Jessie Malpica and Stephanie Lapsley
With 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including nearly a decade at Ritz-Carlton hotels, Malpica looks forward to serving as the director of operations of the first Ritz-Carlton property in the Pacific Northwest, The Ritz-Carlton Portland. In this role, he will develop departmental strategies and implement the Ritz-Carlton’s key luxury brand initiatives.
As director of sales and marketing at The Ritz-Carlton Portland, Lapsley will lead efforts to build, acquire and maintain talent across all the property’s divisions. She has 26 years of experience with Marriott and 6 with The Ritz-Carlton brand. At the Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Francisco, she successfully led a full re-positioning of the hotel through its 2015-2016 renovation.
Jeanette Spain
Spain is director of marketing and public relations to oversee all promotional facets of Whim Hospitality’s numerous branches, including large-scale event management across Camp Lucy’s upscale 41-room resort, restaurant and four wedding venues. She most recently consulted local Dripping Springs businesses and oversaw communications initiatives for the U.S. Air Force for 27 years.
Adriana Molina
Molina joins Meeting Priorities as vice president of strategic partnerships. She brings extensive experience and a background in key hotel sales roles, which she will draw on as she strengthens the team’s client outreach and market positioning. She most recently serves as vice president of association sales at Teneco Hospitality over the course of five years, and earlier led global sales of Starwood Hotels & Resorts for over two decades.
Eric Kincaid and Tara Welch
Already a two-year veteran of Choose Chicago’s sales team, Kincaid will now enjoy a promoted role as vice president of sales. He has shown finesse in recruiting numerous clients and notably secured the Democratic National Convention for August 2024. His experience in sales surpasses a decade at destination marketing organizations and hotels, and before Choose Chicago he serves as national account director for Destination DC.
As chief of staff for Choose Chicago, Welch will draw on over 20 years of experience in operations, project management and program leadership in both New York City and her home of Chicago. She most recently worked as director of program operations at Global Cities, Inc. She also spent 15 years as an educator with Chicago Public Schools. Her diverse background makes her a strategic, thoughtful leader Choose Chicago is lucky to have.
Kelly Strickland
Recently promoted to director of group sales and catering at The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Strickland will work closely with the group sales and catering teams to ensure guests enjoy standout experiences at this independent and luxurious beachfront property. She has worked in the O’ahu travel industry for over two decades and is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Travel Industry Management.
Benjamin Donat
As spa director of the Eau Spa at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Donat will maintain the spa’s alluring service, treatments and experiences while also introducing an innovative set of new wellness programming. He has overseen numerous luxury spas across the U.S., most recently serving as the opening spa director at Fairmont Austin, Texas. He looks forward to bringing his open mind and commitment to lifelong learning to direct the Eau Spa and create unforgettable guest experiences.
Amanda Tutor and Brenda Berrones
After a two-year run at Visit San Antonio as special events manager in the Partners, Experience and Events department, Tutor has been promoted to national sales manager. In this role, she will handle the critical Texas in-house market. Earlier roles included her leading and operating private events at San Antonio’s Tobin Center for Performing Arts and serving as the lead sales and events operator at CE Group.
Berrones joins Visit San Antonio as National Sales Manager for the Mid-Atlantic market, under which she will cover Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. She has an extensive background in hospitality, having previously served as a senior sales executive at Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel where she handled their Northeast corporate and association accounts.
George Terpilowski
InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta appoints Terpilowski as general manager. He brings over three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, which will inform his leadership of all aspects of the 422-room property, from financial performance to brand reinforcement, as he works to maximize revenue, zone in on strategic goals and ensure an unforgettable guest experience.
Samuel R. Thomas, Jr.
Oak View Group, the new manager of McCormick Place, names Thomas, Jr. as senior vice president and general manager of the McCormick Place property. This role will also include his oversight of all operations and services of the McCormick Place Convention Center. He has over three years of experience in the industry and has led venue management and F&B operations for numerous convention centers.
Andrew Hartley
As the new cluster director of sales and markets at Raffles Cambodia, Hartley will oversee two Southeast Asia luxury hotels, Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor. He has over 20 years of experience in luxury hotels around the world, including his most recent role as assistant vice president of strategic sales and marketing for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Asia-Pacific base in Singapore.
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