CVBs

Tampa Bay & Company has named Kelly Miller as its new president and CEO. Miller spent the past 12 years as executive director of the Asheville (North Carolina) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He succeeds Paul Catoe, who retired on October 31.

The Austin (Texas) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Steve Genovesi as its senior vice-president of sales. Genovesi joins the Austin CVB after working as vice-president of sales and marketing for the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visit Oakland (California) has appointed Myra Howay as director of sales. Howay was previously senior sales manager at the Claremont Resort & Spa in Berkeley, California. She has also been sales manager at Mark Hopkins InterContinental in San Francisco.

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed two new members to its sales team. Katie Bender has been appointed Midwest national account sales director and Dan Miller has been named executive director of hotel sales. Bender most recently was Midwest regional citywide director for the Toronto Convention & Visitors Association. Miller previously served as director of sales at the Hyatt Regency/Philadelphia at Penn's Landing.

In California, Team San Jose has made two new appointments. Troy Karnoff has been named director of Midwest sales and will head its office in Chicago. Kathryn Morgan has been named the senior national sales manager for the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic regions and will be based in Washington, D.C. Karnoff was recently director of Midwest hotel sales for LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Morgan was recently senior sales manager at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The York County (South Carolina) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Rebekah Ardis as meeting sales manager. Ardis was most recently regional group sales manager for Courtyard by Marriott properties in Rock Hill and Columbia, South Carolina, as well as in Matthews, North Carolina.

The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed two new sales managers. Barry David Jr. has been named express sales manager and Christopher Havins has been named destination sales manager. David previously served as the event services manager for convention, sports and entertainment facilities at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Alamodome in San Antonio. Havins previously worked as a convention sales manager for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

 

HOSPITALITY & SUPPLIERS

The Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa on the Big Island of Hawaii has named Steven Lindburg as area managing director and general manager. He previously served as general manager of the Waldorf Astoria in Park City, Utah. Before that, he was general manager of the Hilton/Salt Lake City Center.

Jim Heather has been selected as the general manager for the Keauhou Beach Resort, an Outrigger hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. Heather previously was general manager of the Courtyard/Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. He has also been general manager of the Outrigger Kanaloa at Kona.

The Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal/Orlando has appointed Diane Petit as general manager. Petit was most recently the executive assistant manager at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, also at Universal/Orlando.

Philip Barnes has returned as general manger of the Fairmont Pacific Rim and regional vice-president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in the Pacific Northwest. Barnes left the position in 2007 to serve as Fairmont's regional vice-president for the Middle East. He later was Fairmont's regional vice-president of the United Arab Emirates and general manager of the Fairmont/Dubai.

Michael Ryan has been named hotel manager of the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC Hotel, the flagship property of the New York City–based Gansevoort Hotel Group. Ryan was most recently director of the front office at the Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC Hotel.

Anne Dunlavy has been promoted to director of sales and marketing at the JW Marriott/Indianapolis Downtown. Dunlavy first joined the property in 2001 as part of its pre-opening sales team. She has been its regional director of sales since 2007.

Lisa Jones has returned to the Hilton Americas-Houston as assistant director of sales, a position she had held from 2004–2007. Jones, who has 25 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, was most recently director of sales and marketing for the Embassy Suites/Houston Downtown.

The Paragon Casino Resort, which is located in Marksville, Louisiana, has named Cherye McGowen as its group sales representative. McGowen was previously director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Inn Suites & Conference Center in Alexandria, Louisiana.

The Founders Inn & Spa in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has appointed three new group sales managers: Dwayne King, previously group sales manager at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa in Long Branch, New Jersey; Alexandra Horton, a recent graduate of Michigan State University who is trained in conference service planning; and Terrance Frederick, previously group sales manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Williamsburg, Virginia.

 

CONSTRUCTION & EXPANSION

The Hyatt Regency/New Orleans has celebrated its grand reopening following a $275 million redesign. The hotel now offers 1,193 upgraded guest rooms, and an upcoming restaurant run by award-winning chef John Besh; and 200,000 square feet of event space.

The new Embassy Suites/St. Louis Downtown has opened with 212 guest suites and event space for up to 300. The hotel is adjacent to the America's Center Convention Complex.

San Antonio's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center has completed its 20,000-square-foot Plaza Acequia, which can accommodate groups of up to 1,500. It is part of the center's $40 million renovation project, which also included the Lonesome Dove Room, a refurbished 2,400-seat Lila Cockrell Theatre, and an enhanced, eco-friendly facility.

The Bahia Mar Beach Resort & Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been renovated and rebranded as the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach, now a DoubleTree by Hilton property. All of the hotel's 296 guest rooms and suites have been refurbished.

The 649-room Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona, has opened a new $20 million conference center, increasing the property's total event space to 150,000 square feet.

In Los Angeles, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites has completed its renovation project. Upgrades were made to the hotel's 1,354 guest rooms, public areas, lobby, restaurant, lounges, outdoor pool and its more than 130,000 square feet of meeting space.

Work is under way on a new event center at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The new center is slated to open in May 2012 with 50,000 square feet of space.

Visitors to Sacramento, California, are now being welcomed through the city's new front door: a brand new, $1 billion terminal at Sacramento International Airport. Central Terminal B consists of two buildings and serves passengers for seven airlines with 19 gates. Other features include a people-mover, free Wi-Fi and retail and dining options.

 

IN MEMORIUM

Robert Wayne Brinton, president & CEO of the Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau in Arizona for more than 25 years, passed away on October 21. Inducted into the Arizona Office of Tourism Hall of Fame in 2009, he served two terms as Cactus League President, president of the Mesa HoHokams and was Mesa Man of the Year. Brinton leaves behind his wife, Nanette, and eight children. A scholarship fund to aid East Valley Institute of Technology hospitality students has been set up in Brinton's name. For further details, visit visitmesa.com/robert-brinton/.