Hotel executive moves: Aimbridge, Minor, Dusit International

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.