Hard Rock International has appointed three executives: Jon Lucas as chief operating officer, Dale Hipsh as senior vice president, and Sean Caffery as senior vice president of casino development. Lucas will oversee operations and help Hard Rock expand to the western U.S. Hipsh will manage the company’s hotel portfolio and Caffery will find new development locations and business partners.
Here’s a look at other notable comings and goings that took place this week:
Don Jacinto has been announced as managing director for Journal Hotels. In his role, Jacinto will oversee all guestrooms owned by the company as well as for the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Hotel G in San Francisco. Jacinto is excited to work on the west coast, coming from a general management position at The New York EDITION.
The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, Miami has appointed Nikki Berry as hotel manager, where she will oversee operations, amenities, and guest services for the resort. Berry is returning to The Ritz-Carlton Company, where she worked as director of housekeeping at the Key Biscayne property from 2012-2016.
Toni Knorr announced her retirement from serving as general manager of The St. Regis Hotel & Residences in San Francisco. Knorr took on the role in 2007 shortly after the property opened. Prior to The St. Regis, Knorr was general manager of W San Francisco, and played a major role in reshaping the city’s SOMA neighborhood.
Beth Perlman has joined Live! Casino & Hotel as chief information officer. Perlman will focus on IT strategies and enforce local, state, and federal regulations for Live!. Perlman has more than 20 years of IT management experience and will join Live! from Utility Integration Solutions as managing director.
PROI Worldwide has elected Lisa Ross as vice chair of the Americas. Ross, along with Lena Soh-Ng and Henning Sverdrup, has been appointed to positions on the PROI Global Management Board. The three will lead agencies in their respected regions and provide expertise globally.
Jimmy Grover has been named regional director of operations of Hotel Equities, where he will oversee operations for all managed properties. Grover recently worked at the Courtyard by Marriott McDonough and began his career more than 20 years ago as a technician at the Courtyard by Marriott in Norcross, Georgia.
Kennebunkport Resort Collection has announced Joseph Schafer as executive chef of Earth at Hidden Pond. Schafer has many years of experience with Relais & Chateaux properties, including The Lodge at Glendorn in Bradford, PA. There, he won the Wine Spector Award of Excellence 8 times consecutively.
Stephanie Ford has been named general manager of the Sonesta ES Suites Oklahoma City. Ford will oversee operations for the property and staff. Ford joins Sonesta from the Club de Soleil Resort in Las Vegas where she served as general manager overseeing employee training, renovations, and budgets.
BENCHMARK has announced Anthony Beckerley as director of food & beverage for the Snow King Resort. Prior to BENCHMARK, Beckerley served as general manager for the Yosemite Valley Lodge where he oversaw food and beverage. Beckerley has also worked as general manager for the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel of Bar Harbor, Maine.
Dale Krogman has been appointed as director of sales and marketing for the Radisson Blu Minneapolis Downtown. Krogman’s responsibilities include overseeing service teams as well as the property’s sales. Recently, Krogman worked as director of sales for the Midwest for Starwood Mexico Resorts.
Rik Blyth has been announced as general manager of La Fonda on the Plaza. Blyth has years of management experience in the luxury resort sector. Recently, Blyth served as general manager for multiple Caribbean hotels. Blyth has also managed markets for the Hyatt Hotel Corporation and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Marcus Hotels & Resorts named Mike Swasey as senior vice president. Swasey joined Marcus Hotels & Resorts in 2015 as area vice president of operations. In his new role, his responsibilities will include overseeing three of the company’s properties: The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, InterContinental Milwaukee, and The Garland Hotel in Los Angeles.
Marcus Hotels & Resorts also named Joe Sebestyen area vice president of operations and Linda Price Topp has been promoted to vice president of sales. Prior to joining Marcus Hotels & Resorts, Sebestyen worked with Hotel Equities, where he was responsible for a portfolio of 20 properties in the Midwest. Price Topp joined Marcus Hotels & Resorts in 1993 in a sales role at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis.
