CVBs
Tammy Blount has been selected to lead the Monterey County (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau. For the last four years, Blount has been president and CEO of the Tacoma (Washington) Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau. She succeeds John Reyes, who was recently appointed executive vice-president and chief customer officer at the San Francisco Travel Association.
The Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Mark Zimmerman as senior vice-president of sales and marketing. Zimmerman, who was most recently a transportation consultant to the Syracuse (New York) Convention & Visitors Bureau, also has more than 30 years of hotel experience.
Neil Mullanaphy has been named senior vice-president of sales at the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau; however, he will be based in Washington, D.C. Mullanaphy has more than 26 years of sales and marketing experience and was most recently executive director of sales and marketing for the Hawaii Convention Center/SMG. He has also formerly worked for Global Experience Specialists, the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and the Atlantic City (New Jersey) Convention & Visitors Authority.
The Kansas City (Missouri) Convention & Visitors Association has appointed John Heeney as vice-president of convention sales. Heeney, who has 25 years of sales experience, most recently operated his own contract sales company, Rising Tides. He succeeds Bill Bohde, who recently resigned.
The Seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Anne Santistevan as national account director. Santistevan has spent the past 25 years with Hilton Worldwide, most recently as area director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Hotels Seattle Airport Complex.
Dan Schemm has been named director of destination sales and services at Go Wichita (Kansas). Schemm was most recently vice-president of existing business at Go Topeka (Kansas).
Jay Marsh has been appointed regional director of sales at the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau and will be based in the bureau’s Washington, D.C., office. Marsh, who served as the CVB’s director of national accounts from 2005 to 2010, was most recently director of sales for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association and was also based in that organization’s Washington, D.C., office.
The DuPage (Illinois) Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Kathryn Frerichs sales manager. She will focus on the association and government markets in Springfield, Illinois, and in Washington, D.C. Frerichs formerly was a meeting planner for the Million Dollar Round Table, an association of financial professionals based in Park Ridge, Illinois.
The Visit Oceanside (California) Conference & Visitors Bureau has named Dana Porter Higgins senior sales manager. Higgins has more than 15 years of experience, most recently as director of marketing at the Cal-a-Vie Health Spa in Vista, California.
HOSPITALITY & SUPPLIERS
Peter King has been named chief executive of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in Australia. King was previously chief executive of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales, a nonprofit advocate of Australian agriculture.
William Bos has been promoted to senior worldwide sales manager at Best Western International, Inc. Bos, who has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, first joined the company in 2008 as worldwide sales manager.
David Bernand has been named general manager of the Four Seasons Resort/Jackson Hole in Teton Village, Wyoming. Bernand was previously resort manager of the Four Seasons Resort/Scottsdale in Arizona.
Nancy Rocker has been appointed general manager of the Hotel Indigo/St. Petersburg Downtown in Florida. Rocker was most recently general manager of the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Melbourne, Florida.
Regie Brown has been appointed general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn/Carlsbad Beach in Southern California. Brown most recently worked at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California, as its rooms executive.
The Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside in Bremerton, Washington, has appointed Ken Millsap as general manager. Millsap was most recently general manager of food, beverage and catering for both the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, and the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in nearby Eatonville. His background also includes working as general manager of Tacoma’s Landmark Convention Center for six years.
Steve Sheldon has been appointed director of entertainment events for the Queen Mary, the historic ship located at the Port of Long Beach in Southern California. Sheldon was most recently marketing and special events manager for Downtown Long Beach Associates, which manages the area’s business and property-based improvement districts.
Janeka Simon has been named marketing coordinator at the Bay Gardens Resorts in Saint Lucia, which recently completed a renovation to its lobby that now allows it to accommodate groups of up to 50 for meetings. Simon previously was commercial development manager for the Hotel Chocolat in Saint Lucia.
CONSTRUCTION & EXPANSION
The Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa has opened on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, overlooking Conejos Bay. The property features 399 oceanfront guest suites, a golf course, eight restaurants, six bars and lounges, a spa, and 7,000 square feet of event space for up to 770 people.
Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, the Surfcomber Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, has reopened as a Kimpton property. It offers 186 guest rooms with eco-friendly features, 1,500 square feet of event space, a heated outdoor pool surrounded by cabanas, and direct beach access.
The 884-room JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, California, has completed a $25 million renovation in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The resort has an upgraded golf course, refreshed guest rooms and new dining options. Planners can organize events amid 53,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has completed a $6.5 million renovation to all its 508 guest rooms. The resort offers more than 12,000 square feet of indoor event space and more than 18,000 square feet of outdoor space.
The Los Angeles Ballroom at the 726-room Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Los Angeles Hotel has received a facelift. The 25,000-square-foot space, one of the largest ballrooms in the city, features new carpet, paint and wall coverings. Additionally, the room’s original 1966 chandeliers have been overhauled. The hotel has a total of 75,000 square feet of function space.
In Pennsylvania, the Radisson/Pittsburgh-Green Tree has reopened as the DoubleTree by Hilton/Pittsburgh-Green Tree. The 465-room property features 40,000 square feet of event space and plans to undergo a $16 million renovation, set for completion by year’s end
The Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina, has been rebranded the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort. The 323-room property, which offers 20,000 square feet of event space, is also slated to begin a multi-phase renovation this year.
The Swissôtel/Chicago is undergoing a $10 million project to revitalize its lobby and some of its meeting space. The new lobby plans include a new restaurant and modern design reflective of the hotel’s Swiss heritage. And the property’s more “classic” meeting space will be restyled in order to complement the more modern, 38,000-square-foot event center. The renovation is slated for completion next month.
The 87-room Inn on Fifth in downtown Naples, Florida, has begun construction on a $15 million expansion project that plans to add guest suites and meeting space as well as new shopping, entertainment and dining areas. A new three-story building is being built across the street from the hotel and is slated to include 32 club-level guest suites and an 800-square-foot executive board room The project is scheduled for completion in November. The Inn currently offers close to 8,000 square feet of event space.
AND FINALLY …
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