Read the latest roundup of U.S.-based hires and promotions in the hotel industry.
Executives
Bret McLeod
Chief financial officer
Great Wolf Resorts
Jan. 29, 2024
New hire
Experience: Prior to joining Great Wolf Resorts, McLeod served as chief financial officer for the publicly-listed company Citycon, an owner of 33 grocery-anchored shopping centers with more than 250 employees throughout the Nordic region.
Amy Howland
Senior vice president of operations
Sandpiper Hospitality
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: Howland joins Sandpiper Hospitality from the Shaner Hotel Group, where she served as a regional vice president of operations.
Mark Keiser
President of development
Viceroy Hotel Group
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: Prior to joining Viceroy, Keiser served as president and chief development officer at EOS Hospitality, where he led efforts to build its third-party management vertical.
Tiffany Lewis
Vice president of sales and marketing
Sandpiper Hospitality
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: Lewis most recently served as the corporate director of sales and business development for Magna Hospitality Group.
Austin Gardner
Vice president of business development
Staypineapple Hotels Inc.
Jan. 16, 2024
New hire
Experience: Most recently, Gardner served as regional vice president of sales for Oxford Collection Hotels, where he conducted key negotiations and led the sales organization.
General Managers
William Burpitt
General manager
Arlo Williamsburg
Brooklyn, New York
Jan. 30, 2024
New hire
Experience: Burpitt has worked for various hotel brands throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean, including Belmond hotels in Charleston, South Carolina, and St. Martin and other hotels in Miami, New England and New York City.
Mark Butler
General manager
Arlo Midtown
New York City
Jan. 30, 2024
New hire
Experience: Butler was previously the general manager at Arlo NoMad, starting in March 2021 and overseeing the hotel’s recovery from the pandemic.
Joe Kavanagh
General manager
Arlo NoMad
New York City
Jan. 30, 2024
New hire
Experience: Kavanagh previously worked for W Hotels, SLS Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Archer Hotels, and most recently served as general manager for Paramount Hotel Times Square.
Richard Tucker
General manager
Arlo SoHo
New York City
Jan. 30, 2024
Promotion
Experience: Most recently, he was hotel manager at Arlo Midtown in New York City.
Jeff Ossenkop
General manager
W San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Jan. 29, 2024
New hire
Experience: Most recently, Ossenkop was general manager at Canopy by Hilton San Francisco SoMa. Prior to moving to San Francisco, he served as general manager at The Tremont House – A Tribute Portfolio by Marriott in Galveston, Texas.
Jerry Pupillo
General manager and director of business development
The LineUp at Wai Kai
Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: Before joining The LineUp at Wai Kai, Pupillo was president and general manager of Wet ’n’ Wild in Kapolei, Hawaii, where he oversaw strategic planning, development and implementation, sales, marketing and facility operations.
Haje Roger Thurau
General manager
InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue
Bellevue, Washington
Jan. 17, 2024
New hire
Experience: Thurau is a 30-year hospitality veteran with international assignments across a variety of upscale business and leisure, convention center and resort properties in Germany, Spain, the Island of Mykonos, the Indian Ocean Islands territory and various European destinations.
Sales and Marketing
Yuko Yoshida
Director of marketing
The LineUp at Wai Kai
Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: In her most recent role, Yoshia was marketing manager at the Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Matt King
Director of sales and marketing
InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue
Bellevue, Washington
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: King has more than two decades of experience in the hospitality sector, most recently at the Lotte Hotel Seattle, where he played a role in its 2020 opening.
Food and Beverage
Brian Peterson
Executive chef
The Hermosa Inn
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Jan. 26, 2024
Returning hire
Experience: Most recently, Peterson was executive chef of the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix in 2021.
Juan Bochenski
Executive chef
Hotel Effie Sandestin
Miramar Beach, Florida
Jan. 24, 2024
New hire
Experience: Bochenski has worked at luxury resorts across the globe, including Arcis Golf in Dallas; Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club on Grant Guana Cay, Abaco, Bahamas; and Resorts & Residences by CuisinArt on Anguilla.
Oscar Gonzalez
Food and beverage director
Hard Rock Hotel New York
New York City
Jan. 24, 2024
New hire
Experience: Gonzalez brings more than a decade of experience to Hard Rock Hotel New York and has worked with hotel giants including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont San Francisco, Pelican Hill Resort, SLS and Taj Hotels.
Robyn Montes
Food and beverage director
MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa
Sonoma, California
Jan. 23, 2024
New hire
Experience: Montes previously worked at San Francisco Proper, The Alinca Group in Chicago, Nico in San Francisco and Quince Restaurant in San Francisco.
Oksana Kravcenko Dementeva
Executive pastry chef
The Ballantyne, A Luxury Collection Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: Most recently, Dementeva was pastry sous chef at The Windsor Court in New Orleans.
Mickey Lasater
Director of food and beverage
The LineUp at Wai Kai
Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Jan. 18, 2024
New hire
Experience: An industry veteran of nearly two and a half decades, Lasater will oversee all food-and-beverage operations at The LineUp at Wai Kai, including The LookOut Food & Drink.
Danmy Nguyen
Director of food and beverage
The Ballantyne, A Luxury Collection Hotel
Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan. 18, 2024
Promotion
Experience: Nguyen was promoted from director of outlets and brings 20 years of experience in food and beverage management.
Miscellaneous
Maggie Stokes
Corporate director of operations
Arlo Midtown
New York City
Jan. 30, 2024
Promotion
Experience: Stokes was previously the general manager for Arlo Midtown.
Angela Cooper
Chef concierge
InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue
Bellevue, Washington
Jan. 17, 2024
New hire
Experience: Cooper is one of only three Les Clefs d’Or members in the state of Washington.
To be included in an upcoming Hotel News Now U.S. Hires and Promotions List, email Associate Editor Trevor Simpson here.