Paul Turner
San Diego Convention Center appoints Turner as general manager. He previously served as vice president of venue management and entertainment operations for Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas. He has over three decades of experience in venue management at performing arts centers, arenas and stadiums. In this new role, he will all event management, venue operations, public safety and guest service at the 2.6 million-square-foot waterfront property.
Jitter Garcia
Entire Productions welcomes Garcia as their new vice president of operations. Garcia will work to further elevate the company’s reputation as a leader in the experiential event and entertainment industry. Over the past decade, she has established an illustrious career through a lasting tenure at TelevisaUnivision. She possesses fine-tuned expertise in strategic event planning, experiential marketing, brand activation and working with the media, lifestyle and entertainment sectors.
Yuni Hunter
Hunter joins AC Hotel Irvine as general manager. She will draw on her 16 years of experience in senior hospitality management roles to oversee and manage all of the hotel’s daily operations. Throughout her career, she has overseen numerous hotel openings, renovations and reactivations, including those that occurred throughout the particularly challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has held previous general manager roles at Springhill Suites Huntington Beach by Marriott, Interstate Hotels, AC Marriott Beverly Hills and more.
Laura McIver
McIver takes on the role of general manager at Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection. She will oversee all resort operations, including culinary, experiential, meetings and events and resort teams and uphold the resort’s outstanding reputation as an esteemed Napa Valley property. Throughout her 15 years of experience in general manager roles, she has served Miraval Resorts in Arizona, Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica and most recently Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, a Relais and Châteaux in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Kimberly Forte and Lauren Rawlins
Forte enters the role of director of group sales at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. She first joined the resort in 2019 as a senior sales executive and earlier served as a sales executive at Marriott International, Western Mountain Pacific. She has worked with Marriott for over a decade. In this new role, Forte will oversee the resort’s portfolio of corporate groups and aim to maximize sales and hotel revenue by developing and maintaining client business relationships and representing the hotel at customer events, trade shows and more.
At her side will be Rawlins as director of leisure sales. She, too, joined the resort as a senior sales executive, in 2021. She brings over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry as well as a special connection to the location, having grown up in Oahu. Throughout her career, she has worked at various properties in Koloa and Honolulu and served as director of sales & marketing at Hyatt Centric Waikiki. In this role, she will focus on overseeing and maintaining relationships with key travel agents and partners by providing indispensable industry leadership.
Daniel Haughan
Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island, the first beachfront property in the Margaritaville portfolio, has named Haughan general manager. He most recently worked with Summit Hospitality Group in Nashville, Tennessee. Earlier in his career, he served in general manager roles at Canopy by Hilton in San Antonio and Homewood Suites in Moab, Utah.
Haleigh Hildebrand and Ashley McNeil
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) expands their leadership team first with the promotion of McNeil to the role of vice president, federal affairs. She previously served as AHLA’s senior director of federal affairs. In her new role, she will oversee AHLA’s efforts to maintain and build its strong connections to federal policymakers on behalf of hoteliers across the country.
Alongside McNeil, Hildebrand is promoted to vice president, campaigns & political strategy. Prior to this promotion, she was AHLA’s senior director of government & political affairs. As vice president, campaigns & political strategy, Hildebrand will guide AHLA in building grassroots and grasstops programs aimed to support a healthy, growing hotel industry.
Graeme Freeman
Freeman joined JOALI BEING during its pre-opening stages as part of the team to commence a new era of wellbeing in the Maldivian tourism industry. Now, he has assumed the role of general manager. Throughout his career, he has worked in managerial roles at properties the Maldives, Thailand and more. He possesses expertise in bringing operational goals to fruition, team member professional development and guest engagement and satisfaction.
Sofia Vandaele
Vandaele takes on the role of regional director of operations, luxury and lifestyle at InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel. She will work to helm the brand’s strategic direction and promote brand awareness of both this property and InterContinental Times Square. In addition to holding over 25 years of experience, she serves on numerous boards, including IHG Americas DE&I, Hotel Association of NYC and New York, Tourism & Conventions.
César Moreno
Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya appoints Moreno as general manager. He will manage every aspect of the resort, from its 214 guestrooms and suites to its Naum Wellness & Spa, four distinct restaurants and event space. Moreno has held general manager roles with Hyatt for over 20 years. Most recently, he served as general manager at Hyatt Regency Andares Guadalajara, successfully overseeing the hotel’s 2016 launch.
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