Fort Worth, TX / Aug 1 / The Fort Worth CVB announced the appointment of Merianne Roth as VP of Marketing Communications. Most recently, Merianne was Consumer Brand Marketing and Publicity Director of JCPenney Corporation. Fort Worth, TX / Aug 1 / The Fort Worth CVB announced the appointment of Merianne Roth as VP of Marketing Communications. Most recently, Merianne was Consumer Brand Marketing and Publicity Director of JCPenney Corporation.
Little Rock, AR / July 26 / Bruce Skidmore, formerly with The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, has joined The Peabody Little Rock as DOSM.
Marana, AZ / July 20 / Mike Kass, formerly the DOSM at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort near San Antonio, TX, has been named DOSM at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.
Santa Fe, NM / July 19 / Hilton Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino announced Russ Burbank as the new GM. Russ has worked for Marriott, Starwood and Native American casino resorts including Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.
Tucson, AZ / July 7 / The 487-room Westin La Paloma Resort announced the appointment of Jonathan Litvack as general manager. Most recently, Jonathan served as GM of the Westin Pasadena.
Tulsa, OK / July 7 / Todd Scholl, most recently the DOSM at The Peabody Little Rock, has joined the new Hyatt Regency Tulsa as DOSM. The Hyatt Regency recently completed a major renovation and rebranding.
Santa Ana Pueblo, NM / July 7 / Colleen Kareti, formerly GM at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, CA, has joined the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa as GM.
Little Rock, AR / July 5 / Alan Sims, formerly DOS with the Dallas CVB, has been selected as the new VP Sales & Services for the Little Rock CVB.
Sante Fe, NM / June 23 / The Santa Fe CVB has appointed Jim Bradbury as the new executive director. Jim served as president and GM of Corporacion de La Fonda in Santa Fe for 17 years.
Santa Fe, NM / May 18 / Christine Madden returns to the Santa Fe CVB to her former position as DOS after spending two years as the bureau's East Coast sales representative.
Dallas, TX / May 20 / The Hilton Anatole Hotel announced the appointment of Robert McPherrin as DOSM. Previously, Bob worked with the Grapevine CVB and the Gaylord Texan.
Little Rock, AR / May 8 / Gretchen Hall, who has been serving as interim director of the Little Rock CVB, has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer for the bureau.
San Antonio, TX / May 2 / City Manager Sheryl Sculley has appointed Casandra Brown Matej as the
Executive Director
of the San Antonio CVB. Prior to her appointment, she served as the SVP of Sales and Services for the Dallas CVB.
Amarillo, TX / Apr. 27 / The Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council has hired Cherry Kay Abel as a new convention sales manager serving the state market. She was most recently a meeting planner for the Texas Health Information Management Assn. and will office in Austin.
Beaver Creek, CO / Apr 5 / Abdullah Vural, a veteran of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, who joined The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in a dual capacity as VP of Operations, Americas, and Interim GM in September 2010, has been appointed General Manager of the resort.
San Antonio, TX / March 11 / The Westin Riverwalk announced the appointment of William Petrella as GM. Most recently, William served as GM at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson.
Fort Worth, TX / March 2 / David DuBois, CMP, CAE, CTA, president and CEO, Fort Worth CVB, has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council. David will serve as Chairman until February 2012.
Sedona, AZ / Feb 24. / Enchantment Resort has appointed Myra deGersdorff as General Manager. Most recently, Myra served as Area GM for Ritz-Carlton's three hotels in New Orleans.
Austin, TX / Feb. 23 / Rob Hagelberg has been named General Manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin. After eight years in Austin, Tom Segesta, the hotel's former GM, has transferred to The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, A Four Seasons Hotel. Rob was most recently Hotel Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California.
Dallas, TX / Feb. 18 / Harold Rapoza has been appointed General Manager of the Hilton Anatole Hotel. The 27-story, 1,606-room property recently completed a $125 million renovation. Most recently, Harold served as GM at the 1,527-room Hilton Anaheim.
Denver, CO / Feb. 1 / Jim Turner has been named General Manager at Hotel Teatro. Most recently, Jim was the Director of Operations for the Colorado Chautauqua Association and, prior to that, worked for Destination Hotels & Resorts.
Austin, TX / Jan. 26 / Jeffrey Bell, formerly with the Fort Worth CVB, has joined Austin-based Horizon Meetings, Inc. as their new Director of Key Accounts.
