Names and Notes: May 2006
Published: May 4, 2006
Names
Carlson Hotels Worldwide (Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn) appointed Paula Winkler chief information officer.
Francis Purvey was named director of sales for the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino in Aruba and the 253-room Radisson St. Martin Resort & Spa in St. Martin, scheduled to open in December.
Pete Sears was promoted to senior vice president, field operations, for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
James McBride was promoted to regional vice president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, in addition to serving as managing director of the Carlyle in New York.
Robert Zappatelli was named vice president of food and beverage for Benchmark Hospitality.
Associated Luxury Hotels named Kathie Eddy regional director of sales for the South Region, Kyle Lourie was appointed sales manager, and Lynne Polinski was hired as a sales associate.
Jeff Greene, of Greene Classic Limousines, was elected president of the National Limousine Association.
Millennium Hotels and Resorts North America named Washington, D.C.-based Dennis Carew global director of group sales, and New York-based David Johnson to director of sales and catering information, North America.
Brendan Slaven, executive chef at the Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center, won first place at the global Copper Skillet culinary competition held at the 25th Anniversary Annual Conference of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC).
Landry & Kling Inc. promoted Darrell Drason to account executive for the western region of the United States and Canada.
Ken Dittrich was named managing director of the Paradisus Puerto Rico.
Patrick Finet was named general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya in Mexico. Jan Goessing was named general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C.
Patti DeWitt was named director of catering and conference services for the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Ariz.
Joe Faust was named vice president of development for Los Angeles-based SBE Entertainment.
Brooke Gardner was named director of food and beverage of the Four Seasons Westlake Village (Calif.).
Garrett Ronan was named director of food and beverage at the Beverly Hilton (Calif.).
San Francisco-based Sharp Events named Jules Mancilla executive assistant in the office of the president, Shumay Kyi senior registration manager and Chris Sadler account manager. Annie Luc was promoted to director of registration.
James Peggins Jr., CMP, was named director of event management at the San Francisco Marriott Downtown.
In Santa Monica, Laurent Fraticelli was named vice president hospitality at Palisades Development Group.
Thomas R. Parke was named director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Beach Resort, scheduled to open in August.
John Caparella was promoted to chief operating officer and executive vice president of Gaylord Hotels (Fla.). Rich Maradik was named senior vice president and chief information officer.
Barbara Lopez was named general manager of the Sagamore in Miami’s South Beach.
Henny Schaeffer was named general manager of the Hotel Astor in Miami Beach.
Fredrik Nyborg was named director of food and beverage at the Boca Raton (Fla.) Resort and Club.
The Pink Shell Beach (Fla.) Resort & Spa named Christopher Lee Owens food and beverage director.
Jeff Weinthaler was named general manager of Tampa’s Embassy Suites Hotel.
Ali Brown was named national sales director for the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla., office of Eventions.
In Atlanta, Kevin Duvall was named assistant general manager of the Georgia World Congress Center.
Atlanta Arrangements Inc. hired two new program managers: Jessica Lightburn and Erin Lodes.
Dillard Jones was named corporate sales manager at Atlanta-based EventScapes.
Patrick Cuccaro was promoted to general manager at Atlanta’s Affairs to Remember Caterers. Richard Wilner was promoted to director of sales.
Atlanta-based Hi-Tech Rental & Staging named Greg Rancone vice president of sales.
Asi Production Services’ Atlanta office hired Casey White as an account executive.
Kathryn Lookofsky was named director of the Athens (Ga.) Downtown Development Authority.
Alan Sims was named convention sales director of the Oklahoma City CVB.
At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Heinz Horvath was promoted to director of food and of The Signature at MGM; Kurt Umehara was named director of beverage.
Eric Damidot was named executive chef at Las Vegas’ Paris Hotel and Casino and Bally’s Hotel and Casino.
KC Fazel was named executive chef of Las Vegas’ Luxor Steakhouse.
In Santa Fe, N.M., Dana Ortega was named director of sales and marketing for the Inn of the Anasazi. Mauricio Manrique was named financial controller, and Martin Rios was named executive chef.
Also in Santa Fe, Kevin Herbst was named director of sales and marketing at the Eldorado Hotel and Spa.
Miranda (Mandee) Williams was named special events/activities manager for the Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, N.C.
Joshua Brown was promoted to director of sales and marketing at the Chattanoogan in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Pfavyr Chafin was promoted to head of event design and florals for Memphis, Tenn.-based Grand Events & Party Rentals.
Douglas Brown of The Peabody Hotel Memphis was named Peabody Hotel Group’s “General Manager of the Year” at its 2005 Annual Awards.
Joseph Oldham became executive chef of the Four Seasons Houston (Texas).
Thomas D. Smith, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country (Texas) Resort and Spa has been awarded the Donald M. Pritzker Award for Excellence as Hyatt Hotels Corporation’s General Manager of the Year.
Notes
International
Disney Cruise Line plans to launch its first-ever Mediterranean cruises aboard Disney Magic next summer. The ship is expected to sail 10- and 11-night itineraries out of Barcelona, calling at Palermo, Naples, Sardinia, Rome, Florence and Pisa, beginning May 2007.
