NATIONAL REPORT—In the industry, hospitality executives are on the move. Here’s a look at five companies adding to their rosters:
Caesars Entertainment Appoints Chris Holdren CMO
Caesars Entertainment has appointed Chris Holdren as CMO, effective Nov. 1. He will join the company’s senior management team and report to President and CEO Mark Frissora. He brings to Caesars more than two decades of diverse marketing experience, including, most recently, serving as CMO of Handy, a high-growth technology start-up. Prior to Handy, he spent more than 15 years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. He previously held roles at The Walt Disney Company where he directed the creation of digital experiences for their properties, and Saban Entertainment where he also produced interactive content and had additional marketing responsibilities.
Amanda Belmonte Promoted to EVP, COO of Vimana Franchise Systems
Amanda Belmonte will assume the position of EVP and COO for Vimana Franchise Systems, effective Jan. 2, 2018. At present, she serves as VP of franchise services for the company owning the Centerstone Inns/Hotels/Plaza Hotels and Key West Inns/Hotels/Resorts brands. Steven Belmonte will continue to serve as Vimana’s CEO, and Neal Jackson will remain president.
Douglas Wilkins Joins B. F. Saul Company Hospitality Group
B. F. Saul Company Hospitality Group has hired Douglas Wilkins as SVP of operations. Wilkins will be responsible for executing the company’s operational objectives while driving strong and balanced results, and will report directly to the company’s president, Mark Carrier. Wilkins most recently served as area managing director for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. His area included six brands, 7,000 rooms, more than 4,000 associates and generated more than $650 million in revenue. He has more than 30 years of experience in operations, brand building, sales and marketing, finance, human resources, strategic planning, owner relations, new-builds/transitions, F&B and entertainment programming.
HREC Taps Shane Skubis as SVP in Denver Office
HREC Investment Advisors has hired Shane Skubis as a SVP based in the firm’s Denver office. Over the past 25 years, he has delivered hospitality deals to clients in 49 states representing 21 different brands. He is an active hospitality investment advisor and hotel site developer for clients and associates. He has either sold, developed, franchised and/or financed or found the land for approximately 260 hotels across the country, according to the company. Prior to Skubis’ affiliation with HREC, he served as a senior director of the National Hospitality Group at Marcus and Millichap, and concurrently as a principal and development partner with First Principle Hotel Group. Previously, he worked with IHG, JLL, US Franchise Systems, The Wilder Group and Wyndham.
Teneo Hospitality Appoints Bob Korin as Director of Sales
Teneo Hospitality Group has appointed veteran industry sales executive Bob Korin as director of sales, joining the Northeast team. He spent much of his career with Marriott International, where he held a variety of leadership positions in conference center management, national sales, and played a key role in pioneering Marriott’s strategic account management organization. For the past nine years, he was director of national accounts for Hilton Hawaii where he twice earned the company’s elite sales performance award, Circle of Excellence.