Vanessa Abrahamson Blog: Aimbridge, Rosewood, Kempinski

Aimbridge Hospitality, Plano, Texas, has introduced a veteran of the hospitality industry Patrick Volz as Chief Operating Officer, Global Operations. Volz will contribute to Aimbridge Hospitality’s current growth trajectory through strategic development and operational expertise.

In this newly created position, Volz will oversee hotel finance and ownership relations, brand partnerships and transitions while leading Aimbridge Food & Beverage. He will report to Mark Tamis, Aimbridge President, Global Operations. “Patrick joins our operational leadership team at a pivotal time for Aimbridge Hospitality and our industry, and our shared focus on operational excellence is an important factor we will leverage as we look to the future together,” said Tamis.

With more than 25 years of global hospitality and real estate experience, Volz built his career managing day-to-day operations and providing operational and financial oversight for roles in real estate and major hospitality brands and associations. Most recently, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Hotel & Resorts, where he led asset management, revenue and e-commerce, capital deployment and all operations for BRE Hotels & Resorts, which comprised most of Blackstone’s hotel investments.

Volz has many years of experience in all hotel classes, from luxury to economy. Prior to Blackstone, he was Chief Financial Officer of The Americas at Hilton Worldwide, leading all aspects of the operational finance organization including performance reporting, operational and capital budgeting, cash flow management, forecasting and ROI analysis. In this role, he also led key decisions and strategies in revenue management and e-commerce, F&B, Zimmer, sales and marketing, and ancillary departments. He spent the first decade of his career at Marriott International, holding positions of increasing responsibility. He was also Executive Vice President and CFO of the National Restaurant Association.

“The evolution we are seeing in today’s industry opens doors to new opportunities every day and joining Aimbridge Hospitality means harnessing that energy to ensure the best returns for our owners while also focusing on excellence in operations and strengthening our team,” said Volz. “Aimbridge has an industry-leading operations team of which I am proud. I look forward to working closely with our teams around the world to maximize our processes and potential.”

Left to right: Elizabeth Uber (Extended Stay America), Patrick Volz (Aimbridge Hospitality), Marcus Freminot (Avani) and Richard Alexander (The Lanai).

corporate governance

Peter Palli has joined IHG Hotels & Resorts, Atlanta, Georgia, as Senior Vice President of Property, Owner and Stay Experience Products and Platforms. Previously, Palli served as Chief Commercial Officer at Omni Hotels and Resorts in Dallas, Texas.

Extended Stay America, Charlotte, North Carolina, has hired three industry veterans to join its leadership team. Elizabeth About will join the company as Chief Operating Officer. Uber most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Aimbridge Hospitality, Plano, Texas. mike moore stepped in as chief human resources officer. Most recently, he held the same role at G6 Hospitality. John Laplante is the new Chief Information Officer. He also joined G6 Hospitality where he has held the same role as well as other IT leadership positions for more than 10 years.

McKibbon Hospitality, Tampa, Florida Michael Thomas from director of business intelligence and technology to vice president of business intelligence and technology.

Main Street Hospitality, Stockbridge, Massachusetts Jennifer Usaty as the new vice president of finance. Most recently, Usaty served as Regional Finance Director at Auberge Resorts.

Rosewood Hotel Group, Hong Kong, China Frederic Vidal Vice President of Operations for Americas after serving as Regional Vice President overseeing five of the collection’s objects across America.

Managing Director, Managing Director

Dorchester Collection, London, England Richard Alexander as General Manager for The Lanai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Alexander joined us after five years in General Manager positions in the Bahamas.

Kempinski Hotel Frankfurt welcomed Kai Behrens as managing director and Frank Fuhrman as deputy managing director. Most recently, Behrens was General Manager at Kempinski Hotel Palace Portorož, Slovenia, while Fuhrmann previously served as Executive Assistant Manager at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Germany.

