Hotel executive moves: Hotel Equities, Olympia, Preferred, Valor

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

DiamondRock adds to board. Bethesda, Maryland-based REIT DiamondRock Hospitality Co. has increased its board to nine and appointed Stephanie Lepori. Lepori currently serves as chief administrative and accounting officer at Caesars Entertainment, Inc. She started her career with Arthur Andersen in Las Vegas.

HE makes executive moves. Atlanta-based Hotel Equities (HE) has announced several executive moves. Clint DeLee joins HE as vice president of operations. Karen Mendez has been promoted to vice president of operations, where she will oversee HE’s new Postcard Cabins portfolio. Lindsay Meadows has been promoted to senior vice president of accounting and procurement and Brad Read has been promoted to senior vice president of finance.

Olympia names new VP. Portland, Maine-based Olympia Hospitality has appointed Kristie Rasheed as vice president of operations. Rasheed has a career spanning more than two decades in the hospitality industry and was most recently managing director at The Dewberry in Charleston, South Carolina. She also worked for Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Priceline.com and Destination Hotels & Resorts.

Preferred names new regional director. Preferred Hotels & Resorts has appointed Anna Moore as regional director of U.K. and Ireland at the company’s London office. Moore has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, developing her career via a range of account management and sales-focused positions in both the U.K. and Australia. Before joining Preferred, she spent 13 years with IHG, most recently as global luxury & lifestyle sales director for EMEA.

Valor names new Middle East VP. Atlanta-based Valor Hospitality Partners has named Patrick Antaki as vice president of operations, Middle East. He has over three decades of experience in the hospitality industry and has held senior management roles with Hilton, Le Méridien, and Forte Hotels. He’s also held leadership positions at properties like Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa and Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort.

Woodworth names new EVP. Birmingham, Alabama-based Woodworth Core Group, a provider of customized lodging research, valuation and advisory services, announced that Timothy Dick has joined the firm in their Atlanta office as executive vice president. He was most recently an executive vice president with CBRE and previously worked for hotelAVE, Rockcastle Real Estate Advisors and TriMont Real Estate Advisors.