Executive moves: Crestline, IHG, Sonesta, Yotel

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

AIC names VP. Delia Osegueda has joined Miami-based AIC Hotel Group as its new vice president, global partnerships. With more than a decade of leadership in hospitality, Osegueda will spearhead the company’s efforts to drive international growth and amplify the brand’s presence with partners in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. Before joining AIC, Osegueda held a senior leadership role at Blue Diamond Resorts.

Club Quarters names VP. Stamford, Connecticut-based Club Quarters has appointed Louis Bouchayer as vice president of Distribution. He will oversee Club Quarters' distribution channels worldwide. Bouchayer joins the company from SAP Concur, where he led lodging strategy and supplier management. He also worked at eDreams ODIGEO, Egencia (Expedia Group), and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, as well as earlier experience with Priceline and Travelocity (Sabre).

Crestline names F&B executive. Fairfax, Virginia-based Crestline Hotels & Resorts has named Orcun Turkay as vice president of Food & Beverage. Orcun has more than 15 years of experience and most recently served as general manager at The Delphi Downtown LA, a Crestline-managed property with several F&B concepts. Before that, Orcun was corporate director of Food & Beverage for Shaner Hotel Group.

Exclusive Resorts names president. Denver-based Exclusive Resorts has appointed Melissa Xides as president of the members-only luxury club, following sustained growth and the recent launch of The Exclusive Collective. Her focus will be on deepening relationships, strengthening culture, and applying the relationship-driven disciplines of luxury retail to the member experience.

IHG names SVP of AI. IHG Hotels & Resorts has appointed Wei Manfredi as senior vice president of AI and Architecture. In her new role, Manfredi will guide IHG’s AI strategy, strengthen its technical and data architecture, and continue to foster partnerships with leading technology organizations. Manfredi’s experience spans leading global companies, including McDonald’s, Google Cloud, Lululemon and Visa, as well as advisory roles with top tech boards.

IHG names CDO for Americas. IHG has also named Mark Sergot as its new chief development officer for the Americas. Sergot will lead IHG’s Americas Development organization, including its current leadership team, and spearhead the region’s growth strategy across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He has more than 25 years of industry experience in sales leadership roles across global hospitality organizations. He joined IHG in 2020 as vice president of Global Sales Operations & Enablement. Since 2022, he has led IHG’s Global Sales Organization as senior vice president of Global Sales. Before IHG, Sergot spent more than 16 years with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. He also currently serves on the board of the U.S. Travel Association, representing IHG.

Left Lane promotes execs. New York City-based Left Lane Development has promoted three senior executives to its leadership team. Ryan Davis has been appointed chief revenue officer, Valerie Shell has been promoted to senior vice president of Sales, and Vanessa Tilley has been named vice president of Brand & Marketing. Davis has more than 20 years of experience in luxury lifestyle and boutique hospitality. He has held senior leadership roles at Sage Hospitality Group, high-end resort portfolios, and global membership-based travel brands such as Inspirato and Exclusive Resorts. Shell brings more than 15 years of proven luxury hospitality expertise, including over a decade with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. and contributions to Perry Lane Hotel's acclaimed success. Tilley has played a central role in shaping the vision and launch of Hotel Bardo Savannah.

La Vie adds APAC execs. Sydney-based La Vie Hotels and Resorts has announced promotions to strengthen its APAC leadership team. Effective January 20, La Vie is adding Ramesh Bappoo as head of hospitality operations for South & Southeast Asia. With over three decades of global hospitality experience, Ramesh has held senior leadership positions with world-renowned brands including Accor, IHG, Hilton and Marriott. La Vie also promoted Amanda Cottome to head of Operations, Pacific. She has been instrumental in opening and repositioning properties, implementing operational efficiencies, and fostering high-performing teams since joining La Vie.

Lodgco names new exec. Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Lodgco Hospitality has promoted Cindy Holub to the position of corporate director of feasibility and revenue analytics. In her expanded role, Holub will lead the company’s feasibility studies, revenue analytics and performance modeling efforts, supporting owners, partners, and internal teams with insights that guide development, investment and revenue strategy decisions.

Minor names MEA exec. Minor Hotels has appointed Amir Golbarg to COO - Middle East & Africa. He joined Minor Hotels in 2012 and has had several leadership roles, most recently as vice president of operations - Middle East & Africa. Earlier in his career, Amir held senior roles with Al Rayyan and Katara Hospitality.

Sonesta names co-CEOs. Sonesta International Hotels Corp. announced that Keith Pierce, executive vice president and president of Franchise and Development at Sonesta, and Jeff Leer, executive vice president at The RMR Group, have been appointed as co-CEOs, effective April 1. Current CEO John Murray is retiring from his positions with Sonesta and The RMR Group, effective March 31. Pierce has been a member of Sonesta’s executive leadership team since 2021, leading the expansion of Sonesta’s global franchising business. Before joining Sonesta, he held senior executive positions at The Passionality Group, Wyndham Hotel Group and Cendant Corp.Leer, a member of RMR’s management committee, has held senior finance and accounting leadership roles within the organization since 2013, including most recently serving as the president and CEO of senior living business AlerisLife Inc. since 2022.

Former Standard CEO joins law firm. A year after leading The Standard through its sale to Hyatt, former Standard International CEO Amber Asher has joined Helbraun Levey as a partner and chair to launch the law firm's newly formed hotel group. “I’ve always seen my greatest strength as a dealmaker, counselor, strategist, and problem-solver — someone who understands the business realities behind the legal work. As the hospitality industry continues to consolidate and new brands emerge, this role allows me to bring this strength to a challenging business, but one I deeply love,” she said.

Yotel promotes 3. London-based Yotel has made a series of senior leadership promotions, including Rohan Thakkar to chief development & strategy officer, Mark Henderson to senior vice president, design & construction, and Olivia Donnan to senior vice president, brand, culture & growth. In his expanded role as chief development & strategy officer, Thakkar will continue to lead Yotel’s global growth strategy and oversee the development pipeline, feasibility and commercial evaluation and design and construction efforts. Since joining the company in 2014, Thakkar has held several senior leadership roles. Since joining in 2018 as feasibility architect, Henderson has progressed through leadership roles, taking charge of design & construction in 2022 when it was consolidated under global development. Donnan’s new role reflects Yotel’s strategy to align brand performance, guest loyalty, partner engagement and company culture as the business scales globally.