The Dominican Republic launched Web site godominicanrepublic.com, to assist visitors with travel and event planning.
Construction is underway on the $70 million Mainsail Resort Marina & Spa on Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands. Scheduled to open fall 2007, the resort will have a natural 120-seat outdoor amphitheatre for special events and group functions, a business center, 90 guest rooms, ocean view villas and 2,000 square feet of meeting space for groups of up to 100.
National
After renovations in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix are complete, Global Hyatt Corporation plans to re-brand its Summerfield Suites properties as Hyatt Summerfield Suites.
AirTran Airways resumed twice-daily nonstop service to/from Myrtle Beach International Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last month, adding an additional two flights May 9. The airline plans to extend service until the fall.
JetBlue Airways began twice-daily nonstop service between Orlando and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Four daily roundtrip flights between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport are scheduled to begin July 20.
Phoenix-based Southwest Airlines will begin offering flights to and from Washington Dulles International Airport this fall; specific destinations and the number of flights have yet to be announced.
Host Marriott acquired 30 hotels from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., with plans to acquire an additional four this month and one by June 15.
Atlanta-based NYLO is scheduled to break ground this month on the first of its loft-style hotels in Warwick/Providence, R.I. Additional groundbreakings are scheduled for July and October, but the locations have yet to be announced. Each NYLO Hotel will have “The Loft,” a living-room style common area for guests tok and socia worlize in, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, and guest rooms with 11-ft. ceilings.
Luxury train line American Orient Express was renamed Grandluxe Rail Journeys. The line offers luxury rail travel from coast to coast, into Mexico and along regional routes.
Alabama
Gulf Shores/Orange Beach’s beach restoration project is complete, adding 7.1 million cubic yards of white sand from the Gulf of Mexico. The American Beach and Shore Preservation Association ranked the beach one of six “2006 Top Restored Beaches.”
Arizona
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is scheduled to begin construction on a new $2 billion, 33-gate terminal, pending approval from both the U.S. government and the Phoenix City Council.
The AmeriSuites Scottsdale Old Town is scheduled to begin renovations this month and is expected to reopen as a Hyatt Place Hotel in mid-August; the hotel will remain open during the project. Other developments in Scottsdale include construction on the W Scottsdale Hotel and the re-branding of the James Hotel, expected to reopen as the Mondrian Scottsdale boutique hotel next year.
Construction has begun on the 1,000-room Sheraton Downtown Phoenix one block from the Phoenix Convention Center. Scheduled to open fall 2008, the hotel will have a 29,000-sq. ft. ballroom and 42 meeting rooms.
The JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, is planning to open a new 25,000-sq. ft. ballroom next spring. The ballroom will connect to a new outdoor lawn and landscaped area, suitable for outdoor functions. The resort currently has 200,000 square feet of meeting space.
California
San Francisco-based Ashford Hospitality Trust of Dallas acquired the $95-million Pan Pacific San Francisco Hotel and re-branded the property a JW Marriott Hotel. Marriott International will continue to manage the property.
Santa Monica-based Palisades Development Group is scheduled to launch the Lincoln, a 250-room lifestyle hotel in Los Angeles, as well as four locations of Pali House, a mixed-use development with rooftop lounges and event space.
The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, in West Los Angeles’ Century City, is scheduled to begin a $20 million renovation of its 728 guest rooms, expected to end this fall. The hotel will remain open throughout the renovation, and will be renamed. The hotel has the largest ballroom in the city, more than 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, a full service spa and salon, luxury guest rooms, and on-site meeting and event planners.
The Carlyle Group purchased the 368-room Radisson Los Angeles and retained Memphis-based Davidson Hotel Co. to oversee the property. A $3.5 million renovation to upgrade bedding and meeting space is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by 2007.
The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara (formerly the Westin Santa Clara) opened adjacent to the Santa Clara Convention Center with 501 guestrooms, a 24-hour automated business center and more than 60,000 square feet of function space.
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is planning to open its first Tahoe hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, in late 2009, with construction slated to begin next summer. Upon opening, the ski-in, ski-out hotel will be the area’s first five-star property. Amenities will include a 20,000-sq. ft., full-service spa; 11,000 square feet of conference and event space; and 173 guest rooms.
Colorado
The Copper Mountain Resort added an 18,000-sq. ft. pavilion for meetings, team-building activities and exhibitions to its ski-in, ski-out conference center.
The Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center opened with 1,100 guest rooms, 60,600 square feet of event space and WiFi access in all public areas.
Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos Inc. plans to build a $380 million, 33-story, 536-room, Four-Diamond hotel adjacent to the Ameristar Casino Black Hawk in Black Hawk. The hotel will have the city’s only swimming pool and indoor and outdoor spas, as well as boardrooms, meeting and convention space and a business center.
District of Columbia
A smoking ban, similar to the one enacted in New York City, will take effect in Washington, beginning Jan. 4, 2007. Smoking will be prohibited in restaurants, bars, nightclubs and taverns, with exceptions for restaurant patio dining areas, hotel rooms, tobacco stores and cigar bars.
