Executives in the hospitality industry have taken new roles. Here’s a look:
McKibbon Hospitality appoints three new corporate leaders
Hotel management firm McKibbon Hospitality has appointed Jihad Lotfi as VP of revenue management; Weejen Lynch as VP of engineering; and Kiel Lombardo as director of food & beverage for lifestyle hotels.
Lotfi joins McKibbon most recently from Hotel Equities, where he served as regional director of revenue management, supporting the revenue management and marketing strategies of 30-plus hotels. Prior to his time with Hotel Equities, Lotfi held the positions of VP of revenue generation and corporate director of revenue management at The Witness Group. Lotfi also spent eight years working at White Lodging.
Lynch brings more than 25 years of engineering, maintenance and operations experience to McKibbon in his new role. In his most recent position as owner/CEO of Lynchpin Consulting Group, he lent his leadership, engineering maintenance and process improvement expertise to hotels, resorts, timeshare units and facilities. This venture was preceded by his time as VP of engineering and process improvement for Bluegreen Vacations in Orlando, FL, where he supported the engineering needs of 49 resorts nationwide.
Lombardo joins McKibbon from Luminary Hotel & Co. in Fort Myers, FL, where he served as executive chef, overseeing multiple F&B outlets, including Dean Street Coffee Roastery, Ella Mae’s Diner and Beacon Rooftop Drinkery. Prior to his time in Fort Myers, Lombardo was based in Tampa, FL, where he launched RL Hospitality Consulting, assisting with restaurant design and concept branding.
Joanna Flint joins Mandarin Oriental
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has named Joanna Flint to the newly created role of chief commercial officer, where she oversees the development and execution of the group’s commercial strategy.
She will also have executive responsibility for all aspects of Mandarin Oriental’s customer experience when she takes over from Jill Kluge, chief marketing officer, who retires from Mandarin Oriental in September.
Prior to joining Mandarin Oriental, Flint spent 12 years at Google in general management and sales leadership roles, most recently as managing director—global partner business, with responsibility for industry go-to-market and commercialization for Google’s media and technology partners in Asia-Pacific. Prior to Google, she was principal consultant at Ogilvy Asia-Pacific.