Scott Cochran and Kitty Chau
Cochran is complex general manager and Chau is complex director of sales and marketing for dual-property Le Meridien and Element Salt Lake City Downtown.
Cochran comes from W Aspen in Colorado, where he worked as director of operations. He has also worked as director of food and beverage for Two Roads Hospitality’s properties in Stowe, Vermont, and director of food and beverage at a Starwood Hotels & Resorts property in Aspen.
Chau previously worked at Aloft Denver Downtown, where she held the position of director of sales. Prior to this, she worked as area associate director of sales for Marriott International’s Aloft, Residence Inn and Courtyard Denver Airport at Gateway Park.
Juan Samso
Samso is managing director for Qatar’s Rosewood Doha. Samso most recently worked with Marriott International as general manager for JW Marriott Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. He has also worked as general manager for The St. Regis Zhuhai in Guangdong, China, and pre-opening general manager for The Ritz-Carlton Jiuzhaigou in China.
Anya Buitrago
Hotel La Compania in Casco Antiguo, Panama, named Buitrago director of sales and marketing. Most recently, Buitrago was director of sales for Grupo VerdeAzul in Panama. She has also worked as director of sales and marketing for Sheraton Bijao Beach Resort in Cocle, Panama, and international sales director for Hard Rock Panama Megapolis in Panama City.
Chris Connelly
Connelly is senior director of sales for Visit Seattle. Connelly was previously area director of group and transient sales for Hyatt Hotels’ three downtown locations: Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Olive 8. His 11-year career has also included roles with Hyatt in Chicago, San Francisco and San Diego.
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Kasey Conner
Conner is director of sales and marketing for The Ballantyne, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Charlotte in North Carolina. Before this, she was director of sales and marketing at Nines, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Portland, Oregon—in 2020, she was awarded Leader of the Year at the property. She has also worked as area director of sales and marketing for three Remington Hotels properties, as well as five Starwood Hotels and Resorts properties in Key West, Florida.
Heather McCargo
McCargo is marketing manager of communications and events for ATL Airport District. She previously worked as standards and practices editor for Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Discovery in Atlanta. McCargo also previously taught fifth grade at Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia.
Victoria McDowell and Nick Guzzetta
McDowell is director of rooms and Guzzetta is director of banquets for Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, California.
McDowell comes from The Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, California, where she worked as director of rooms. She has also worked as hotel manager at Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, membership sales and service manager for Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, and director of guest services at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Guzzetta previously worked at Montage Laguna Beach in California as director of banquets. While at Montage, Guzzetta also worked as director of Hearts of Montage, a volunteer organization that fundraises for the local community.
Rebekah Courtney
Courtney is convention sales manager for Louisville Tourism. She previously worked as special events and promotions supervisor for Caesars Southern Indiana.
Bayan Sabermanesh
Florida’s The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota named Sabermanesh executive assistant manager and director of operations, rooms. Sabermanesh worked for The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta over the last five years as executive director of operations, rooms. Sabermanesh began his career with The Ritz-Carlton in 2004 as a laundry valet for The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta.
Since then, he has also worked in numerous operational positions, including front house manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne in Florida.
Danielle Kambic, DMCP
Kambic is director of sales in Washington, D.C., at CSI DMC. Kambic brings 18 years of experience in destination management, sales and operations to her new role, most recently as senior manager of alliance partnerships for Cvent. She has also worked as general manager for Hello! and account executive for Kuoni, destination management companies in Washington, D.C.
