Hoteliers On The Move, January 2018

Who’s doing what:
John Vasatka is Anguilla-based ceo Tim Reynolds’ Ani Villas and Art Academies • Markland Blaiklock is deputy ceo Centara • Jörg Böckeler is coo Dorint • Martina Maly-Gaertner is coo Arabella Hospitality • Kellyn Smith Kenny moves from Uber to be cmo Hilton • Laurent Picheral is ceo Europe, AccorHotels • Daniel Ruff is svp global ops Belmond (Philippe Cassis is svp organizational support) • Kurt Straub is vp ops Africa, Middle East, SW Asia Hyatt (Sanjay Sharma heads India) • Tim Cordon is area svp Middle East, Turkey & Africa Carlson Rezidor • Henry Lee is md China, Marriott (ceo China Stephen Ho retires) • At Marriott Luxury, Jenni Benzaquen is vp Europe and Bruce Ryde is vp Asia-Pacific • At Mövenpick, Amir Lababedi heads Europe, North Africa; Mark Willis has Asia-Pacific (Andrew Langton heads development, Andreas Mattmüller retires).

Heddo Siebs opens 180-room Addis Ababa Hyatt Regency (Ali Albwardy bought MA Kharafi’s project for  $25 million) • Carmine Iommazzo opens 613-room Anaheim CA Westin • Nourdine El Yafi opens 293-room Bahrain Jumeirah Royal Saray • Beth Brainard opens 107-room Baltimore MD Revival Mount Vernon Place, Joie de Vivre • Arno Nicolussi Moretto opens 393-room Shanghai Primus Hongqiao, Preferred • Nathaniel Frailberger opens 269r Montreal Monville, Preferred • Hans Luther opens the Unscripted Durham located in North Carolina • Jane Lyons opens M&L Hospitality’s 182-room Sydney West Hotel, Curio • Matthieu Reynaud opens 195-room Bangkok Dream Hotel • Peter Tziahanas opens 191-room Nashville TN Holston House, Unbound • Roop Kumar opens 66-room Kashmir Welcomhotel Pine N Peak Pahalgam • Jun Yoshie opens Mitsui Fudosan’s 360-room Okinawa Halekulani, Champalimaud design • Jaitly Amit opens 86-room London Victory House, MGallery, originally built 1898 as the theatrical de l’Europe • Stacy Martin opens TCH Altera’s 300-room Dallas Delta Allen Watters Creek Convention Center, Benchmark-managed, for Marriott • Pep Lozano opens Citterio-designed 220-room Dubai Bulgari • Anne Scott opens 350-room Dubai W – The Palm • Ed Brea opens Jewelry Luck Group’s 219-room Yangon Heritage Kempinski, former Strand Road Police Commissioner’s Office • Christian Wiegandt opens 310-room Muscat Kempinski, designer HBA • Lee Kelly re-opens 26-room Bray UK Monkey Island (after a mega-YTL spend that includes a 30-meter spa pontoon) • Noel Daniel flags 89-room Telluride CO Madeline as Auberge • Mark Driscoll deflags 318-room Washington DC Crowne Plaza, now Hamilton.

Other md/gms: Peter Bowling Los Angeles Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills • Holger Schroth Munich Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten • Mike Waddill Paradise Valley AZ Andaz Scottsdale • Madhav Sehgal Delhi Andaz • Federico Mantoani Dubai Park Hyatt • Mark Lyons Shanghai Park Hyatt • Carl Duggan Qingdao Hyatt Regency • David Nadelman Garden Grove CA Hyatt Regency Orange County • David Frenser Frankfurt Roomers • Pascal Rueegg Zurich Airport Mövenpick • Grant Dipman Deer Valley UT St Regis • Gabriel Peres Miami Beach Washington Park • Greg Polino Miami W Hotel • Nicholas Granger Courchevel Les Grandes Alpes.

Royal Rowe Chengdu Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain • Mehdi Zaanoun Casablanca Four Seasons • Axel Gasser Doha Mondrian • Laurent Boisdron Manila Conrad • Andreas Zeitler Jena Maxx • Matthias Dittmeier Jena Steigenberger Esplanade • Christopher Moore Kuala Lumpur Sheraton Petaling Jaya • Timothy Kelly Dubai Atlantis • Kori Johnson Washington DC Mayflower, Autograph • Mathew Pargament Miami ME • Kenneth Jacques New Orleans AC Hotel • Tony Phillips Tucson AZ Loews Ventana Canyon Resort • Robert Rivers Boston Loews Boston • Hans Ritten Chicago O’Hare Loews • Jim Marino Chicago Radisson Blu Aqua • Richard Graham Kansas City Fontaine • Jay Lee Seoul Millennium Hilton (Eric Swanson may farm, or paint) • Rafael Arjona Mayakoba Fairmont • Robert-Jan Woltering Maui Fairmont Kea Lani • Jan Tibaldi Maldives One&Only Reethi Rah.

©Mary Gostelow 2018   (Mary Gostelow has been producing the monthly Gostelow Report market intelligence newsletter since 1992, gostelow@aol.com)