has held a number of leadership roles including vice-president of sales at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

The Hotel Indigo/Tuscaloosa Downtown in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has appointed Greg Hopton-Jones as director of sales and Stephanie Katz as sales manager. Hopton-Jones most recently served as group sales manager of Hilton/Birmingham in Alabama. Katz previously served as sales coordinator of the Hilton Garden Inn/Tuscaloosa.

Jenai Sele has been named director of sales for the Hewing Hotel, which recently opened in Minneapolis. Sele most recently served as director of group sales at the Sheraton/Bloomington, also located in Minneapolis.

Roselle Roces has been hired as regional director of sales for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts where she will oversee sales in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. Roces most recently served as global account director for Bulgari Hotels & Resorts.

Claire Whitlock has been named director of Midwest sales at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Most recently, Whitlock held several sales leadership positions at the Mansion on Forsyth Park and the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, both located in Savannah, Georgia.

Construction & Expansion

The Archer/Austin has opened in Austin, Texas, near the Domain shopping center on the north side of town. The hotel features 171 guest rooms and 16,525 square feet of meeting space.

The waterfront Shade/Redondo Beach in Southern California has made its debut. The hotel offers 54 guest rooms, a restaurant, a rooftop pool and 10,397 square feet of meeting space.

Found:RE Phoenix recently opened near downtown’s Roosevelt Row with 105 guest rooms, a restaurant and 8,185 square feet of meeting space. The hotel’s design elements are inspired by local contemporary art, culture, fashion and music, and it will feature a roster of rotating art shows, pop-ups and artists.

The Westin/Galleria Dallas, located inside the Galleria Dallas shopping complex, has completed a multimillion- dollar renovation. Updates were made to the property’s 448 guest rooms, lobby, on-site restaurant and 54,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, California, has completed a $22 million renovation, which included 500 newly designed guest rooms and the addition of the M Club. For meetings and events, the hotel offers 85,125 square feet of space.

The White Elephant Village in Nantucket, Massachusetts—part of Nantucket Island Resorts—unveiled its new, 4,200-square-foot Ballroom & Conference Center this fall. The ballroom can accommodate up to 300 people or be divided into two smaller rooms.

In Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the newly reflagged Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area (formerly the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa) has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. The 1,011-room hotel now features new guest room designs, a new lobby bar, renovated meeting space totaling 92,000 square feet, a new restaurant and a revamped spa and salon.

The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida, has completed a $5 million renovation and expansion. The property offers 400 guest rooms and 32,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.

The Claridge Hotel—now part of the Radisson brand—in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has unveiled a new, 15,000-square-foot conference center and a new rooftop bar, VUE. The 500-room hotel now offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The 725-room Lexington New York City, a Marriott Autograph Collection in Midtown Manhattan, unveiled the final phase of its three-year, $50 million renovation. The update included the conversion of the S. Dynasty restaurant into a 5,000-square-foot and events center.

The Mahekal Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, has completed a $16 million renovation. An additional 4,500 square feet of meeting and event space was added, bringing its total to 17,300 square feet of function space. The resort now offers 196 guest rooms, a spa and fitness center and five restaurants.

And Finally…

A new piece of art on display at the Phoenix Convention Center was painted by 9-year-old Angelita Tavizon, an Arizona HopeKid. The HopeKids organization provides ongoing events, activities and support for families that have a child with cancer or other life-threatening medical condition. HelmsBriscoe recently presented the painting to the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Convention Center in recognition of their hospitality and support.

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 ’17 will be held October 30–November 2, in Orlando, Florida. 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.