Effective in December, Tim Brown is joining Great Wolf Resort as chief development officer. In this position, Brown will assist in the company’s national expansion. Brown most recently served as global head of construction for Hyatt Hotels Corp., and before that, was executive vice president of development for Turnberry Associates.
Sarah Garcia is now senior vice president of sales and marketing for Terrapin Hospitality, where she is leading revenue and asset management. Prior to joining Terrapin, Garcia was corporate vice president of sales and marketing for Aimbridge Hospitality, and was also Shamin Hotels’ vice president of sales, marketing, and revenue management.
Frontier Development & Hospitality Group, LLC, has named Verhonda Sercey as vice president of asset management. Sercey is leading operations related to asset management for the company’s portfolio. Sercey held directorial and regional management roles for Hilton during her career.
Ahead of its planned opening in 2021, Pendry Manhattan West named Ash Bhasin general manager, where he will lead operations of the property’s guestrooms and suites, meetings and event spaces, and restaurant. Bhasin was previously general manager of the Hotel Indigo Lower East Side.
Joe Giannino has been named general manager of Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y. Giannino has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently working for IMH Columbia as operations/asset manager where he lead hotel development, construction, design, and property management.
Nora Harris has been promoted to director of sales for the Courtyard by Marriott St. Peters by Midas Hospitality. Before her promotion, Harris was senior sales manager. Prior to joining the Courtyard by Marriott St. Peters, she was the central group sales manager for four Midas properties in Missouri.
Hotel Drover is scheduled to open in 2021 with Grant Morgan as its executive chef and Brian Richards as executive director of food and beverage. Morgan is operating bar and restaurant services, and Richards is leading operations for the food and beverage department, including catering and room service.
Samantha Sanz is chef de cuisine and Christiaan Röllich is bar chef for the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. Sanz was previously chef de cuisine for Talavera, the restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, and Röllich most recently worked at two restaurants in Los Angeles.
Aparium Hotel Group has named Marque Collins executive chef for the Surety Hotel, which opened this week in Des Moines. Collins will create a new food and beverage program for the property. In addition, Garrison Price has been named executive chef of the Daxton Hotel and will oversee the property’s fine dining restaurant.
The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, has named Thad Geoffrey Crennen executive chef, where he is leading banquets, special events, and restaurant operations. Crennen was most recently executive chef for the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capital, and previously also worked for Omni Hotels & Resorts
Revenue management software provider Atomize has named Philip Niemann global chief commercial officer. In this position, Niemann is leading the company’s global commercial team. During his career, Niemann implement expansion strategies as group vice president for the Asia Pacific region for Duetto.
Peggy Bianco has been named a senior advisor of Journera, a travel technology company. Bianco is working to expand Journera into the hospitality space with a data platform and digital check in experience. During her career, Bianco has worked for brands like Uber, Hyatt, and Orbitz.
