Smart Moves in Lahaina, Tampa and More

May 16, 2022

Stephanie Burdette

A portrait of Stephanie Burdette. She is a white woman with dark blonde hair.

Mr. C Beverly Hills welcomed Burdette as assistant general manager. Burdette most recently held the role of director of front office at Ojai Valley Inn in California. A 14-year hospitality and events veteran, she has also been event planning manager and executive housekeeper at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, Texas.

Jessica Candy

A portrait of Jessica Candy. She is a white woman with blonde hair and a black floral blouse.

Montage Kapalua Bay in Lahaina, Hawaii, appointed Candy director of spa. Most recently, Candy was director of spa at Hawanawana Spa at Four Seasons Resort Lanai. In her decade of industry experience, Candy has also been spa manager and fitness center, events and community partnerships manager for Cooper Aerobics in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, as well as spa manager at Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, California.

Read More: True Bliss, Aloha Style: Rejuvenation Awaits in Hawaii

Jed Arrogante

A portrait of Jed Arrogante. He is a bald black man with a short beard and dark suit.

Visit Carlsbad welcomed Arrogante as business development manager. With 20 years of hospitality and business development experience, Arrogante most recently worked for Maritz Global Events as its global event strategist. He served as business development manager for Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California, sales manager at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and more.

Carrie Sims

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Fireplay, an event production company based in Nashville, is opening a Los Angeles office and has selected Sims to lead the branch. Sims has spent over 20 years in the events industry, most recently the owner and event designer for Carrie Sims Events Design, a company she started in 2019. She has also served as associate publisher for BizBash, director of business development at Rachel Cho Floral Design, an event leader at both Industria Superstudio Overseas and Sole East Resort in New York, and more.

Jeff Carlson

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Hotel Haya in Tampa, Florida, appointed Carlson director of food and beverage. Most recently, he was director of food and beverage at Atlanta’s Culinaire, an F&B management company. Bringing 17 years of restaurant and hospitality experience, Carlson has been restaurant general manager and director of food and beverage for Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties, general manager at CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries and more.

Peter Andersen

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Visit Seattle welcomed Andersen as senior director of convention strategy. A 12-year hospitality veteran, Andersen was previously area director of revenue management for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in Seattle and Portland. He has been regional director of sales and marketing at InterMountain Management, overseeing eight Washington and Oregon properties, and director of revenue management for over six years at Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.

Edward Searle and George Sous, MBA

Two portraits of Edward Searle and George Sous. Searle is a bald man in a dark suit jacket and Sous is a man with a short beard and grey suit.

Fairmont Dallas appointed Searle director of food and beverage and Sous director of rooms.

Most recently, Searle was director of food and beverage for Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park in Plano, Texas. Bringing 20 years of industry experience, Searle has served as restaurant general manager for Hotel Palomar and Marie Gabrielle Restaurant and Gardens in Dallas, Texas, as well as director of food and beverage for Warwick Melrose, a luxury hotel also in Dallas.

Sous has 12 years of hospitality experience, most recently working for Swissotel Chicago as director of housekeeping. He has also held the role of director of housekeeping at Conrad Chicago, assistant director of housekeeping at Hilton Chicago and housekeeping manager at Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

Moira Masshardt

A portrait of Moira Masshardt. She is a white woman with her hair in a bun and a black polo.

Altamer, a luxury villa collection in the Caribbean’s Shoal Bay West, Anguilla, promoted Masshardt to general manager, making her the first woman to hold the role. Most recently, Masshardt was resort manager for the brand. With almost a decade of hospitality experience, she has been sales and events manager at Zemi Beach House in Anguilla and gained marketing experience at Hotel St. Georg in Einsiedeln, Switzerland.

Becca Lloyd, CTA, CHS

A portrait of Becca Lloyd. She is a white woman with wavy brown hair, a pink blouse and a turquoise necklace.

Louisville Tourism promoted Lloyd to senior housing services manager. Lloyd has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, beginning her career with Executive Inn & Suites. In 2004, Lloyd joined her current DMO and served most recently as its housing services manager.

Avi Phookan, CHBA

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Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Hawaii appointed Phookan to resort manager. Previously, Phookan was pre-opening resort manager for Alaia Belize on Ambergris Caye, the Belize island. With a decade of hospitality experience, Phookan has held leadership roles at Hilton Worldwide, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Marriott International, Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts and more.

Sophie Ahmed

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Event management company Hubilo Technologies Inc. welcomed Ahmed as senior vice president of market strategy. Ahmed brings more than 20 years of events industry experience, most recently serving as CEO and co-founder of Virtual Events Institute (VEI). She has also held the roles of group director, global training solutions director, global sales director, head of sales and marketing and event manager at Informa Markets.

Rich Ainsworth

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Visit Greater Palm Springs in Rancho Mirage, California, appointed Ainsworth small meetings manager. Previously, Ainsworth was a meetings and group management leader for 16 years at Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa. He has specialized in small groups for the past nine years for the property.

Kristin McGrath

A portrait of Kristen McGrath. She is a white woman with light brown hair and a dark purple blouse.

Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau (Visit Pasadena) appointed McGrath executive director of the DMO. McGrath most recently served as vice president of sales, services and sports at Visit Albuquerque. A tourism industry veteran of more than 20 years, McGrath has been vice president of sales and services at Richmond Region Tourism in Virginia and at Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, and she has held roles at Boston properties and Greater Boston’s CVB.

Debbie Liberio

A portrait of Debbie Liberio. She is a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair, a dark jacket and a red undershirt.

Array, a content engagement company for life sciences events in Denver, welcomed Liberio as head of sales. Most recently, Liberio was vice president of business development and client services at Ashfield Event Experiences, based in Leicestershire, England. She has also held roles including executive director, director of business development and business development manager for additional events and virtual engagement companies.