Eagle Mountain House & Golf Club, Jackson, New Hampshire added Joel Bourassa as general director. Most recently, Bourassa was Chief Operating Officer of The Berry Companies, North Conway, New Hampshire.

The Inn on Fifth & Club Level Suites, a property owned by Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Naples, Florida has leased Mary Hamilton as general director. Previously, Hamilton was the resort manager of Jekyll Island Club Resort, Georgia.

Oliver Kuehn has been appointed General Manager of the Kempinski Seychelles Resort Baie Lazare. Most recently, he had a pre-opening residency at the Grand Hotel Kempinski, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Prominence Hospitality Group, Chicago, Illinois Alain Lorminier as General Manager of Avid Hotels Zeeland, Michigan and promoted Jason Wilcox to the position of General Manager at Homewood Suites by Hilton Philadelphia-Valley Forge, Audubon, Pennsylvania. Lorminier has worked in the hospitality industry since 2006, starting as a front desk clerk and working his way up to the position of General Manager. Wilcox is an internal promotion and is from Prominence’s Hampton Inn Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf St. Barth William Numa as the new managing director. In his last role, Numa managed the Quatrième Mur in the Bordeaux region of France.

Big Cypress Lodge, Memphis, Tennessee has selected Romain Scott as hotel manager. Scott previously served as director of training and development and director of housekeeping and laundry at The Peabody Memphis.

Food & Drinks

Oaken Bistro + Bar, Lake Forest, Illinois welcomed Christian Alexander as the new chef. Most recently, Alejandro was Executive Corporate Chef at Veritas Lux Mae.

Grand Hotel Cancún by Kempinski, Mexico, sponsored Rene Kamelo from executive sous chef to executive chef.

Azerai Can Tho, Vietnam, has appointed Bernardo Cabrera as the new chef. Cabrera’s previous experiences include three Michelin star restaurants Ryu Gin in Japan and Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Markus Freminot has taken on the role of Executive Chef at Avani+ Luang Prabang Hotel, Laos. Freminot has over eight years of experience and a career that has taken him across the globe from the Seychelles to Oman.

The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio has welcomed Ron Mays as a chef. Mays most recently held this role at Caroline with White Lodging and the Luxury Otis Hotel & AC in Austin, Texas.

The St. Regis Venice, Italy has welcomed Giuseppe Ricci as a chef. Previously, Ricci worked with Hiraki Masakazu at the Hotel Bauer Palazzo and later at the historic Hotel Danieli, both in Venice.

Eagle Mountain House & Golf Club, Jackson, New Hampshire, has announced the addition of Stan Shepherd as a chef. Most recently, he entered restaurant management as a bar manager at 99 Restaurant, North Conway, New Hampshire.

Epicurean Atlanta, Georgia welcomed Heinrich Tapia as the new chef. Most recently, he held the position of executive chef at the Le Méridien Atlanta Perimeter.

Sales & Marketing

Sage Hospitality Group, Denver, Colorado Colin Bennett as Vice President of Sales and Marketing overseeing the Maven Hotel on the Dairy Block and the Rally Hotel on McGregor Square in downtown Denver. Bennett was Director of Group Sales at JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek, now Hotel Clio, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Denver Cherry Creek, Colorado.

Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Virginia Lesly Connolly national sales manager. Most recently, Connolly served as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Doubletree by Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg.

Prominence Hospitality Group, Chicago, Illinois welcomed Jack Jones as Area Director of Sales for the Pennsylvania region. Most recently, he served as Group Sales Manager and Director of Sales for two Courtyard by Marriott locations.

McKibbon Hospitality, Tampa, Florida Lynn Prater from senior vice president of sales and marketing to executive vice president of revenue generation.

Other

Mauna Lani, Hawaii welcomed the industry leader Ross Birch as Managing Director of Mauna Lani Golf. Previously, Birch was executive director of the Hawaii Island Visitors Bureau.

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