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People & Places Presented By Association News (November 2016)
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CVBs/DMOs
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Al Hutchinson has been named president and CEO of Visit Baltimore, effective November 14. With more than 24 years of experience in the hospitality and destination marketing industry, Hutchinson most recently served as president and CEO of Visit Mobile (Alabama). Prior to that, he spent 11 years as vice-president of sales and services at the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Marc Anderson has been promoted to executive vice-president of Choose Chicago, where he most recently served as chief sales officer. Anderson previously worked for Choose Chicago from 2002 to 2007 (when the organization was known as the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau) as assistant vice-president of sales.

Michelle Moore has been named director of sales at Experience Kissimmee (Florida). Moore previously spent 10 years with Visit Orlando (Florida), where she served in a variety of sales positions, most recently as destination services senior manager. She has also worked at two Orlando properties: the JW Marriott/Orlando-Grande Lakes and the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

Visit Spokane (Washington) has appointed Dionne Hulsey as director of national accounts for the central region, and will be based in Chicago. Hulsey formerly worked for both Tourism Montréal and Ottawa (Ontario) Tourism, and managed her own hospitality sales and marketing company.

Suzanne Singleton has been named head of associations at London & Partners, the official promotional company for England’s capital city. She previously served as MICE account director at the Grove in Hertfordshire County, England.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Clark Grue has been appointed president and CEO of the Calgary Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, effective November 1. Grue co-founded the Rainmaker Global Business Development in Calgary, where he has worked as president and CEO. Before that, he served as vice-president of investment and trade at Calgary Economic Development.

The Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania, recently promoted John Lawn to president. Lawn also serves as its chief operating officer, a position he has held since 2015. Before his time with Hershey, he worked as general manager of Centerplate at FedExField in Hyattsville, Maryland, and as executive director of major events for Ridgewells, an event-catering service in Bethesda, Maryland.

Christine Lawson has been named senior vice-president of the Loews Sales Organization at Loews Hotels where she will oversee all aspects of sales for Loews Hotels & Resorts, Loews Regency Hotels and the OE Collection. Lawson previously worked for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and was most recently its senior vice-president of sales and catering.

Ronald Hoogerbrugge has been appointed general manager of the InterContinental/Chicago–Magnificent Mile. Hoogerbrugge has worked at a number of InterContinental properties including those in Houston, New Orleans, Prague, Vienna and Düsseldorf, Germany.

Marc Bromley has been hired as general manager of the Four Seasons Resort/Scottsdale at Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bromley has been the property’s resort manager since 2014. He also formerly served as resort manager of the Four Seasons Resort/ Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo.

Donald Woodin has been named general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton/Breckenridge in Breckenridge, Colorado. Woodin has worked for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, Warwick International Hotels and at the Beaver Creek Lodge and the Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa, both in Colorado.

Darrell Pilant has been promoted to general manager of Harrah’s Resort/Southern California in Valley Center, California. Pilant formerly served as the resort’s vice-president and assistant general manager. He has been with Caesars Entertainment for 19 years.

Steven Qualls has been named general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton/Atlanta-Buckhead. Qualls most recently served as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton/Jacksonville-Baymeadows in Jacksonville, Florida.

Melissa Lane has been promoted to general manager of the Hilton/Fort Lauderdale Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lane most recently served as general manager of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Deerfield Beach Resort & Spa in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The Radisson Red/Minneapolis, scheduled to open November 16 with 164 guest rooms and a 1,000-square-foot events and games studio, has appointed Ryan Foley as “curator” (general manager), Ted Goldfine as deputy curator and Juanluca Merino as director of sales. Foley most recently served as general manager of the Radisson/Nashville Airport in Nashville, Tennessee. Goldfine comes to the property from the Hampton Inn & Suites in Rogers, Minnesota, where he served as general manager. And Merino has formerly worked for the Embassy Suites by Hilton/Minneapolis Downtown and Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis.

In Williamsburg, Virginia, Shaun Coleman has been appointed sales and marketing director of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and Coleman Wallace has been named general manager of the Williamsburg Lodge, owned by the foundation. Coleman was previously area director of sales and marketing at Interstate Hotels & Resorts in Arlington, Virginia. Wallace most recently served as director of operations at the JW Marriott/New Orleans.

Construction & Expansion

The St. Louis Union Station Hotel has opened in downtown St. Louis following a $40 million transformation and is now a Curio Collection by Hilton property. The landmark Union Station was built in 1894 and later became a hotel (most recently a DoubleTree). Features include 539 guest rooms, a nightly 3D light show, a 130-seat restaurant and 100,000 square feet of space. An aquarium is expected to open in the building in 2018.

In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton/Myrtle Beach Oceanfront (formerly the Springmaid Beach Resort) has opened following a multimillion-dollar, property- wide renovation and expansion. It offers 452 redesigned guest rooms, 35,000 square feet of enhanced indoor meeting space and an outdoor entertainment terrace. A completely new building with floor-to-ceiling windows now houses the lobby, registration area, a new market and two restaurants, one of which is new.

The Cliff House Maine in Cape Neddick, Maine, has reopened following the completion of the first phase of an extensive renovation. It currently offers 132 guest rooms and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space, including an oceanfront ballroom. A classic Maine lobster shack, a 9,000-square-foot spa and a wellness center are all expected to open this fall. Expansions will continue and by summer 2017 the property plans to offer a total of 232 guest rooms and an adults-only pool.

The Westin/Buffalo recently opened in downtown Buffalo, New York, as part of a new mixed-use complex. The hotel features 116 guest rooms, a signature restaurant and 7,300 square feet of meeting space for up to 220 people.

The Hyatt Regency/San Francisco recently completed a top-to-bottom renovation, which included the transformation of the porte cochere, lobby areas and all 804 guest rooms. Located on the Embarcadero waterfront, the hotel can accommodate group events with 72,000 square feet of function space.

The Hilton Houston Post Oak, located in Houston’s Uptown business district, has completed a multimillion- dollar renovation that included updates to its 448 guest rooms, lobby, front desk and culinary outlets. For meetings it offers 30,000 square feet of space.

The Kimpton Hotel Monaco/Washington, D.C., has completed a multimillion- dollar redesign of its facilities, including the lobby, corridors, 183 guest rooms and 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Later this fall, the hotel is expected to launch a new restaurant, Dirty Habit, which will offer small plates, inventive cocktails and new private dining spaces for groups.

Harrah’s/Las Vegas has completed a renovation of the 600 guest rooms and 72 suites in its Valley Tower as well as Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and the Race & Sports Book. For meetings and events, the property offers more than 2,500 guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of function space.

And Finally…

For a bird’s-eye view of the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s hard to top the recently unveiled Cityscape San Francisco Lounge on the 46th floor of the Hilton/San Francisco-Union Square. Open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight, the new lounge features 360-degree views, small plates and signature cocktails. In addition to general public access, Cityscape also offers private areas for groups of up to 20 or the entire space can be bought out for special events of up to 350. The 1,919-room property has an abundance of other meeting space as well—more than 130,000 square feet.

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