CVBs

The Ocala/Marion County (Florida) Visitors & Convention Bureau has named Matthew Dunn executive director. Dunn previously led the bureau’s group and sports marketing efforts. He was formerly associate executive director of the Gainesville (Florida) Sports Commission and membership sales manager at the Orlando-based Florida Citrus Sports, which organizes events and promotes tourism in Central Florida. He succeeds Ann Sternal, who recently retired.

The Providence Warwick (Rhode Island) Convention & Visitors Bureau has promoted Kristin McGrath to vice-president of sales and services. McGrath, who first joined the bureau in 2005, was previously its director of sales. She has also worked as director of association sales at the Westin/Copley Place in Boston and as national sales manager for the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Macon-Bibb County (Georgia) Convention & Visitors Bureau has made two new appointments. Robin North has been named vice-president of convention sales and services, and Megan Drew has been named convention sales manager. North was previously national sales manager at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and director of sales and marketing for the Georgia International Convention Center. Drew was previously communications director for the Clayton County (Georgia) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Ruben Perez director of sales. Perez spent the past 15 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, most recently as director of group sales for two Westin hotels in Dallas. Prior to that, he was global account executive for Starwood’s global sales office in New York City.

Seattle’s Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Kelly Peiffer national account director for its Midwest office. Peiffer was most recently national account executive for Visit Milwaukee (Wisconsin). She has also managed that organization’s Washington, D.C., satellite office.

Matt Meunier has been named national account executive at Meet Minneapolis, the city’s official convention and visitors association. Meunier was previously associate director of sports development at the Bloomington (Minnesota) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Frisco (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau has made two new appointments. LaChelle Evans has been promoted to the newly created position of senior sales manager, and Maureen Gutierrez has been hired as sales manager. Evans has been with the bureau for five years and almost 20 years of experience working in the hospitality industry. Gutierrez spent more than 12 years working in sales and strategy with the Farmers Branch (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Ted Pennison as senior sales manager and Sharon Sibley as convention sales manager. Pennison previously worked at the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau as director of convention sales. In the past he also worked at the New Orleans CVB in various positions including senior sales manager. Sibley worked for the New Orleans CVB from 2003 to 2006 as membership services coordinator.

Alanna Keene has joined the Go Wichita (Kansas) Convention & Visitors Bureau as destination sales coordinator. Keene was previously part of the sales support team for the Wichita Eagle newspaper and interactive coordinator for the paper’s website, Kansas.com.

The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission has named Jani Torrence national convention sales manager. Torrence was previously corporate sales manager for the Greater St. Charles (Missouri) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prior to that, she was trade association and government sales manager for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts in Springfield, Missouri.

HOSPITALITY & SUPPLIERS

The Cumming-Forsyth County (Georgia) Chamber of Commerce has appointed Anna Brostrom as director of tourism development. Brostrom was most recently sports and group sales manager at the Alpharetta (Georgia) Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she worked for 10 years.

David Peckinpaugh has been named president of Maritz Travel Company, a provider of meeting, event and incentive travel programs based in St Louis, Missouri. Peckinpaugh was previously vice-president of business development for HelmsBriscoe, an event planning company. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau and chief marketing officer at event planning company Experient Inc.

The new Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa, scheduled to open in spring 2012 in Carlsbad, California, has made two appointments: Robert Moore has been named general manager, and Kathy Van Vechten has been named vice-president of sales and marketing. Additionally, both will work—in their appointed positions—for the Hilton Carlsbad’s sister property, the Hilton Garden Inn/Carlsbad Beach. Moore has worked for Hilton Hotels since 1983. Van Vechten was previously vice-president of sales and marketing at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Charles Watts has been named general manager of the Holiday Inn/Beaumont Plaza in Beaumont, Texas. Watts was previously assistant general manager and food and beverage director at the Marriott Houston South at Hobby Airport.

Lauren Teranishi has been appointed general manager of the Kona Reef Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. Teranishi was most recently a branch rental manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. 

On the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, the Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa has appointed Jahangir Hadjmohammadreza as general manager. Hadjmohammadreza has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has been general manager for several properties, including the Casino Aztar Hotel in Evansville, Indiana, and the Wyndham/Chicago.

The Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, has promoted Calvin Belknap to resort manager. Belknap has been the property’s executive director of food and beverage for the past five years.

Marc Cassier has been named executive director of conference services and catering for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Cassier spent the past nine years with Starwood Hotels; most recently, he was director of catering and convention services at the Westin/Charlotte in North Carolina.

Jeffrey Barry has been named director of sales at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, located in Greensboro, Georgia, on Lake Oconee. Barry was most recently senior national sales manager at the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He has also worked as both sales manager and catering and convention services manager for the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.

The Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, has appointed Kim Martinez as director of sales. Martinez was previously director of sales and the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Point Clear, Alabama.

Bob McPherrin has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. McPherrin’s more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry includes working as assistant executive director at the Grapevine (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau and as vice-president of sales and marketing at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine.

Shirley Dunn Hanks has been appointed director of sales and marketing at Capella Pedregal, a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She was previously director of sales and marketing at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas.

Stephanie Snapkoski has been named director of sales and marketing for the Hilton/McLean-Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia. Snapkoski was most recently director of sales and marketing at the Hilton/Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia.

Rori Coombs has been appointed director of national sales for the Southeast and Northeast regions at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Coombs was most recently a meeting planner for the Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners. Prior to that, Coombs was a sales executive for several resorts including the Atlantis/Paradise Island in the Bahamas; the Ritz-Carlton/Palm Beach in Manalapan, Florida; and the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu has promoted Charles Keegan from manager of catering and conference services to director of catering and conference services. Prior to joining the property in 2006, Keegan was a catering assistant at the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel, also located in Honolulu.

In Tampa, Florida, the InterContinental Hotel has named Matt Kido executive meeting manager.  Most recently Kido worked as a convention service manager at the Crowne Plaza/Tampa East.

CONSTRUCTION & EXPANSION

The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower Panama has opened in Punta Pacifica, Panama, with 369 guest rooms and suites and 46,000 square feet of event space, including a ballroom. Other amenities include a spa and fitness center, a casino and a private beach club with 18 holes of golf, reached via catamaran service. The hotel is located just five minutes from the financial district of Panama City and 15 minutes from the international airport.  

The new Sands Hotel has opened at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. All 300 guest rooms feature Internet access and HD flat-screen televisions. Other hotel amenities include an indoor pool and fitness room and more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space and 3,000 square feet of pre-function and exhibit space.

The Embassy Suites/Ontario-Airport has opened in Southern California. The 175-suite hotel features 5,300 square feet of meeting space, complimentary Internet access, a restaurant and lounge, a business center and an indoor pool and fitness center.

In downtown San Diego, the Westin/Gaslamp Quarter has completed upgrades to its 450 guest rooms, enhancing them with a new color palette and amenities, including a refrigerator and multi-use table. The upgrades are part of a larger $25 million renovation, scheduled for completion in 2012. Renovations of the hotel’s 35,000 square feet of event space are set to take place later this year.

In Hawaii, the Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas has completed a $1.6 million renovation that includes a refurbished lobby and brand-new function space. Its 1,386-square-foot Honu Room can seat up to 60 theater-style and opens onto a lanai that can be used for receptions of up to 35. There is also a garden setting for up to 150 people and a smaller conference room that can accommodate up to 25. The beachfront property, part of the Kaanapali Resort area, has 260 rooms and 5,773 square feet of total meeting space.

Construction of the 21-story Omni/Nashville is underway in this Tennessee city. The $250 million hotel is being built downtown, across from the new 1.2 million-square-foot Music City Center; both are slated to open in 2013 with LEED certification. Hotel plans include 800 guest rooms and more than 80,000 square feet of event space.

AND FINALLY…

The Tourism Ambassador Institute has presented Liz Murphy with its annual Star Award, which recognizes excellence among members of its Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) program. Murphy, a Missouri historian who has been a CTA since 2006, works as a historical interpreter, historian and archive librarian for the Jesse James Farm & Museum, a historic site in Kearney, Missouri. The CTA program educates members on how to enhance their area’s visitor experience, teaching the importance of tourism and their role in the destination’s brand. For more information on the program, visit ctanetwork.com.