Here’s a roundup of the top hotel executive moves of the past week.
Here is a compilation of the
most important executive moves of the past week in the hotel investment world
alphabetically (by company):
Aimbridge names new CFO. Plano, Texas-based
Aimbridge Hospitality has named William Davenport as its new CFO, effective
July 8. Davenport was most recently CFO of Dallas-based restaurant chain Velvet
Taco and was CFO at Dallas-based Topgolf before that. He’s also had senior financial
roles at Haggar Clothing Co., Neiman Marcus Group, Brinker International and
KPMG Peat Marwick.
Dusit adds to development team. Bangkok, Thailand-based
Dusit International has strengthened its global development team with the
appointments of Rami Massoud and Pornpim Hiranpradit. Massoud has been
appointed vice president of development for EMEA and will be based in Dusit’s regional
office in Dubai. He has over 25 years of experience in hotel development and
has worked with brands like Marriott, Starwood, and Four Seasons. In Bangkok,
Hiranpradit joins as director of development (Global), where she will lead
development efforts across Asia Pacific.
EOS Hospitality names new CCO. New York City-based
hotel management company has appointed Joe Pettigrew as chief commercial
officer. Pettigrew has more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality
industry and was most recently at Starwood Capital Group, where he served as
chief commercial officer in hotel asset management. He previously worked at
Yotel, Expedia, The Palms Casino, Interstate Hotels & Resorts and Marriott.
Hotel Co 51 names new CEO. Amsterdam-based Hotel
Co 51 has named Wayne Androliakos its new CEO, effective June 1. Androliakos
succeeds Tobias Linder, who stays within the Vastint Group as the new head of
asset management for Vastint Holding B.V. Previously, Androliakos led the global
operations for Generator and Freehand Hotels and spent 14 years with Cycas
Hospitality.
Lucky Find names new CFO. San Diego-based Lucky
Find Hospitality has named Rachel Meng as CFO and director of strategic assets.
Feng has over 15 years of experience in hospitality finance, accounting,
mergers and acquisitions and was previously director of investments at Pebblebrook
Hotel Trust.
New CFO at LuxUrban. Miami-based LuxUrban
Hotels has named Michael James as CFO, effective June 4. James succeeds
Shanoop Kothari, the company’s current CEO and former acting CFO. James brings
over four decades of experience as a financial and operating executive, board
member, and investor to his new role. He was most recently senior vice president and controller
for LuxUrban. Before joining LuxUrban, James was a co-founder, director
and CFO for Edible Garden AG. He also worked at Guided Therapeutics,
Blum Holdings (formerly Terra Tech), Inergetics, Inc. and Nestor Inc.
MacNaughton adds executive. Honolulu-based
MacNaughton Hospitality has named Carmine Iommazzo as director of hospitality
operations, effective May 21. Iommazzo brings extensive hospitality experience
across three continents, including nearly 20 years in Hawaii.
McWhinney names new EVP. Denver-based McWhinney
has named Omar Palacios as its new executive vice president of hospitality. Dave Johnstone, the
current executive vice president and chief investment officer of Hospitality,
will move into a strategic advisory role before formally retiring at the end of
the year. Palacios joins the company from Geolo Capital in San Francisco, where
he served as COO, CFO and partner.
Minor names new CEO of Europe, Americas. Minor Hotels has named
Gonzalo Aguilar as Minor Hotels Europe & Americas CEO, effective January 1,
2025. Aguilar will replace current CEO Ramón Aragonés, who will retire and
leave the position at the end of this year. Aragonés will remain a member of
its Board and serve as non-executive vice chairman. Aguilar will join Minor on
October 1 to begin a three-month handover period with Aragonés. Aguilar brings
over 30 years of industry experience and was most recently COO for EMEA for
Marriott International, where he began his career in 1994.
Natiivo Hospitality names new president. Miami-based Natiivo
Hospitality has hired Yoav Gery as president. Gery’s hospitality career
includes c-suite roles at Highgate, WeWork, Selina, Morgans Hotel Group and
Marriott International. Gery will leverage his extensive hospitality experience
to build out the Natiivo platform and generate new expansion opportunities.
Plamondon names new finance exec. Frederick,
Maryland-based Plamondon Hospitality Partners named Shannon Unger its new
financial controller. Unger has over 14 years of experience in financial
operations and management across various industries. She was most recently a
corporate controller for LandCare and has worked for Discovery Communications
and Frederick Regional Health System.
The Athens Group names new VP of hospitality. Richard Holtzman has
joined Phoenix-based The Athens Group as principal and vice president of hospitality.
Holtzman was previously at Montage International for over a decade as vice
president. He has over four decades of hospitality experience with leadership
positions at The Plaza Hotel, Arizona Biltmore and The Boulders Resort and Club
in Arizona. He also worked at Carefree Resorts, Wyndham International, DMB
Associates and Pyramid Global Hospitality.
Timbers Company names new COO. Winter Park,
Florida-based Timbers Company has named Brian Corbett its new chief operating
officer. Corbett has over two decades of experience in luxury hospitality and
real estate and was most recently as chief commercial and sustainability
officer at Atlantic Aviation.
Westport Hospitality exec changes. Burlington,
Vermont-based Westport Hospitality said Co-founder and COO Joe Carton will
retire after 10 years with the company and Hans van Wees has been promoted to
managing director. Van Wees was previously GM of the Hotel
Vermont and has worked at branded full-service hotels in Europe, the Caribbean
and the U.S.