Tucson, AZ / Jan. 14 / Jerry Jensen, most recently the Regional DOS for Archon Hospitality, has joined Westward Look Resort as DOSM.
Lakeway, TX / Jan. 13 / Lakeway Resort and Spa, which is managed by Redstone Companies Hospitality, announced the hiring of Troy Mathews as General Manager. Troy has served in a variety of positions with Redstone including Club Manager of Redstone Golf Club where he helped host the PGA’s Shell Houston Open.
Houston, TX / Jan. 11 / Redstone Companies Hospitality has named Eric Terry as VP - Development - Sales & Marketing. He will assist in property acquisitions and management partnerships throughout the industry. Prior to joining Redstone, Eric was VP Sales & Marketing at Benchmark Hospitality.
Breckenridge, CO / Jan. 4 / Breckenridge Convention and Visitors Bureau’s director of sales, Donna Horii was recently named as the 2010 Peak Performer by Destination Colorado, the official meeting industry trade association for the state of Colorado.
Albuquerque, NM / Jan. 4 / Lindsay Joule, formerly with Sandia Resort and Casino, has joined the new Hotel Parq Central as director of sales.
Amarillo, TX / Jan. 4 / The all-new 107-room Courtyard by Marriott Amarillo Downtown opened recently in the 11-story 1927-era Fisk Building. David Bryce is the GM and Donna Paraliticci is DOS.
Springfield, MO / Dec 14 / Phill Burgess has been named VP of sales and revenue management at John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC. Phil began his hospitality career as a hotel GM with Winegardner & Hammons Inc. then with John Q. Hammons Hotels. Most recently, he served as executive director of CrossBooks Publishing for LifeWay Christian Resources.
Dallas / Dec 8 / John Klukan, formerly the GM at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel, has joined Marriott Hotels as the general manager of the Marriott Solana.
Dallas / Nov 30 / Mary Lavelle, formerly the GM at the Marriott Suites Dallas Market Center, has been appointed GM at the Dallas Marriott Plano at Legacy Park.
Colorado Springs, CO / Oct. 25 / Doug P. Price, an executive with more than 30 years experience in hotel and travel sales, marketing and coaching, was named to become the new president & CEO of Experience Colorado Springs, the CVB. Doug currently serves as senior VP at Destination Marketing Association International in Washington, D.C., and will assume his new role in January.
Irving, TX / October 15 / Charlie Beirne, SMG regional manager and former manager of the Atlantic City Convention Center, has been named interim GM of the new $133 million Irving Convention Center which is scheduled to open in January. Charlie is replacing Thom Connors who is moving to Detroit's Cobo Center.
Galveston, TX / Sept 20 / Linda Sweatt, director of the Odessa CVB, was recently honored with the Texas Travel Industry Association's highest award, the Tall in Texas Award, for her years of service promoting Texas.
Presenting the award at TTIA Annual Summit Conference in Galveston is Jerry Holt, VP of the Amarillo CVC.
Santa Fe, NM / Sept 13 / Doug Libby, formerly with the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre, has joined Eldorado Hotel & Spa is DOSM.
Rockport-Fulton, TX / Aug 24 / Krystal White recently joined the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commere as their director of tourism and events. She received her degree from Texas A&M in Recreation Parks Tourism Sciences in 2005.
Denver, CO / July 27 / Jennifer Atkins, formerly with the Marriott Denver West, has joined the Marriott Denver Tech Center as general manager.
Houston, TX / July 23 / The Houston Area Chapter of MPI recently named Lisa Journagan, president and founder of connect the dots, inc. as the chapter's Meeting Planner of the Year. Pictured are Lisa and Ellen Ramsey, chapter president.
New Orleans, LA / July 9 / R. Brink Grush has been appointed DOSM for The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel, part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection. Brink most recently served as the DOS at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, a position he held since 2004.
Scottsdale, AZ / July 9 / JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa announced the appointments of Jim Rose (pictured) as GM and Shane Allor as DOSM. Most recently, Jim was with the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa and Shane was DOS at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort.
Houston, TX / July 7 / The 262-suite Embassy Suites Houston Downtown has named Ron Gwin as GM and Lisa Jones as its DOSM. Most recently, Ron served as GM of Louisiana’s Cypress Bend Golf Resort & Conference Center and Lisa was DOS for The Embassy Suites Conference Center in Frisco, TX. The property, located within walking distance of the George R. Brown Convention center, is being developed by Houston-based American Liberty Hospitality and is expected to be completed by March 2011.
