Hotel executive moves: Concord, Davidson, Marriott Vacations, Sotherly

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

New exec at Alterra. Denver-based Alterra Mountain Company has named David Flueck as chief customer officer and president, Ikon Pass. He has over two decades of experience in travel and hospitality and most recently served as global officer of Loyalty, Cards, and New Businesses at Marriott International.

Braemar adds to board. Dallas-based REIT Braemar Hotels & Resorts is adding to its board with the appointment of Bob Ghassemieh. The appointment comes in connection with a cooperation agreement, as the Ghassemieh Group collectively owns approximately 7.3% of Braemar’s outstanding common stock.

Concord promotes execs. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Concord Hospitality has announced a series of promotions, including Cathryn Andrews to senior vice president of Hotel Accounting, Joe Trumfio to senior vice president of Investment Operations, Compliance and Reporting and Alex Langston to senior director of Risk Management.

Davidson promotes execs. Davidson Hospitality Group has reorganized its commercial services function with the promotions of Patrick Broderick and Harry Carr to the newly created roles of senior vice president, Commercial Optimization and the appointment of Kathryn Collins to vice president, Marketing. Broderick joined Davidson in 2021 as vice president, Sales and Revenue Management for Davidson Resorts and has a 37-year career in hospitality. He previously worked at Marriott. Carr’s tenure with Davidson began just prior to the launch of Pivot in 2016 and he was most recently senior vice president of Revenue Management. He has more than 30 years of hospitality experience and worked at SBE, Viceroy Hotel Group, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Starwood, and Hilton. Collins was most recently at Remington Hospitality, where she was senior director of Marketing & Digital Strategy. She also worked at Bryte and Marriott.

Donohoe names new VP. Bethesda, Maryland-based Donohoe Hospitality Services has named Nicole Brizan vice president of finance and accounting.  Brizan most recently served as director of hotel accounting and reporting at Host Hotels and Resorts and held multiple financial positions at Marriott.

Dreamscape names CALA advisor. Dallas-based Dreamscape Hospitality has named Jerry Butler as special advisor for the Caribbean. His career spans more than 30 years across the Caribbean, North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

New CEO for Marriott Vacations. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has appointed Matt Avril as CEO. He joined the company’s board in March  and has served as interim president and CEO since November. The company also announced the appointment of Mike Flaskey as president and COO, effective immediately. Flaskey has more than 25 years of experience in the vacation ownership and hospitality industries, including senior roles at Starwood Vacation Ownership and Diamond Resorts International.

MXR names CEO, president. MXR Hospitality has named Brent McDowell as its inaugural CEO and Eric Watts as its inaugural president. MXR is a strategic partnership of Dallas-based RREAF Holdings and hospitality investor Phillip McNeill Sr. McDowell was COO for McNeill Hotel Co. and also worked at Pillar Hotels & Resorts Construction and Goldman Sachs. Watts also serves as president, extended stay at RREAF, which he joined in 2016. He also worked for Innovation Renovation and Fogelman Properties Group.

Nikki Beach promotes exec. Miami-based Nikki Beach Hospitality Group has named Julie Desvaux as global marketing director for hotels & resorts. With more than 20 years of senior leadership experience, Desvaux brings extensive cross-market experience to the role. She held senior positions at Airelles, Groupe Barrière and, most recently, Compagnie Lebon.

The Other House founder departs. London-based The Other House said its founder, co-owner and CEO, Naomi Heaton, is departing to become executive chair at LCP Private Office and launch new initiatives. The Other House was launched in 2022 and was Heaton's vision.

Park names COO. Tysons, Virginia-based REIT Park Hotels & Resorts has named Sean Dell’Orto as COO, effective February 12. Dell’Orto will also continue to serve as executive vice president, CFO and treasurer, roles he has held since the company’s spin from Hilton in 2017.

New CEO at Sotherly. Sotherly Hotels Inc. has named Zachary Schmidt as CEO after the resignation of David Folsom. Earlier this month, Memphis, Tennessee-based Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners (KWHP) and Los Angeles-based Ascendant Capital Partners completed the acquisition of the REIT. Schmidt joined KWHP in 2017 and has served various roles, most recently as head of portfolio management. Prior to joining KWC, Schmidt worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

StepStone promotes SVP. Providence, Rhode Island-based StepStone Hospitality has promoted Kristina Randorf to senior vice president, revenue management. Randorf joined StepStone in 2017 and was most recently vice president, revenue management.