Hotel executive moves: KSL Resorts, Hilton, Selina Hospitality

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

BWH names pair of Australasia execs. BWH Hotels has appointed two new executives for Australasia. Shellia Chang has been appointed BWH Hotels Australasia’s development manager and Shaishav Mehta has been appointed as development executive of BWH Hotels Australasia.

Fusion names new COO. Vietnam-based Fusion Hotel Group has appointed David Roberts as its new COO. Roberts has more than 20 years of experience in the Asian hospitality sector and was previously in global development for Dusit International.

Hilton names new Asia Pacific exec. Hilton has appointed Joseph Khairallah as area vice president and head of Japan, Korea, and Micronesia. Khairallah is an industry veteran with over 40 years of experience and previously served as Hilton’s vice president of operations for North China. Before joining Hilton, Khairallah worked at Marcus Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels Corp.

Hunter expands capital markets team. Atlanta-based Hunter Hotel Advisors has expanded its newly established capital markets team by hiring Adeel Amin as senior vice president. Before joining Hunter, Amin was managing director at Paramount Capital Advisors.

JLL names new chief procurement officer. JLL has promoted Michael Raphael to the position. Raphael has been with JLL since 2011 and previously served as global head of sourcing solutions development and operations.

New CEO of KSL Resorts. Greg Kennealey, the current CEO of KSL Capital Partners’ Mission Hill Hospitality, has a new title to add to his business card – CEO of KSL Resorts (KSLR). He succeeds Scott Dalecio, who will continue as a senior advisor to KSLR and executive chairman of Outrigger Resorts & Hotels. Kennealey will oversee the operation, development and strategic direction of KSLR and continue as CEO of limited-service hotel ownership-focused Mission Hill Hospitality, a role he has held since the division’s inception in 2021. Before his 10-year tenure at KSL Capital Partners, Kennealey worked at Strategic Hotels & Resorts.

LivAway adds to development team. Extended-stay hotel brand LivAway Suites has added Paul Duncan as chief development officer of its West77 development team. Duncan has more than 16 years of hospitality experience and has worked for Concord Hospitality, Aspire Construction, and Ashland Construction Co. West77 is the development engine for LivAway Suites.

Noble hires director of treasury. Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group has hired James Stewart as director of treasury. Stewart joined the company from Carter’s, where he oversaw the company’s daily banking activities. He previously worked at Inspire Brands.

Selina Hospitality makes executive changes. Selina Hospitality has made several changes to its executive team. Gadi Hassin has been promoted to COO. He joined Selina in 2020 as a managing partner of the APAC region and has 30 years of hospitality experience with Hyatt Hotels Corp., The Ritz-Carlton and the Ovolo Group. Rafael del Castillo has been appointed as Selina’s first chief revenue officer. Del Castillo held leadership positions at Valentin Hotel Group, Expedia Group and Marriott International. Selina also named Emilo Gracia as chief people officer. Gracia was previously vice president of culture and human resources at the World Travel & Tourism Council. Gracia also held key leadership positions at Michael Kors, Christian Louboutin and Value Retail.