Denver, CO / July 1 / The Curtis - a Doubletree Hotel announced that it has hired JoAnn Elston to serve as the hotel’s “Leading Lady,” otherwise known as the DOSM. JoAnn comes to The Curtis from The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida.
Editor’s note: Someone recently sent me an email titled “Lemons to Lemonade” that included a slideshow of amazing tree carvings on Galveston Island – formerly mature Oaks that are now beautiful “memorial” sculptures. It’s worth a look. GalvestonTreeCarving
Tulsa, OK / June 24 / The Tulsa Metro Chamber’s president and CEO Mike Neal announced the selection of Dave Nolan to lead VisitTulsa, the convention and visitors program at the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Most recently, Dave served as the president and CEO for Destination Toledo.
Dallas, TX / June 21 / Jennifer Wasserman, formerly with the Garrett Creek Ranch in Paradise, TX, has joined The Joule, Dallas, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection, as DOSM.
Dallas, TX / June 3 / Fred Euler has been appointed general manager for Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion. He replaces Steve Vissotzky who was promoted to general manager of Grand Hyatt Seattle and Hyatt at Olive 8. Fred comes to Hyatt Regency Dallas from Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he served as general manager since 2006.
Baton Rouge, LA / June 2 / Mark S. Wilson, formerly DOSM at The Roosevelt
New Orleans, has joined The Cook Hotel & Conference Center at LSU as general
manager. The hotel, located on the LSU campus, offers 128 guestrooms and
12,300 sq. ft. of meeting space.
Dallas (Allen), TX / June 2 / Gateway Hospitality Group announced the
appointment of Rhonda Staples as general manager at the Hampton Inn & Suites
Dallas/Allen. Rhonda has worked as GM at the Hampton Inn & Suites in
Kilgore & Corsicana, Texas.
Houston, TX / May 31 / John Oakley has joined the InterContinental Houston
Near The Galleria as DOSM. Previously, John served as DOS for the
Westin Galleria and Westin Oaks Houston.
Tempe, AZ / April 20 / The Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe announced the appointment of Viktoria Riley as DOS&M. Most recently, Viktoria served as DOS&M at Frenchman’s Reef & Morningstar Marriott Beach Resort on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Houston, TX / April 19 / Hotel Alden, a 97-room luxury boutique property in downtown Houston, has been acquired by Northwood Investors and will be managed by a subsidiary of Northwood. Hans Schmitt has been named GM and managing partner.
Grapevine, TX / April 7 / Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. announced that Ken Broom has been promoted to assistant GM of Great Wolf Lodge. Ken has been with the company for three years as DOSM for the Grapevine property and was on the pre-opening team. Most recently, he worked with Marriott’s Western Division.
New Orleans, LA / March 29 / Lois McLaughlin has been named director of event services at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Lori comes to New Orleans from the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, where she served as director of event services.
The Woodlands (Houston), TX / March 25 / Benchmark Hospitality International has named Ted A. Davis VP of sales & marketing. Most recently, Ted was VP of sales and marketing for Noble House Hotels & Resorts.
Austin, TX / Congratulations to Beth Brooks and her team at the Texas Society of Association Executives for achieving a new milestone - 1,000 total members. Jill Beckham, CAE, foundation director for American Mensa (Arlington) recently became TSAE's 1,000th member.
Austin, TX / The 340-room Westin Austin at The Domain officially opened on March 11. Tom Tabler is the GM and Alison Berg is the director of sales and marketing. The hotel, which offers 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, is a part of the White Lodging family.
Tucson, AZ / Mar 2 / Loews Hotels announced the appointment of Mark Lindsey as director of sales and marketing for Loews Ventana Canyon. Most recently, Mark was DOSM at Westin La Paloma in Tucson. That resort was ranked the #1 Westin in North America for Meeting Planner Satisfaction during his six year tenure.
Austin, TX / Mar 5 / Chris Swindler, formerly DOSM at the Doubletree San Antonio, has returned to Austin as DOSM at the Embassy Suites Arboretum.
The Woodlands, TX / Feb 20 / Benchmark Hospitality International has appointed John Davies VP marketing. John will be the first to hold this newly created position at Benchmark. He was previously head of his own hospitality marketing firm and prior to starting his company, John served as VP marketing for Noble House Hotels & Resorts.
Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion announced the appointment of Brian J. Booth as DOSM. Brian previously served as director, central worldwide sales for Hyatt Hotels Corp in Chicago. He succeeds Nan Stone who retired in 2009.
Lindsay Greer is the new director for the Wichita Falls CVB. Lindsay, a native of Wichita Falls, comes to the bureau from the local NBC television affiliate where she served as an account executive for the last 9 ½ years and has a significant amount of community volunteer experience.
Jan 20 / Fort Worth, TX / Diane Cayce, formerly with the Fort Worth CVB, has joined HelmsBriscoe and will be a part of Patti Palacio's team. Diane reported that she is attending the HB Annual Conference at the new Avia Hotel in Las Vegas. With 1,900 attendees, it's the largest ever HB conference.
Jan 19 / Albuquerque, NM / Steven DeFelice, formerly DOSM at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio, has been appointed DOSM at the 350-room Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa which is located on 500 acres on the Pueblo of Santa Ana adjacent to the Sandia Mountains.
Jan 15 / Glenwood Springs, CO / The Colorado Hotel & Lodging Association recently appointed Glenwood Hot Springs COO and GM Kjell Mitchell to head the organization in 2010. Kjell takes over the reins from out-going chairman Dan Pirrallo, GM, Boulder Millennium Harvest House.
Jan 7 / Irving, TX / Omni Hotels & Resorts announced the appointments of top operations and sales and marketing positions for the 1000-room Omni Dallas Hotel, slated to open in early 2012. Ed Netzhammer, a regional VP of operations overseeing hotels in California and Texas – will now also serve as the GM for the hotel.
Harold “Q” Queisser was named DOSM for the Omni Dallas after serving with Marriott Hotels for more than 30 years, most recently as director of affiliate sales for the Marriott Convention & Resort Network based in San Diego.
Jan 5 / Fort Worth, TX / Dan Piotrowski, most recently with the Omni Berskire Place Hotel in NYC, has joined the Omni Fort Worth as general manager. Ed Netzhammer, the hotel's former GM and regional VP for Omni, will oversee the opening of the new Omni Hotel Dallas at the convention center.
Dec 21 / San Antonio / Benchmark Hospitality Intl announced the appointment of Wende Blumberg as general manager for Hotel Contessa on San Antonio's Riverwalk. Wende previously served the Benchmark organization as field staff support for its Naples Bay Resort in Florida.
Santa Fe, NM / Dec 15 / Santa Fe's new convention center, which opened in late summer of 2008, was just awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification. While the new building was designed to a LEED silver standard, the resulting quality of construction and operation warranted the higher gold designation. www.santafe.org
Dec 15 / New Orleans, LA / The New Orleans CVB announced today that it has been awarded accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program. www.neworleanscvb.com
Dec 9 / Dallas, TX / The Joule, a Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel in Downtown Dallas, announced the appointment of Matthew Vesely as director of sales & marketing. Matthew most recently was DOSM at The Resort at Singer Island (also a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection).
Dec 9 / New Orleans, LA / The Astor Crowne Plaza received this year’s Renovation Award for its $11 million makeover at the InterContinental Hotels Group’s 2009 Americas Investors & Leadership Conference. The Astor Crowne Plaza was considered for the award from a portfolio of over 4,300 hotels.
Dec 8 / Dallas, TX / Leigh Hitz, president of Magnolia Hotels, announced the promotion of Juan C. Morales from director of operations to general manager for The Magnolia Dallas, a 325-room downtown boutique property.
Dec 7 / Santa Fe, NM / Encantado, an Auberge Resort, was recently honored with AAA's Five Diamond Award and becomes the first resort in New Mexico's history to ever receive the highest AAA rating.
Nov 23 / Denver, CO / Brian Fedorowicz has been named the new associate VP of convention sales for VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau, filing the spot vacated by Rachel Benedick, who was promoted to vice president convention sales and services earlier this year. Most recently, Brian was DOSM with Destination Hotels and Resorts, where he was 2009 sales leader of the year.
Nov 17 / San Antonio, TX / Amy Trench, Area DOSM at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk, announced that Sarah Linley, CMP, the hotel’s conference services manager, was recently awarded San Antonio’s Caterer of the Year by the Natl Assn of Catering Executives.
