Jim Abrahamson has been named chairman of the board for Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Abrahamson will serve as both the company’s chairman and CEO for the time being. Prior to joining Interstate in 2011, Abrahamson acted as president of the Americas for Intercontinental Hotel Group and has previously held positions in operations, franchising, and development with Hyatt Corporations, Marcus Corporation and Hilton Worldwide.
Here’s a look at other notable job moves that took place this week:
Dream Midtown has announced the addition of two hospitality executives to its management team: Ashlee Thomas will serve as director of sales and marketing and Soyoung Lee has been appointed director of revenue management. Thomas will lead all sales efforts through the development of tactics to increase business and Lee will be responsible for maximizing revenue for Dream Midtown.
Jeremy R. Craft has been appointed director of golf for the Grand Cypress Golf Club by Benchmark. Craft earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and has been nominated as the Golf Professional of the Year.
The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village has announced the appointment of Will Cornwall as group sales manager. In his new role, Cornwall will work alongside the director of sales and marketing to maximize revenue by driving group bookings to the resort.
HKS Hospitality Group has announced the return of Principal Luis Zapiain to the firm’s global headquarters in Dallas, where he will lead the international hospitality portfolio following an 8-year post as director of hospitality in London.
Marcus Hotels & Resorts has appointed Steve Hilton general manger of the Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District hotel. Hilton will oversee pre-opening and opening activities for the hotel scheduled to open summer 2017.
Victoria Priester has been appointed director of marketing at The Duval Collection in Key West. Priester will develop and implement long-and short-term marketing strategies for the Duval Collection.
Aaron Solaimani has been promoted to vice president at HVS in Seattle. Prior to joining HVS, Solaimani was a member of the finance team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he specialized in budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and market analyses.
21c Museum Hotels has named Philip Forte general manger and Ian Wilson director of sales for the 21c Museum Hotel Nashville, opening in the spring 2017.
Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced its newly renamed marketing and distribution department with a focus on digital guest experience; marketing and guest acquisition; loyalty and engagement; and global contact center operation. Carl Light will take on the role of director, digital guest experience. Anita Travis will continue to oversee global contact center operations for retail and wholesale and expands her role in social media listening and social care. Sun Wong has been promoted to vice president, marketing and guest acquisitions, and John McDonald will serve as director, loyalty and guest engagement.
