Hotel and Resort News and Notes for February 2025

While most big hotel news is covered by TMR’s team and hosted on its Hotels and Resort homepage, some smaller news bits deserve attention. Below you can find rolling hotel news bites from the last four weeks that travel advisors, industry professionals, and frequent travelers should know about. 

Ace Hotels’ New Executive Leadership 
Beauty & Essex Restaurant to Open at Mohegan Sun 
Club Quarters Hotels Launches Apple and Google Wallet Room Keys 
Dreams Curacao Launches New Adults-Only Preferred Beachfront Experience 
Hilton Partners with Calm App for In-Room Meditations 
Four Seasons Appoints New Executive VP  
JW Marriott Scottsdale Appoints New Resort Manager 
MasterChef Junior Experience Comes to Dreams Resorts & Spas 
New Area Director of Sales & Marketing at Kimpton Hotel Monaco DC, Kimpton George 
New General Manager at The Cove, Atlantis Paradise Island 
Palladium Hotel Group Launches New Brand in Ibiza with Europe’s First Hell’s Kitchen 
Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha Appoint a Managing Director 
Reservations Open for Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton 
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Launches Reimagined Signature Restaurant 
Westgate Resorts’ New Leadership Team 
White Elephant Aspen Names New Managing Director 

Ace Group International has a new leadership team to spearhead the hotel group’s continued expansion. The company has announced the appointment of Chris Penn, the former Ace Hotel London managing director, as CEO; Mostafa Abdella as COO; and Meriem Soliman as chief brand officer. 

A new restaurant will open on Feb. 7 at the beloved Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Beauty & Essex, which will soon hold a grand opening party, will serve global cuisine in a sophisticated atmosphere with a speakeasy vibe inside the hotel and casino. 

A first in the hotel industry, Club Quarters Hotels has launched digital room keys in Apple and Google Wallets brand wide. Guests can now add their room key from their reservation confirmation email directly to their phones without the need to download an extra app. 

Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino has just opened a new adults-only beach club. Il Mare Adults-Only Preferred Club is a section of 52 bungalows, within walking distance of the main resort, that will offer elevated amenities such as butler service, a private infinity pool, an à la carte Mediterranean restaurant, Battelino. 

With 82% of U.S. consumers citing wellness as a top priority, Hilton has partnered with Calm to provide guests with the app’s premium meditations, sleep stories, and mindfulness content. The Connected Room Experience (CREx) is now available at more than 2,400 Hilton hotels. 

Keisha Smith has joined Four Seasons as the company’s executive vice president and chief people and culture officer. Smith previously held high ranking human resources roles at Tory Burch, News Corp, and Morgan Stanley. 

JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa has appointed Sarah Christie Rydell as its new resort manager. She brings nearly 25 years of hospitality experience and previously held various operational roles within Marriott, supporting multiple property openings such as W Aspen, W Nashville, and W Philadelphia. 

Younger guests ages 6 to 12 can now enjoy an exciting culinary experience at participating Dreams Resorts and Spas locations. The FOX culinary competition series MasterChef Junior’s winners and producers have curated the program, which will run for a limited time at the resorts. 

Kelsey Jones is the new area director of sales & marketing for Kimpton Hotel Monaco DC and Kimpton George in Washington, D.C. The two hotels also have a new area general manager, Stephane Vogel. 

The Cove, Atlantis Paradise Island has appointed Eric Segreti as its new general manager. Segreti has more than 15 years of industry experience and was previously vice president of rooms at Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. 

Palladium Hotel Group is gearing up to launch a new brand, The Unexpected Hotels, in Ibiza in time for the 2025 summer season after building renovations. The Unexpected Ibiza Hotel will have Europe’s first Hell’s Kitchen restaurant by Gordon Ramsey. 

Andrew Steele has been appointed general manager of Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha. He brings more than three decades of experience, most recently serving as the general manager of Raffles Istanbul. 

Bookings are now open for the highly anticipated Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton. The brand-new beachfront resort will open on June 30 and feature a kids and teens club, a rooftop pool, a waterpark, and more. 

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has debuted a reimagined Salt restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in North Florida. The revamp includes a new dining room, expanded lounge, new private dining areas including an ocean view pergola, and new menus. 

Westgate Resorts has an all-new leadership team with new hires and executive promotions that include Mitch Less as COO, John Willman as CFO, Jared Saft as chief business and strategy officer, and several new senior vice presidents. 

Justin Todd is the new managing director of White Elephant Aspen. He brings more than two decades of luxury hospitality management experience with past leadership roles at W Aspen, The St. Regis Aspen and The St. Regis Deer Valley, The Little Nell, and Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole & Residences.