Hotel executive moves: Crescent, Davidson, Dorchester, Vision

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

Crescent names new COO. Fairfax, Virginia-based Crescent Hotels & Resorts has appointed Elie Khoury as its new COO. With over 30 years of operational leadership in the hospitality industry and most recently had an asset management role at Preston Hollow Community Capital. He was also formerly executive vice president of operations at Aimbridge and worked at Murphy Asset Management.

New execs at Davidson. Atlanta-based Davidson Hospitality Group has announced several executive appointments and promotions. Harris White joins Davidson as CFO and brings over 25 years of executive experience to his position. He was most recently CFO at Virgin Hotels Collection and also worked at Sage Hospitality. After 30-plus years with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Nick Gregory joins Davidson as senior vice president of strategic operations. Gregory climbed the ranks at Kimpton to a vice president role and was appointed senior vice president of hotel operations at Kimpton. Robert Morse brings over three decades of hospitality industry experience specializing in revenue management to his role as vice president of revenue management. He comes to Davidson after 12 years with Marriott International, most recently serving as regional vice president of revenue management in Canada. Michele Smith advances to the newly created position of chief accounting officer after nearly 11 years of leadership, while Jason Rabidoux has been promoted to chief investment officer.

New CEO for Dorchester Collection. The luxury Dorchester Collection has appointed Philippe Leboeuf as chief executive officer, effective June 2025. He replaces Eugenio Pirri, who departed last November. Leboeuf will oversee the global group of 12 hotels based in London. Leboeuf most recently opened the high-profile Raffles in London. He has been director general of Concorde Hotels, owned by Taittinger, where he oversaw 19 owned and 70 affiliated hotels. Additionally, he was a board director of Leading Hotels of the World and has held many other senior leadership positions, such as regional vice president of operations for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, vice president of operations for Rosewood and general manager of Claridge’s in London.

First Hospitality names new CCO. Jenna Fishel has been promoted to chief commercial officer at Chicago-based First Hospitality. During her 21-year tenure with First Hospitality, Fishel has held numerous positions at the company, starting her career as a front desk agent at a property in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She transitioned to regional revenue manager, then corporate director of revenue, ultimately becoming First Hospitality's first vice president of revenue management in 2017. Most recently, she served as senior vice president of commercial strategy since 2021.

New COO for Europe for Highgate. Irving, Texas-based Highgate has appointed Ben Thomas as COO for Europe. Before joining Highgate, Thomas served as chief operating and commercial officer at Penta Hotels, which has a portfolio of 16 hotels across Europe and Asia. He also worked for Cycas Hospitality, Village Hotels and Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

JLL names VP for Miami office.  JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group has hired Kristina D’Amico as vice president of its hotels’ asset management team and she will be based in JLL’s Miami office. In her new role, D’Amico will be responsible for client service delivery and portfolio growth in the Southern U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. D’Amico brings 14 years of experience from HVS consulting & valuation in Miami.

Peregrine names new SVP. Denver-based Peregrine Hospitality has named Jason Druso to the new position of senior vice president of operations for boutique and lifestyle. He previously served as vice president of food & beverage and vice president of restaurants at White Lodging. He also worked at Winegardner & Hammons and Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment.

Cutshall joins Vision. Vision Hospitality Group, Chattanooga, Tennessee, named Mary Beth Cutshall as chief growth officer. In her new role, she will be responsible for helping expand the company’s current 40-plus property portfolio of owned and operated hotels throughout the U.S. Most recently, Cutshall was managing partner and founder of Amara Capital Group, a consultancy/investment group focused on hospitality and multi-family real estate properties throughout the U.S. and Europe. Prior to that, she held multiple corporate roles with Hospitality Ventures Management Group, culminating in her role as EVP and chief development officer. Additionally, she was corporate director of business development for Hotel Equities and held sales and marketing positions with Hotel Investors Trust and Marriott International.