Hotel executive moves: BWH, OTO Development, Outrigger, Seibu Prince

Here is a compilation of the most important executive moves of the past week in the hotel investment world alphabetically (by company):

New CTO for BWH Hotels. Phoenix-based BWH Hotels has named Bill Ryan its senior vice president and chief technology officer. Ryan will oversee the technology management team and guide the brand’s digital strategy and transformation. Ryan has worked for major retail brands for the past 15 years, including PetSmart, Urban Outfitters, and Backcountry. He was most recently vice president of digital commerce and customer technology at Backcountry.

New exec at Delaware North. Buffalo-based Delaware North has named David Kopasz to fill its newly created role of chief hospitality officer for the gaming division. Kopasz joins the company from Yaamava Resort & Casino at San Manuel in California, where he worked for almost 10 years in leadership positions, including as chief hospitality officer.

New VP for First Hospitality. As part of supporting the introduction of its new analytics platform, First Hospitality has promoted Mike Kuzmar to vice president, where he will lead the company’s new business analytics and intelligence division. Kuzmar was vice president of revenue analytics and has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with the past decade focused primarily on revenue strategy.

Frasers names new CFO, COO. Singapore-based Frasers Hospitality Trust promoted Benjamin Kuah Hsien Yao to CFO on September 25. Before this role, Kuah served as head of finance for Frasers. He also has previous experience with Paragon REIT, Nanshan Group Singapore and Stamford Land. The company also named Chew Hang Song as COO and Ian Loe as the managing director, technology and innovation. Chew will succeed Mark Chan, who is retiring from his role after over four years with Frasers. Since joining Frasers in 2019, Chew has risen to become the cluster head for North Asia. Loe has nearly three decades of extensive digital transformation experience and was most recently CIO at DFI Retail Group. 

GF names new VPs of operations. Philadelphia-based GF Hotels & Resorts has named two seasoned hospitality professionals, Melinda Capen and Steve Cadaret, as vice presidents of operations. Capin joins GF with nearly two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. She previously held executive positions at Aimbridge Hospitality, where she served as vice president of operations since 2018. Cadaret also joins GF from Aimbridge Hospitality, where he most recently served as a regional vice president of operations, overseeing the Michigan and Illinois markets.

SVP at HRI Hospitality. New Orleans-based HRI Hospitality has named Adnan Virani as senior vice president of capital markets and investor relations. He most recently served as the director of investor relations at FD Stonewater LP and also worked for Truist Financial Corp.

JLL adds to NYC office.  JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality group has added Carolina Bernal as senior director in its New York City office. Bernal joins JLL from Hodges Ward Elliott, where she was a director in the Hospitality Investment Advisory practice. She has also worked at HFF, Xenia Hotels & Resorts, CNL Financial Group and Protiviti.  

New CEO for OTO Development. Rob Rain, previously president of the Industrial Division at Johnson Development Associates, has joined OTO Development as CEO to oversee strategic initiatives designed to drive growth, increase efficiencies and maximize profitability. Rain has worked with The Johnson Group family of companies for more than a decade, initially working in private equity with WJ Partners. In 2014, he was named president of the Industrial Division at Johnson Development Associates, where, over the course of 10 years, he grew the platform into one of the country’s largest private developers of warehouse space.

Outrigger names CFO. Honolulu-based Outrigger Hospitality Group has names Crystall Ho as its new executive vice president and CFO. She succeeds Avery Aoki, who is retiring after nearly 40 years with the company. Ho’s experience includes managing full-cycle real estate development, asset management and financial operations for both public and private companies. She has worked for Chartres Lodging Group, where she served as EVP/CFO, as well as Oceanwide Holdings, Chileno Bay Development and JMP Securities.

New CEO for Seibu international portfolio. Tokyo-based Seibu Prince Hotels and Resorts has named Lee Richards as the new CEO of its hospitality arm outside Japan, taking over for Simon Wan, who is retiring after 17 years. Richards brings over 30 years of experience from previous roles at Swiss-Belhotel International and Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

USTA has new Managing Director. Kevin Hinton has been named managing director for group travel at Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Travel Association (USTA). Hinton most recently served as executive vice president of strategy at the consulting group Minding Your Business. He is the former CEO of Hinton + Grusich and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. He also served as an Executive Vice President at Associated Luxury Hotels International.