Melissa Green
Green is general manager for Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most recently, she worked as dual general manager for Hyatt House/Hyatt Place in Colorado. Green has also worked in a handful of roles with Denver Marriott Westminster, including general manager and director of event management. She received multiple Mustang Awards from White Lodging and Marriott International.
Lisa Arias
Arias is director of sales and marketing for The Shay, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel, in Los Angeles. Arias previously worked as regional vice president for Hyatt, and before this, as director of sales and marketing for Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. During her time with Hyatt, she was honored as Director of Sales of the Year for convention hotels.
Amila Handunwala
Handunwala is general manager for Raffles Maldives Meradhoo. Most recently, Handumwala worked as executive assistant manager for St. Regis Maldives Vommuli. He also worked as director of business development; before this, he served in the same capacity at Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah in United Arab Emirates.
Ashlyn Pulvermiller
Pulvermiller is general manager for Marriott Owings Mills Metro Centre in Maryland. Pulvermiller previously worked as general manager for a Marriott International property in Upstate New York. She was also general manager for two Hilton Hotels properties in Syracuse, New York, and general manager for St. Lawrence University’s on-property hotel, conference center and golf course in Canton, New York.
Rhanee Palma, CDME, and Laura Byes
Palma is chief sales officer and Byes is director of meeting partnerships for Face2Face.
Palma recently worked as chief sales officer for Visit Oakland in California. Before joining Visit Oakland, Palma worked as director of sales for Hilton San Francisco Financial District and as a sales executive for Oakland Marriott City Center and Courtyard Oakland Emeryville. She is a member of MPI’s Northern California Chapter.
In Byes’ more than 30 years of leadership experience, she has created planning processes that have been incorporated into more than 30 nonprofit organizations. Byes is a successful grant writer, having amassed more than $100 million of funding that has benefited organizations such as Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and AmeriCorps.
Patti Hunt
The Westin Tempe in Arizona named Hunt general manager. Hunt served as opening general manager for several Marriott International properties, including AC Hotel Tempe and AC Hotel Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria; she also worked as regional general manager for these two properties, as well as for AC Hotel New Orleans and AC Hotel Irvine in California.
Ryan Thompson
The Alida in Savannah, Georgia, named Thompson director of sales and marketing. Thompson comes from The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa in the Cayman Islands. He also worked as national accounts director for Turnberry Isle Miami, as well as group sales manager for Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island; other positions in South Carolina held by Thompson include tournament sales director for The Heritage Collection on Hilton Head Island and director of sales for Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.