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People & Places Presented By Association News (May 2017)
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CVBs/DMOs
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Alan Humason has been appointed executive director of the Mendocino County (California) Tourism Commission. Humason has more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications, and most recently served as executive director of the Yolo County (California) Visitors Bureau.

Michael Laatsch has been named chief operating officer of the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau. In this newly created position, Laatsch will oversee day-to-day operations. He most recently served as vice-president of public relations and corporate communications for the Western & Southern Financial Group.

Michelyn (Mikey) Tinor has been appointed national sales director of VisitPittsburgh. She previously worked for 10 years in pharmaceutical sales for Pfizer Inc. Tinor also owns and operates an online web show that spotlights leaders, innovators and small business owners in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

Andre Walker has been named national account manager at Visit KC (Missouri). He will be based in Washington, D.C., and work in the large-meeting segment. Walker recently served as national sales manager for the Memphis (Tennessee) Convention & Visitors Bureau for nearly nine years.

Ryan Barth has been named national sales manager at Visit Indy. Barth previously worked for the organization as sales manager in the Washington, D.C., market before leaving for his most recent position as a global account executive for ConferenceDirect in Los Angeles.

Tom Dolan has been appointed director of citywide sales at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. He previously served as market sales leader for Marriott International.

Teri Laursen has been promoted to director of sales and industry partners at TravelNevada in Carson City. She previously served as the organization’s sales director.

Hosts & Suppliers

Jim Caldwell, CEO of Omni Hotels & Resorts, also recently assumed the role of president. Caldwell will continue establishing the vision for the brand while overseeing all operational areas. Caldwell has served as CEO of Omni Hotels & Resorts for the last 13 years.

The Wyndham Hotel Group recently promoted Barry Goldstein from chief digital and distribution officer to chief marketing officer. Prior to joining Wyndham, Goldstein served as chief revenue officer for Dolce Hotels & Resorts (which was later acquired by Wyndham).

Michael Jokovich has been appointed area vice-president and general manager of the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in Hawaii. Jokovich most recently served as area vice-president and general manager of the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa near Austin, Texas.

The Chanler at Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, has appointed Lani Shufelt as general manager and chief operating officer and Cherie’lin Toporowski as director of sales and marketing. Shufelt most recently served as the hotel’s marketing manager. Toporowski most recently served as program manager with Newport Hospitality, a destination management company in Rhode Island.

J. Michael Williams has been named managing director of Innisbrook–a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Most recently, Williams was executive vice-president for operations and sales at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, but he also previously worked at Innisbrook as director of sales and marketing.

The Hotel Californian, scheduled to open this summer in Santa Barbara, California, has named Carlos Lopes as managing director and Warren Nocon as general manager. Lopes previously was managing director and vice-president of the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and executive vice-president of Rock Resorts. Nocon has more than 20 years of hospitality experience, most recently serving as general manager of the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs, California, and the Ambrose Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

Diarmuid Dwyer has been named general manager of the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Dwyer most recently served as hotel manager and executive director of the Waldorf Towers in New York City.

John Trevenen has been named general manager of the Keswick Hall & Golf Club in Keswick, Virginia. He most recently served as general manager of Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, New York.

Bess Miller has been appointed general manager of the Curtis, a DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Denver. She most recently served as general manager of the Westin/Westminster in Colorado.

Eva Chan has been named director of sales and marketing at Rosewood Tucker’s Point in Bermuda. Chan has more than 20 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry and most recently served as director of sales at the Belle Mont Farm on Kittitian Hill in St. Kitts.

Katherine Beja-McLennan has been hired as director of sales and marketing at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. She most recently served as director of sales and marketing at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.

Jodi Doughty has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. She most recently served as vice-president of sales and marketing for Remington Hotels’ independent luxury division, overseeing 12 properties across the country.

Scott Becque has been named director of sales and marketing at the Marriott/Syracuse Downtown in New York. Most recently, Becque served as director of sales and marketing for the Hilton/Hasbrouck Heights-Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Rhocelli Pascual has been appointed director of marketing at Motif Seattle, a Destination Hotel. Pascual most recently served as associate director of marketing for the Garland Hotel in North Hollywood, California.

Lindsay Kotas has been named director of sales at the US Grant hotel in San Diego. Kotas most recently served as director of sales at the nearby Westin/ Gaslamp Quarter.

Construction & Expansion

The Stella Hotel has opened in Bryan-College Station, Texas, steps from Lake Atlas. It offers 176 guest rooms, an on-site restaurant and more than 20,000-square-feet of meeting and event space, which includes a grand ballroom and an outdoor lawn.

Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, recently completed a multiyear, $120 million dollar expansion. The property, now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, offers more than 300 guest villas and studios, a 400,000-gallon saltwater pool, various waterfalls, a restaurant and more than 17,000-square-feet of event space that can host groups of up to 800.

In Honolulu, the Prince Waikiki (formerly the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki & Golf Club) has completed a $55.4 million renovation. Prince Waikiki now offers 563 redesigned guest rooms, updated dining options, a modernized lobby, a new infinity pool and more than 22,000-square-feet of enhanced meeting space.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler in British Columbia has completed a fiveyear, $23 million renovation, which updated its guest rooms, health and pool complex and 32,000-square-feet of meeting space. The property also unveiled 11 new, 600-square-foot suites, located on the highest floors of the property, increasing its total room count to 550.

The Indianapolis Marriott North has completed a $15 million renovation that expanded its grand lobby and updated all 315 guest rooms and 20,000-square-feet of function space. Its in-house restaurant, Bistro 33, features a reimagined menu and new furnishings.

The Monterey Tides in Monterey, California, has completed a $12 million renovation and repositioning. The Joie de Vivre beachfront property is home to 196 guest rooms; a renovated, heated pool; a signature restaurant offering a new menu; and more than 9,000-square-feet of meeting space.

The Sheraton/Silver Spring in Maryland recently unveiled a $7.5 million renovation. Upgrades have been made to public spaces, its 18,000-square-feet of meeting space and 229 guest rooms. The property also now offers a fully licensed Starbucks and enhanced Wi-Fi.

The Hilton/Oakland Airport in Northern California has completed a $7 million renovation, which included a redesign to its 360 guest rooms. The hotel provides 16,000-square-feet of event space.

The Hilton/New Orleans–Riverside, located adjacent to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, has completed a $6 million renovation of its Grand Ballroom, Grand Salon and first- and second- level meeting spaces. In total, the 1,622-room hotel offers more than 130,000-square-feet of event space.

And Finally…

The Trauma, Critical Care & Acute Care Surgery Conference recently celebrated its 50th anniversary at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It is the property’s longest-running conference, held there since 1967. Programming included a reception in the Forum Tower Penthouse and dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy.

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