Florida
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse plans to add two company-owned locations, in Bonita Springs and Naples, to its portfolio of restaurants this fall. The company also made an agreement with Louisiana businessman Thomas Moran with an option to purchase seven of Moran’s Ruth’s Chris restaurants, two of which are in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach. The majority of the chain’s holdings are in Florida.
Pinellas County Beaches and Captiva Island’s beach were ranked in the top six of the American Shore & Beach Preservation’s list of the “2006 Top Restored Beaches.”
In Pensacola, the U.S.S. Oriskany is scheduled to be sunk 22 miles southwest of Pensacola Pass, creating the largest artificial reef in the world and serving as a fishing and diving playground for outdoor enthusiasts.
Renovations of the Quorum Hotel-Tampa’s 12,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space are complete. Amenities include new guest services such as a full-time concierge, guest access to a full-service gym and a sport utility vehicle to transport VIP guests to and from the airport.
Tampa’s Busch Gardens is now Busch Gardens Africa, reflecting its themed attractions. The Williamsburg location was renamed Busch Gardens Europe.
In St. Pete Beach, TradeWinds Island Resorts’ Island Grand Resort and Sandpiper Hotel & Suites completed a $15 million renovation last year that redesigned courtyards, pool decks, the lobby, and all 159 guest rooms and suites. Other amenities at the two properties include a Banyan Breezeway open-air space for exhibits and events; a kid’s-only activity center and paddleboats at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort; and ocean view “Romance Rooms,” an adults-only tropical courtyard and beachfront decks at the Sandpiper.
The Residence Inn by Marriott Daytona Beach opened with the brand’s new “Gen7” suites. Each of the 122 suites is divided into different zones for cooking, dining, working, relaxing and sleeping.
Orlando’s Lexington hotel is scheduled to open in this month with 227 luxury studios and suites, and private event/reception rooms accommodating up to 250.
Henry Levy Mullet Lake Park reopened in Sanford after completing renovations of its boat ramps.
In Brevard County, the 207-room Melbourne Suites Beach Resort and the 118-room Hilton Melbourne Beach and Oceanfront Resort are scheduled to reopen after completing a $40 million renovation in June.
The Miami Marriott Dadeland completed a $700,000 renovation of its 302 guest rooms, upgrading its bedding.
Royal Caribbean plans to launch Liberty of the Seas, a Freedom-class ship, in May 2007. The 3,600-guest vessel is scheduled to sail alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries year-round from Miami.
Georgia
Westin Atlanta North at Perimeter Center was sold to DiamondRock Hospitality; the deal is expected to close this month. The hotel will remain a Westin and is scheduled to undergo $3 million in capital improvements over the next 12 months.
The Atlanta Marriott Marquis completed a $38 million renovation of its 1,675 guest rooms and suites, replacing bedding, furniture and fixtures. The hotel is the largest convention hotel in the city, with 120,000 square feet of high-tech meeting space, an indoor and outdoor pool, five restaurants and a fitness center.
Over the next five years, LLI Management Co. LLC is expected to invest more than $200 million into the 1,100-acre Lake Lanier Islands resort, repositioning it as a family and corporate meetings destination.
Maryland
InterContinental Hotels Group plans to open the 123-room Holiday Inn Express Baltimore at the Stadiums near M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park’s Camden Yards this spring. More than $2.5 million was spent converting the property from an independent hotel.
Nevada
In Las Vegas, the $1 billion, 68-acre Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa opened by the Strip with 400 guest rooms, a 25,000-sq. ft. spa and more than 94,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, accommodating groups up to 1,500. Scheduled for completion in late 2006/early 2007 are an additional 400+ hotel rooms and a 10,000-sq. ft. spa extension.
Scheduled to open in June, the Platinum is a non-gaming hotel specializing in small groups and incentive programs, close to the Las Vegas Strip. Amenities include 7,000 square feet of meeting space, a rooftop terrace and 255 suites.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs launched the New Mexico Culture Pass, which is good for one admission to each of the state’s 14 museums and historical monuments. Valid one year from first use, the cost of the pass is $20 and may be purchased by visitors and residents.
South Carolina
The oceanfront Avista Resort in North Myrtle Beach recently completed the second (and final) phase of its development, adding 185 luxury oceanfront suites, a restaurant, a lounge and an outdoor pool complex with nine swimming options. The resort now has 378 guest rooms; other amenities include meeting and convention facilities for up to 250 people and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Myrtle Beach’s Kingston Plantation added a 12,500-sq. ft. special event tent to the grounds of the Embassy Suites Hotel. The tent is fully heated and accommodates 1,200 guests theater-style, 700 classroom-style, 850 banquet-style and 1,000 reception-style. For trade shows, it can accommodate up to 120 vendors.
Texas
In Dallas, the 143-room Mansion on Turtle Creek, the only five-star hotel in Texas, is up for sale by operator Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, who hopes to continue managing the property after the sale.
The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa opened in Lost Pines with ADA-accessible rooms, WiFi access in public areas and guest rooms, a full-service spa, and fly fishing and river rafting amenities.
