Valor Hospitality Partners named Global Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer Steve Cesinger as its new chief capital officer and Global Principal and Chief Financial Officer Brandon Hatfield as its chief investment officer and global principal. Cesinger will continue to build and nurture Valor’s strategic relationships across the world and develop further opportunities for its capital partners. Hatfield will focus on leading a global underwriting platform and will establish a team responsible for assisting Global Co-Founder and CEO Euan McGlashan to strategically double the size of Valor’s global portfolio in the next three to five years.
Mike Panzer joined Atrium Hospitality as senior vice president, capital investment strategies. Panzer will serve on the Atrium Executive Committee and oversee the development of design and project management strategies to facilitate capital investment objectives. Panzer was previously vice president, design and construction, at G6 Hospitality.
HREC Investment Advisors added Jon Grantham as senior vice president. He was previously a senior vice president with a nationally recognized commercial real estate firm, specializing in the exclusive representation of buyers and sellers of hospitality investment properties. Grantham will spearhead HREC’s Phoenix hotel brokerage office.
Raines named Brittney Jones as vice president of strategic partnerships. She is responsible for executing a strategy to support the overall vision of Raines and playing an active role in driving the company’s growth. With Raines for nearly a decade, Jones most recently served as the company’s first-ever vice president of sales, marketing, and revenue management.
HIGHSIDE Companies announced several new hires. As vice president, controller, Brent Gray will oversee accounting best practices, workflows, and processes to help the company continue to rapidly scale. Patrick Tyson joined as vice president, investments, where he will oversee day-to-day real estate deal execution and ownership of each project’s P&L, as well as asset management. As vice president, development, Matt Shannon will manage ground-up development including project feasibility, due diligence, entitlements, budgeting, scheduling, design, and construction team coordination.
Select service and extended stay hotel investor Mission Hill Hospitality added Catherine Hance as general counsel. Hance joins Mission Hill from Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP in Denver, where she was a partner in the firm’s real estate group for over 20 years.
Marriott International appointed Nour Laasri as area general manager, Houston, and general manager for Marriott Marquis Houston. Laasri will act as the primary strategic leader for the 1,000-room hotel and will help foster relationships with local officials and businesses. Laasri’s hospitality career spans nearly four decades with Marriott, most recently as area GM for Pennsylvania, and GM of Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.
B Resort & Spa in the Disney Springs Resort Area in Orlando appointed Kai Fischer as general manager. With more than 30 years of hospitality experience, Fischer will oversee all aspects of the resort alongside its management company, Performance Hospitality Management. Fischer previously served as GM of DoubleTree by Hilton Tampa Westshore.
Del Mar Beach Hotel in San Diego appointed Taylor Miller as general manager. Miller will oversee operations for the 46-room coastal hotel and its three residences, working with the management team at Azul Hospitality Group to grow revenue. She previously served as complex director of rooms at Westin and Sheraton Carlsbad Resorts.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort appointed a new executive director of sales, Laurie Frank. She will lead both the Sandestin and Hotel Effie group sales departments. Frank was previously the director of sales and marketing of the Hilton New Orleans St. Charles Avenue.
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas named Brian Booth as director of sales and marketing. Booth has more than 20 years of industry experience in sales, marketing, and operations. Previously, during his tenure with Hyatt, Booth served as the regional vice president of sales and marketing for its portfolio of all-inclusive brands.
The Hamilton Curio Collection by Hilton in Alpharetta, Georgia, appointed Saleh Akley as director of sales and marketing. Akley has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality, most recently as an area director of sales with Aimbridge Hospitality.
The Hollywood Roosevelt added Daniel Sabo as director of food and beverage. With more than 26 years of hospitality experience, Sabo will oversee the 1960s-style Tropicana Pool, upscale burger joint 25 Degrees, the al fresco Rosy Café, and the newly revived Cinegrill Theater. He was previously executive assistant manager with a focus on food and beverage operations at Fairmont Century Plaza.
Garden of the Gods Resort and Club expanded its leadership team. As vice president of engineering, John Douglas will oversee all aspects of the engineering functions of the resort’s facilities, along with the security and IT teams. As senior vice president of operations, Jan Verweij will oversee operations efforts for rooms, food and beverage, golf, racquet sports, retail, and recreation.
