Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced that Beat Meier has been appointed general manager of The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos. Meier joins the resort from The Westin Playa Conchal Resort & Spa in Costa Rica, where he oversaw the all-inclusive resort’s transition to a Westin-branded property. With 25 years of experience in luxury hotels, Meier is known for his expertise in hotel openings, renovations and rebrandings. At The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos, he will manage an ongoing renewal ...

Chartres Lodging Group LLC announced the appointment of Kirk S. Pederson as chief investment officer and chief operating officer. In his position, Pederson will be responsible for new acquisitions as well as the operations and management of Chartres’ current $2.2 billion, 12,500-room portfolio of luxury and upscale hotels, conference centers and resorts. His leadership in the day-to-day functions will also provide support for Chartres’ CEO and president, enabling them to focus on overall strategy and cap...

John Yeadon was named the director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Yeadon will directly oversee the sales operation of the hotel and manage the sales and marketing budget, forecasts, advertising, marketing and business plans. He will also work closely with the rooms, food and beverage and other revenue-generating departments to maximize sales at Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, which is currently undergoing a $25 million renovation. Previous to his new position at Hyatt Regency Minneapolis...

Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, a full-service hotel management company that specializes in luxury and upscale urban hotels and resorts, announced that industry veteran John Plunket has joined the company as executive vice president, development and acquisitions. In his new position, he is responsible for all development and acquisition activity, including sourcing and negotiating new investment opportunities, as well as identifying new management opportunities. Plunket has served in key development posi...

Pollin Miller Hospitality Strategies, Inc. announced the appointment of Helmut Rueckert as executive vice president, hotel operations. Rueckert has extensive experience in branded full service, select service, upscale, and independent hotel and restaurant management in Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States. He most recently served as president of Seagate Hospitality Group, a luxury hotel management group in Florida. From 2004 to 2008, he served as an executive vice president and senior vice presid...

Kiawah Island Golf Resort announced the promotion of Bill Lacey to hotel manager of oceanfront hotel and spa The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Lacey will oversee all aspects of the hotel including rooms, food and beverage, as well as Forbes Five Star Spa & Salon. With more than 25 years of experience in the luxury hotel industry, Lacey has worked at prestigious hotels such as The Ritz-Carlton Boston, Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, and the Four Seasons in Miami, Atlanta, and Aviara. Lacey be...

CEO Steve Wilson has named Craig Greenberg to the position of president of 21c Museum Hotels. In this role, Greenberg will oversee the daily operations of the company including the management of the properties and the development of 21c in new markets. Wilson will continue as the CEO and will remain involved in all aspects of the business. Greenberg’s involvement with 21c began in 2001 when he structured and sourced the financing for the flagship Louisville property. Wilson and his wife, Laura Lee Brown...

Philip Fitzpatrick has been named executive chef at the 138-room Buccaneer resort on St. Croix. He brings 30 years’ culinary experience to The Buccaneer, most recently in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where he was executive chef at the Saratoga Hilton and, prior to that position, executive chef at the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, which he joined in 2004. Fitzpatrick, served as executive chef of The Buccaneer’s fine dining Terrace restaurant in 1999 and 2000, overseeing day-to-day menu development and operation...

Hilton Worldwide announced the appointment of Lisa Asdikian as general manager of Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach - Hotel & Resort. In her new role, Asdikian will oversee the day-to-day operations of the 248-all-suite Ventura County beach-front resort. Most recently, Asdikian held the position of hotel manager as well as other managemet-level positions at Hilton Anaheim. She began her career in hospitality in 1988 at Embassy Suites in Costa Mesa as front desk supervisor and then relocated to Las Vegas ...

Alisha O’Connor has been appointed to the position of sales manager at The Westin Verasa Napa. She relocated to the Napa Valley to develop and oversee The Westin Verasa Napa’s group and corporate travel sales as well as the hotel’s catering and convention services. O’Connor joins The Westin Verasa Napa team with more than 10 years of sales, marketing, and operations experience. She most recently served as a sales manager for The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she managed the...

Katherine Gioia has been appointed to leisure sales manager at the oceanfront Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, located on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island. As the primary sales liaison, Gioia is responsible for overseeing the 555-room resort’s online, retail, and wholesale travel markets. Gioia served in the sales and hospitality industry for six years, most recently as senior sales and public relations coordinator for The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua on Maui.

Pyramid Kona Management LLC has appointed veteran hotelier and certified hotel administrator Steven Lindburg as area managing director and general manager of Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, a 22-acre oceanfront resort on Hawaii, the Big Island. With more than 25 years of experience in the hotel and resort industry, Lindburg will oversee all aspects of operations at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, including the resort’s upcoming multi-million dollar guestroom and public areas reinvigoration....

Bret Jones, who has 12 years of hospitality industry experience, has joined White Lodging as the general manager of the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott in Tampa. Jones first entered the industry as an intern at the Sheraton Tamarron Resort in Durango, Colo. He then moved to Florida where, for the next six years, he worked in various positions at the Marriott Suites on Sand Key in Clearwater. From this position, he took on the assistant general manager and director of food and beverage duties at the...

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced the creation of two new roles within its global sales and marketing team. Joe Ferry will join IHG as senior vice president, global guest experience and design.  Based in the IHG head office in Denham, England, he will report to Tom Seddon, chief marketing officer. In this new role, Ferry will be responsible for ensuring the seven IHG brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Hotel Indigo, remain unique and innovative, while delivering what guests ...

Hannah Kramer has been appointed sales and catering manager of La Colombe d’Or, one of the world’s smallest luxury hotels and a landmark in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood. Unfulfilled in the legal field, Kramer found her calling in the meetings and events industry after serving as the event coordinator at the Czech Center Museum in Houston, Texas. Most recently, she was a human resources associate at Jackson and Company, an internationally recognized, Houston-based catering and events firm known for it...