Phillip Allen
Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts appointed Allen president of the brand. Most recently, Allen was chief development officer of international markets at Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners. Since his early career as an attorney in Greater Louisville two decades ago, he has also served as chief development officer and general counselor for 21c Museum Hotels.
Colton Call
Radcliffe Moab, a new boutique hotel in Utah, welcomed Call as its new general manager. Call last worked for Under Canvas Moab, a local glamping company, as general manager. During his tenure there, the property was named one of the 2020 Top 15 Resort Hotels in the West by Travel + Leisure. In the last decade, Call has held roles including Partnerships Lead for DoorDash and client service specialist for golf at OGIO International.
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Angela Val
Visit Philadelphia appointed Val president and CEO, making her the first Black president and CEO to head the destination marketing organization. Val is a hospitality business development leader of 28 years, most recently serving as COO of Tempest, a marketing agency for domestic DMOs. She now returns to Visit Philadelphia after a 16-year tenure and has since held similar executive roles at Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the host committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention and more.
Alex Batista
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) welcomed Batista as vice president of convention sales. Batista has been a hospitality sales leader for 26 years, most recently serving as complex director of sales and marketing for Eden Roc Miami Beach and Nobu Hotel Miami Beach. He has held senior and executive positions at Marriott International, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Kimpton properties and more.
Sezin Kutlu
Viceroy Hotel Group appointed Kutlu area director of revenue management for Hotel Zelos, Hotel Zetta and Hotel Zeppelin in San Francisco. A 21-year hospitality veteran, Kutlu most recently worked for The Estate Yountville in California as its senior director of revenue strategy. She has served similar directorships at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center; The Ritz-Carlton properties in Israel and Turkey; The Langham Hotels & Resorts in Pasadena, California; Montage Hotels & Resorts in Laguna Beach and Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
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Leslie Prea
The St. Regis Bermuda Resort in St. George’s, Bermuda, appointed Prea general manager. Bringing over 22 years of experience in hospitality, Prea last worked at Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, most recently as hotel manager. He has also been director of food and beverage for the complex, as well as director of rooms at La Cabana Beach Resort & Casino.
Daniel Padilla
JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa welcomed back Padilla as its director of sales and marketing. Padilla was previously director of sales and marketing at W Austin in Texas, after serving as the hotel’s director of catering and events. He began his hospitality career 15 years ago at JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, holding roles including event manager, housekeeping manager, director of guest experience and senior catering sales executive.
Natalie LaVire
The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley in Colorado appointed LaVire catering sales and events manager. LaVire brings over a decade of events and hospitality sales experience to her new position. She has previously held roles such as group sales coordinator for Grand Hyatt Vail, service coordinator of group sales for Vail Resorts, guest service agent and pre-arrival coordinator for Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Resorts Vail simultaneously, and more.
Urmas Karner
The Nantucket Hotel & Resort in Massachusetts appointed Karner its new general manager. Most recently, Karner was strategic advisor for Rosalie Bay Eco Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Dominica. A 30-year leader in the hospitality industry, he has been general manager and director of operations at Heartland Golf Park in NYC, general manager at The Somerset on Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and more.
Victor Pynn
Vindow Inc., a Miami-based travel technology platform for buyers and sellers of contracted accommodations, appointed Pynn president and CEO. Pynn brings over 20 years of experience, previously holding roles such as chief operating officer for North America at Amadeus in Miami; chief operating officer at TRX, a Concur Company, in Atlanta; and several travel- and revenue-related leadership roles at American Express.
Colleen Hughes
Fox World Traveler welcomed Hughes as global sales director. Hughes most recently worked for Amentum as its director of travel management and credit card programs. She has been a travel industry leader for 30 years and has served as director of strategic agency relationships at Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), national sales director for AirPlus International and Omega World Travel, hotel program manager for Ultramar Travel, and more.
Justin Jaret
Hilton Hotels promoted Jaret to complex director of food and beverage for Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Jaret has spent 16 years in restaurant and food and beverage management, most recently serving as complex director of restaurants for Waldorf Astoria Orlando and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. He has also been restaurant general manager for Patina Restaurant Group; director of food and beverage for The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine; general manager of Primo, a restaurant in Orlando, Florida; and more.
Ana Liberty, Kristina Ovies and Chuck Carter
Visit Spokane appointed Liberty and Ovies to director of national accounts and Carter to sales manager.
Liberty most recently worked for Travel Portland as its national account director. She has been in hospitality sales for 18 years, holding roles such as senior sales manager at Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Seattle’s Eastside in Washington and Hilton Portland Downtown, national account director at Travel Portland and more.
Ovies has been in hospitality sales for over 12 years. She has been senior sales executive, senior frontline sales manager and more for Wyndham Vacation Ownership; national sales manager for Grand Sierra Resort and Casino and national group sales manager for Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno, Nevada; and was most recently national sales director at Nugget Casino Resort, also in Reno.
Carter has been in hospitality sales for over 20 years. He has previously served as global director of sales for Red Lion Hotels (RLH) Corporation in Spokane, as well as regional director of sales and general manager for properties managed by WestCoast Hospitality Corporation.