News about former Aimbridge division president joining Stonebridge
Companies in July and other executive moves this week.
Denver-based management company Stonebridge Companies has appointed
Rob Smith as president and chief executive officer. He will join the company in
July to oversee the operations of Stonebridge and lead the development and
execution of the organization’s long-term strategies.
Smith will succeed Navin Dimond, who founded Stonebridge in 1991,
and will, upon Smith’s appointment, be elevated to the role of chairman.
Smith has a nearly 30-year hospitality industry career and
most recently served as division president for Aimbridge Hospitality. Prior to
that, he spent almost two decades in the Caribbean, where he held positions at
several large resort properties and served the island of Aruba as president and
CEO of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association and Aruba Convention Bureau.
His journey also includes stints as general manager of several large resorts in
the U.S. and the Caribbean. Smith also currently serves on the AHLA Board of
Directors, Marriott Rooms Advisory Board, and the Westin Brand Advisory Board.
The news comes after Stonebridge announced on May 22 its
acquisition of management company Real Hospitality Group and the naming of its
CEO Ben Seidel as a company principal and member of the Stonebridge Board of
Directors. He will help grow and scale the combined company’s presence
throughout the country.
Other top executive moves
Here is a compilation of the most important executive moves
of the past week in the hotel investment world alphabetically (by company):
Bentley Legacy Holdings names president, COO. Plano,
Texas-based Bentley Legacy Holdings (BLH) announced this week that it launched
a new hotel operating division, Bentley Legacy Group, and acquired new
properties. It has named Matt Berge as its new president and COO. Berge brings
37 years of operational experience with brands and third-party operations and
was most recently senior vice president of operations at Aimbridge Hospitality.
Berge also spent more than 20 years with Starwood. BLH also named Ginger Van
Nest the senior vice president of commercial services. Van Nest has 15 years of
industry experience at Aimbridge and Hyatt Hotels Corp.
Nielsen new VP at HVMG. Atlanta-based Hospitality Ventures
Management Group (HVMG) has named Heidi Nielsen vice president of business
development. Nielson is a nearly 20-year hospitality veteran and was most
recently vice president of asset management and investments for Meyer Jabara
Hotels. She was also managing director for HVS Consulting and Valuation.
Hotel Equities promotes three senior leaders. Alpharetta,
Georgia-based Hotel Equities has promoted three senior leaders. Toi Brown was
promoted to senior vice president of human resources and has led various
initiatives since joining the firm in 2018. David Rosenberg has been
promoted to executive vice president of operations. He joined the company in
2020. Peter Tziahanas was promoted to executive vice president of operations.
He joined the company in 2021.
José Andrés Group names global CEO. Sam Bakhshandehpour has
been named global CEO of the José Andrés Group (JAG). The company was founded
by famed Chef José Andrés, who has a diverse group of hotel partners, including
The Ritz-Carlton, Andaz, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria and The Cosmopolitan.
Bakhshandehpour was previously CEO of sbe Lifestyle Hospitality and will work
closely with Ron Parker as president, COO, and CFO Nestor Nova to run daily
operations. Andrés continues to serve as the founder and executive chairman of
JAG.
Rosewood names new regional VP. Hong Kong-based Rosewood
Hotels & Resorts has named Edouard Grosmangin as regional vice president of
Mexico and South America. He was previously managing director of Rosewood São
Paulo, which launched in 2022. Edouard previously held key leadership positions
in renowned properties across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
New president at Tekmak. Rockwall, Texas-based Tekmak
Development Co. has announced that Glenn Decker has been promoted to
president. In his new role, the former vice president of operations will
be responsible for the growth and direction of the company as it seeks to
expand its hospitality portfolio. The company also announced that Thomas
Kirkland will remain as CEO.