Hotel executive moves: Hyatt, Minor, edyn, Kempinski

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

Boutique Group names new CEO. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Boutique Group has named Christoph Mares as its new CEO. Mares previously held the position of COO at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, where he has spent the majority of his career. With over 25 years of experience, Mares was also the COO for Emaar Hospitality Group LLC.

Concord names new director. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Concord Hospitality has promoted Patti Cameron to senior director of talent acquisition. Cameron has more than 20 years of experience and joined Concord in 2019. 

New CEO for edyn. European lifestyle hotel company edyn has named Alastair Thomann as its new CEO, effective immediately. Thomann succeeds Daniel Carre-Bishop, CFO and interim CEO, who will continue as chief financial officer. Thomann will oversee the continued delivery of edyn’s hotel development pipeline, with new Locke hotels set to open in Paris in February 2025 and in Copenhagen in Q1 2026. Thomann joins edyn from Generator and Freehand Hotels, where he served as CEO of both businesses, leading the $400 million acquisition of Freehand Hotels, which expanded the group’s operations to the North American market. Before Generator and Freehand Hotels, Thomann was the global managing director of Penta Hotels for the Rosewood Hotel Group.

New exec for GF Hotels. Philadelphia-based GF Hotels & Resorts has named Brian Goodman as its director of development. He has more than 10 years of industry experience and previously served as the director of strategy and investments at a prominent hotel company.

HE names new SVP. Atlanta-based Hotel Equities has appointed Adrienne Jubb as senior vice president of business development for the Western U.S. Based in Carlsbad, California, Jubb's most recent role was with Aimbridge Hospitality, and she served nearly 10 years with Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

New Hyatt president for all-inclusive. Hyatt Hotels Corp. appointed Javier Águila president of Inclusive Collection, effective March 1. This job will be in addition to Águila’s current role as group president, EAME, overseeing Hyatt’s Europe, Africa and the Middle East region. He came to Hyatt through the acquisition of Apple Leisure Group in 2021 and in his expanded role, he will oversee all aspects of Hyatt’s global all-inclusive business.

New execs at Kempinski. Munich, Germany-based Kempinski Hotels has appointed Gordon Drake as CFO. He has over 30 years of global experience in corporate capital markets, asset management, risk management and the development and implementation of operational and financial strategies. He most recently held the position of CEO for The Doyle Collection and has held various leadership positions at Kingdom Hotel Investments, Six Senses Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Westmont Hospitality, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts and The Savoy Hotel. He succeeds Stuart Dickie, who will remain with Kempinski as an advisor. In addition, Rasha Lababidi has been appointed as the new chief product officer for Kempinski Hotels. In this newly created role, Rasha will lead product innovation, design, and guest experience across the brand’s global luxury portfolio. Lababidi has over 25 years of experience and previously was senior director of marketing at Emaar and head of marketing at Al Maabar International Investments (currently Eagle Hills). She is also the co-founder of Meraki & Modus.

New CIO for Kessler. Orlando-based The Kessler Collection has appointed Phil Wade to the new role of chief investment officer. With 25 years of experience evaluating and investing in hospitality and related assets throughout North America, Wade has completed over $15 billion in real estate transactions. He was previously CIO of Xenia Hotels & Resorts in forming that acquisition and development partnership with the Kessler Collection in 2012.

Taco Bell CEO named to Marriott board. Marriott International has named Sean Tresvant, CEO of Taco Bell Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands, as an independent director for its board, effective February 12. Before joining Taco Bell, Tresvant spent over 15 years at Nike, culminating in the role of chief marketing officer for the Jordan Brand. He also held positions at Sports Illustrated and PepsiCo. With the election of Tresvant, the Marriott board will expand to 13 directors, 10 of whom are independent.

New CEO for Minor Europe and Americas. Gonzalo Aguilar has assumed the role of CEO at Minor Hotels Europe & Americas, effective January 1. Aguilar joined Minor Hotels in October 2024 and succeeds former CEO Ramón Aragonés, who retired at the end of 2024 and continues to serve as a member of the board and non-executive vice president. Aguilar has over 30 years of hospitality experience, most recently as COO for Europe at Marriott.

Octant Hotels names new COO. Lisbon-based Octant Hotels has named Jan Ringertz as COO. Ringertz was most recently cluster general manager at Highgate North. His previous experience includes executive leadership at the Fladgate Partnership group, and he also held the position of GM at The Cliff Bay and Casa Velha do Palheiro.

Olympia hires two execs. Portland, Maine-based Olympia Hospitality has made two leadership hires. Michael Briggs resumes the role of managing director for the hospitality group. He has over 25 years of experience and started his career at Pilgrim Sands and Colonnade Hotel. He has also worked at Chatham Bars Inn and as general manager for the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Kristie Rasheed joins Olympia as vice president of operations. Rasheed has more than 20 years of experience in hospitality operations and most recently served as managing director of The Dewberry in Charleston, South Carolina.

Pacifica names president. Aliso Viejo, California-based Pacifica Hotels has named Scott Roby as president to oversee all portfolio assets and operations. Roby was most recently the founder and principal at Storyteller Hospitality and also worked for Evolution Hospitality, KSL Resorts, La Costa Resort and Spa and Hilton.

New financial exec at Remington. Dallas-based Remington Hospitality has appointed Randy Jones as the company’s new chief accounting officer. He most recently served as vice president of accounting and corporate controller at Dave & Buster’s and also worked at Brinker International, Lennox International, Nortel and Ernst & Young.

Seren names new COO. Welsh luxury hospitality group Seren has names Mark Wouters as its new COO, which is a new position. Wouters brings a wealth of international hospitality experience spanning over 25 years and has held senior leadership roles in some of the world’s most distinguished luxury hotels and resorts, including The Langham, Shanghai; The PuXuan Hotel and Spa in Beijing; Anthology Group across Asia; and the Huka Lodge in New Zealand.

New CFO for Sonder Holdings. San Francisco-based Sonder Holdings has appointed Michael Hughes as its new CFO, effective January 22, 2025. Hughes was most recently the CFO of the REIT Spirit Realty Capital, and previously had various leadership roles at FelCor Lodging Trust and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

White Lodging names new CIO. Merrillville, Indiana-based White Lodging said Conner White will take on a new role as vice chair and chief investment officer. White is the eldest son of White Lodging Chair Beth White and the late White Lodging Founder Bruce White. He has worked for more than 15 years in a variety of leadership roles across operations, real estate, and new property development. He has also built his career by supporting the expansion of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group in Chicago and Dunkin Donuts in China.