Nov 11 / Little Rock, AR / The Little Rock CVB announced the appointment of Monica Robinson as director of diversity sales. Monica hails from the St. Louis area and most recently served as director of event services at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.
Nov 9 / Denver, CO / Kari Obernesser has accepted the position of director of sales & marketing for the Loews Denver Hotel – a promotion from her most recent position as director of sales for the hotel. Kari sits on the board of the Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association and holds a council position on the Meetings Industry Council of Colorado.
Nov 2 / Houston, TX / On the 40th anniversary of Conrad N. Hilton’s initial $1.5 million gift to create the first hotel school in Texas, the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management has commenced construction on a $12.5 million renovation project to transform its teaching hotel. This will be the first major renovation to the 86-room Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center since it opened in 1975.
Oct 28 / Austin, TX / InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has appointed Sharon Kilmartin to GM of the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin and regional director of operations of the InterContinental Houston Hotel. Most recently, Sharon was the GM of the InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico.
Oct 23 / Galveston, TX / The San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center has named native Houstonian, Carrie Crigler Ratier as its new national sales manager. Carrie is returning to the Houston area after spending the past 5 years in Nashville, Myrtle Beach and Sea Island, Georgia.
Oct 21 / Houston, TX / Adam Rineer, CMP, formerly the regional director of operations for The Hub Meeting & Event Centers in Philadelphia, has joined The Westin Galleria & Westin Oaks Hotels as the director of catering and convention services.
Oct 20 / Corpus Christi, TX / The Corpus Christi CVB announced that Vanessa Kager has joined the CVB as director of sales for the State of Texas and will lead the newly opened satellite office in Austin. Vanessa serves on the board of the Texas Hill Country Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and, most recently, served as the senior sales manager for Marriott Austin Downtown/Convention Center.
Oct 13 / Irving, TX / Thom Connors was recently named GM of the new, $133 million Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. The announcement was made by Pennsylvania-based SMG who will be the center's operator under the Irving CVB’s direction. Thom will continue to serve as SMG’s regional VP which includes overseeing business operations in Puerto Rico where he most recently served as the GM of the Puerto Rico Convention Center. The center is scheduled to open in late 2010.
Oct 13 / Albuquerque, NM / The Albuquerque Journal reported that the Isleta Casino & Resort will become the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the spring of 2010 after several million dollars in upgrades to bring the property to Hard Rock standards.
Oct 12 / Frisco, TX / Scott Silvia has joined Marla Roe's sales team at the Frisco CVB.
Oct 1 / Austin, TX / In honor of his outstanding contributions to the travel and tourism industry in Texas, Mark W. Thompson, executive director of the Plano CVB, was presented with the Tall in Texas Award by the Texas Travel Industry Association. Mark was honored with a presentation by colleagues Nanci Liles, director, Abilene CVB, and Linda Sweatt, director, Odessa CVB.
Sep 3 / Austin / The Texas Travel Industry Association has named David Teel to succeed Paul Serff as its president/CEO at the end of this year. Paul, who headed TTIA for the last 12 years, recently announced his plans to retire. David has served as VP of the state-wide travel and tourism organization for the past 6 years and was previously the director of tourism for the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism.
Aug 24 / Houston / Stan Skadal, senior director of sales for the Hyatt Regency Houston, announced the September completion of the hotel's extensive $40 million renovation. Stan, a 34-year industry veteran, celebrated his 20th year at the Hyatt Regency last Friday.
Aug 10 / Houston / Ron Lamers has been appointed general manager of The St. Regis, Houston. Ron arrives at The St. Regis Houston after leading the successful opening of The Resort at Singer Island, a Starwood Luxury Collection Resort in Florida.
Aug 4 / Las Cruces / Global Spectrum, operators of the soon-to-open Las Cruces Convention Center, named David Hicks as the first general manager of the 55,000 sq.ft. center. The new center, located on the New Mexico State University campus, features a 14,500 sq.ft. exhibition hall, 8,900 sq.ft. ballroom, and 6 break-out rooms.
August 4 / DFW Metroplex / More than 100 North Texas hotels, American Airlines and several ground transportation providers are offering special incentives for group meetings booked and held in North Texas by Dec. 31, 2009. The new DFW Meet Now Promise co-op program was introduced by the cities and CVBs of Irving, Arlington, Dallas, and Fort Worth, and the Hotel Association of North Texas.