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People & Places Presented
by Association News (March 2015)
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Los
Angeles, CA – March 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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Jeff
Seifried has been appointed president and CEO of the Branson/ Lakes
Area (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Seifried most recently served as manager of regional development for the
Springfield (Missouri) Area Chamber of Commerce.
David
Downing has been named executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/
Clearwater (Florida). Downing had been the organization’s interim executive
director since August 2014 and prior to that, he served as its deputy director.
Todd
Bertka has been named vice-president of convention sales and marketing
at the Virginia Beach (Virginia) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He previously
was vice-president of sales and services at the Greenville (North Carolina)
Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Barbara
Balaguras has been named senior national account executive of Visit
Orlando (Florida). Balaguras most recently served as director of corporate
sales at Choose Chicago. She also has held sales and marketing positions
at several hotels in Chicago.
Johanna
Walker has been appointed sales manager of the DuPage Convention &
Visitors Bureau in Oak Brook, Illinois. Walker has more than 10 years of
experience working in hotel sales, predominantly at Marriott properties
in the Atlanta and Chicago areas.
Hospitality
& Suppliers
Jason
Herthel has been promoted to president and chief operating officer
of Montage Hotels & Resorts. Herthel has worked with Montage since
2011, most recently as executive vice-president of acquisitions, development
and strategy. Prior to his role with Montage, he served as senior vice-president
of project development for the Viceroy Hotel Group, based in Abu Dhabi.
Daniel
Kuperschmid has been appointed general manager of the Hyatt Regency
Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. He
most recently served as general manager of the Hyatt Regency/ Newport Beach
in Southern California.
Teri
Agosta has been appointed general manager of the Hilton/Cleveland Downtown,
which is scheduled to open next year. Agosta has more than 20 years of
industry experience and most recently served as general manager of the
Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix.
Joel
Bunde has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort,
Spa & Casino in the Caribbean. He was previously general manager of
Florida’s Hyatt Key West Resort & Spa.
Matt
Humphreys has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency/ Santa
Clara in California. Humphreys most recently served as general manager
of the Hyatt/Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.
Jason
Murgia has been promoted to general manager of the Conference &
Event Center Niagara Falls in New York. Murgia formerly served as the venue’s
assistant general manager and, prior to that, he served as its director
of events.
Scott
Allen has been named general manager of the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
in Hawaii. Previously, he served as general manager of the Park Hyatt Aviara
Resort in Carlsbad, California.
Carlos
Blanco has been appointed general manager of the Resort at Pedregal
in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Blanco was formerly general manager of various
other properties in Mexico, including the Viceroy/Zihuatanejo and Villa
La Estancia/Cabo San Lucas.
Josh
DeBottis has been appointed general manager of the Omni/San Antonio
at the Colonnade. He previously served as general manager of the Benjamin
Hotel in New York City.
Bob
Peckenpaugh has been named managing director of the Omni Barton Creek
Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. An industry veteran of nearly 30 years,
Peckenpaugh was most recently general manager of the Omni/San Francisco.
Jon
Chocklett has been named vice-president of sales and business development
at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Chocklett previously served
as director of sales and marketing for the Mandarin Oriental/Washington,
D.C., and as director of sales for the Four Seasons/Washington, D.C.
Jessica
Baran has been named vice-president of sales, conventions and meetings
at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. She has previously
worked at resorts that include the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las
Vegas and Kerzner International’s Atlantis Resort Casino in the Bahamas.
Steve
van der Molen has been named vice-president of meeting operations for
the Atlantic City region of Caesars Entertainment. He will be responsible
for the scheduled August opening of the Waterfront Conference Center at
Harrah’s Resort/Atlantic City in New Jersey. Van der Molen has served as
the director of on-property sales for all of Caesars Entertainment’s Las
Vegas.
Aaron
Missner has been appointed regional director of accounts in the Northeast
for the Wynn Las Vegas. Missner most recently served as director of Northeast
and Southeast convention sales for the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention
Board.
Rocco
Mastrangelo has been appointed director of group sales for the Ritz-Carlton,
Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. Mastrangelo most recently served
as director of group sales for the Ritz-Carlton/Key Biscayne–Miami and
the Ritz-Carlton/Coconut Grove–Miami.
Construction
& Expansion
Marriott
International recently acquired Delta Hotels & Resorts for
approximately $135 million. The transaction increases Marriott’s distribution
in Canada to more than 120 hotels and 27,000 guest rooms, making it the
largest full-service hotel company in Canada.
The
DoubleTree
by Hilton Fresno Convention Center has opened in Fresno, California,
following a $7 million renovation. The hotel features 321 guest rooms and
27,000 square feet of flexible function space, including a main ballroom
and 18 separate meeting rooms.
Le
Meridien/Columbus, The Joseph has opened in downtown Columbus, Ohio,
with 135 guest rooms and close to 7,000 square feet of meeting space. Its
Michael B. Coleman Grand Ballroom can host up to 250 people.
The
Virgin
Hotel Chicago has opened in the heart of the city’s Loop district and
is the first hotel under the new Virgin Hotel brand. The 26-story hotel
offers 250 guest rooms and three meeting spaces—totaling 2,300 square feet—that
can host groups of up to 108. Virgin Hotels has plans to open a second
hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, in the summer of 2016 and a third property
in New York City by the fall of 2017.
The
newly reflagged Radisson/ Phoenix North has opened next to the Metro
Center Mall following a five-month, $8 million renovation. The hotel includes
284 guest rooms, more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space, a new fitness
room and a renovated lobby.
The
Detroit
Marriott at the Renaissance Center has completed a $30 million renovation
that has transformed its 1,298 guest rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting
space. Updates to the 70-floor hotel also include new technological innovations
and amenities and a refresh of its public areas.
The
Chateau
on the Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Missouri,
has completed a renovation of its 301 guest rooms and suites and its smaller
meeting rooms. The resort has also added a 684-square-foot executive boardroom,
bringing its total meeting space up to 43,500 square feet.
Hawks
Cay Resort, located in Duck Key, Florida, has completed a renovation
of its 20,000 square feet of waterfront event space, which can accommodate
groups of up to 600 people. Expected to open later this year is a the new
Marina Walk, which will serve as an entertainment destination within the
resort, and a new restaurant overlooking the Marina Walk.
And
Finally...
In
Southern California, the Viceroy / Santa Monica has teamed up with
Priority
Bicycles, a New York City-based company specializing in recreational
bikes, to provide guests with a bicycle concierge program. Guests can pedal
to shopping and dining located within blocks of the hotel or head out to
the local bike path for beachfront cycling. The program will offer customizable
and curated routes based on guest preferences, allowing them to explore
specific aspects of the beachside community.
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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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