Hotel executive moves: Hyatt, Marriott, Noble, Starwood

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

New exec for Ascott Limited. Singapore-based The Ascott Limited has named Rohit Dar as vice president and head of South Asia. Dar has over three decades of experience in the hospitality sector and was previously senior regional director of operations at Hilton India. He has also held general manager roles with Marriott International and spent 18 years with The Oberoi Group.

New president for Hotel Zaza. Patrick Fisher has been appointed president of Hotel ZaZa, a collection of four luxury properties across Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Fisher joins from the Ian Schrager Company, where he most recently served as COO. He also worked for Fontainebleau Development, Ritz-Carlton, MGM Resorts and Montage International.

Hyatt names new India, Southwest Asia exec. Hyatt Hotels Corp. has appointed Vikas Chawla to the newly created senior role of president – India & Southwest Asia, effective April 1, to lead the business in the region. A seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of global leadership experience in food and beverage and consulting, Chawla will lead Hyatt's overall strategy, growth, and performance in India and Southwest Asia. He will report to David Udell, group president, Asia Pacific, at Hyatt.

New exec for JLL in Singapore. JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group in Singapore has promoted Julien Naouri to head of investment sales, Asia, effective April 1. He joined JLL in 2020 as vice president in the Singapore Investment Sales office and brings nearly two decades of industry experience, having worked in hotel brokerage since 2008 and been based in Asia since 2010.

Marriott names CALA exec. Marriott International has appointed Federico Greppi as president for the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA), becoming the first Latin American to lead the region for the company. He succeeds Brian King, who is retiring after a 34-year career. Having most recently served as COO for CALA and previously as CFO and head of franchise operations and owner relations in the region, Greppi has played a critical role in driving the region’s growth to more than 500 properties and strengthening overall sales performance.

Millennium names CCO. Singapore-based Millennium Hotels and Resorts has named Cinn Tan as chief commercial officer. She brings more than 30 years of experience across Asia-Pacific, China, Europe and the U.S. She joins from Pan Pacific Hotels Group, where she was chief commercial and marketing officer and has previously held senior roles at Jin Jiang International and Ascott.

Promotions at Noble. Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group has made several promotions, including Jeff Pennington to vice president on the financial planning and analysis team and Denise Kauble to vice president on the asset management team.

New CEO at ORA Hospitality. ORA Hospitality, the luxury travel arm of Cairo-based ORA Developers, has named Vincenzo Falcone as CEO. Falcone brings over 30 years of global leadership experience in ultra-luxe hospitality to his new role, joining the ORA team after a seven-year stint at Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts. He previously worked for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.

Ritz-Carlton Yacht names SVP. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has named Tim Klauda as senior vice president, Customer Experience, effective March 30. He brings more than two decades of leadership at the intersection of product, design, and guest experience for some of the world’s most recognized hospitality and consumer brands. Most recently, Tim served as vice president of global products at McDonald’s. He previously worked at Royal Caribbean International, Disney Parks & Resorts, Converse, Nike, Morgans Hotel Group, Starbucks, Dakine, and Entertainment Weekly.

Starwood promotes SVP. Starwood Hotels has promoted Shadi Omeish to senior vice president, operations, Americas. Omeish has nearly three decades of international experience and has held senior leadership positions with brands including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, MGM Resorts International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Since joining the company in 2016, Omeish has held several leadership roles across the portfolio, most recently as vice president, operations, Americas.

TC Hotels names president. Tokyo-based TC Hotels & Resorts Corp. has appointed Megumi Tanaka as president and representative director for the hospitality arm of Tokyo Century Corp. She will continue in her existing role as general manager of the group’s Real Estate Business Division. Tanaka has more than 30 years of experience in international hospitality.

WorldHotels names VP. Frankfurt, Germany-based WorldHotels has named Jennifer Parks as vice president, development – North America. She brings more than 20 years of experience in hospitality and travel and most recently served as vice president, development and communications at Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. She also worked at National Geographic.