Forty-five year hospitality veteran David Gabri will retire from chairman of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) effective March 1. Although retiring, Gabri will still be involved with the company’s board of directors. In his time at ALHI, Gabri created original concepts for select independent luxury hotels and resorts.
Here are more of this week’s notable hospitality comings and goings:
John Cooper will use his program management skills to accomplish projects in his return to Stormont Hospitality Group as principal and executive vice president. Cooper will help the company grow its portfolio of full-service luxury hotels and initiate new strategies company-wide.
As vice president of revenue optimization at Vision Hospitality Group, Inc., Terry Daum will maximize hotel revenue for the firm’s 34 select and full-service hotels. Prior to Vision, Daum served as area director of sales for Inkeepers Hospitality and director of sales and revenue management support for Hilton Worldwide.
Mary Rogers is the first vice president and general manager of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach where she will oversee daily operations. Rogers joined the Fontainebleau in 2009 and has held positions including manager of rooms, senior director of catering and conference services, and vice president of operations.
Scheduled to open late summer 2018, the Embassy Suites by Hilton St. Augustine Beach Oceanfront Resort will add Jason Kern as general manager. Kern has two decades of experience in the hospitality industry and has a vast background in hotel operations and management.
After a 21-year career with Hyatt Hotels, Corinna Wenks will serve as general manager of The Driskill in Austin, Texas. Before The Driskill, Wenks was the director of rooms for the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. She is looking forward to representing the landmark property and immersing herself in the Austin community.
As general manager, Raj Radke will be responsible for daily performance and business growth for The Ballantyne, a Northwood Hospitality property. Radke began his career at The Leela Beach Resort in India, and has worked at both the Four Seasons and St. Regis brands over his 25-year career.
Through his new role as area general manager for Two Roads Hospitality in San Francisco, John Remmers will serve as general manager of a Joie de Vivre hotel, Hotel Vitale. Most recently, Remmers held the same position for Hotel Nia where he developed the operation and sales teams as well as food and beverage concepts.
James Colquhoun has joined the Suiteness executive team as SVP of partnerships and business development. Prior to Suiteness, Colquhoun worked for Hyatt as vice president of distributions strategy and channel management. At Suiteness, Colquhoun will be responsible for strategic plans and partnerships.
Newly rebranded The Whitley hotel in Atlanta has added Marc Suennemann as executive chef. Suennemann will create a sophisticated concept and dishes for the property as well as manage the culinary team. Before The Whitley, Suennemann served in the same position for the Emory Conference Center Hotel Atlanta.
In his new role of executive chef at The Estate Yountville in Napa Valley, Calif., Greg Wiener will oversee food and beverage concepts for Vintage House, under-construction Hotel Villagio, and the property’s event venues. Wiener attended the Culinary Institute of America’s Culinary Enrichment and Innovation program located in Napa Valley.
Janice Bond will assume the role of director of music and social programming for Hotel Van Zandt and Geraldine’s. Bond is a committee member of Soho House, a club that brings people in creative industries together and also works with The City of Chicago for The Year of Public Art.
The Adelphi Hotel has welcomed two professionals to its executive team: Helen Watson will optimize guest satisfaction and work with the surrounding community as general manager; and Connie Cook-Slocum is responsible for managing catering, private dining, and event services as director of event sales.
McKibbon Hospitality has created a management team for the AC Hotel and Residence Inn Charlotte City Center. For the Residence Inn, Stephanie Parisi will serve as general manager and Colin Burnheimer will support Parisi as assistant general manager. For the AC Hotel, Amy Vigil is assistant general manager and Katherine Bradley will manage food and beverage operations as director of food and beverage. For both properties, CJ Parisi will serve as director of engineering, John Teeters as catering sales manager, and Katie Garrett as sales manager. In addition, McKibbon has also announced Treva Scott as wedding catering sales manager for the AC Hotel Asheville Downtown and Alo
