A number of hotels—including two under the JW Marriott flag—appointed general managers and similar top leaders in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.
Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel
Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel, debuting Nov. 1 as Newport Beach, Calif.’s newest boutique hotel, appointed Didi Shields its first general manager. Shields has held leadership roles with leading hotel groups and management companies, including Evolution Hospitality, Tharaldson Hospitality, Lodging Dynamics, Ayres Hotel Group and Sofitel.
Most recently, Shields was the opening general manager of El Caminante Bar & Bungalows in Dana Point, where she directed all aspects of development and launch—from construction and permitting to pre-opening strategy, staffing, and branding.
Fairmont Breakers Long Beach
Fairmont Breakers Long Beach is pleased to announce the appointment of André Brose as general manager of the landmark hotel located in the heart of downtown Long Beach, Calif.
Brose began his career in the food and beverage sector at Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, followed by front office and leadership positions at Le Royal Méridien Hamburg. He also has held various executive roles at luxury hotels, including Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh, The St. Regis San Francisco and The West Hollywood Edition. Before joining the property, Brose was general manager at Lido House, an Autograph Collection Hotel in Newport Beach.
Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown
Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown, IHG’s flagship Indigo property, appointed Charles Cho general manager.
Cho joins the property following his tenure as general manager at Omni San Diego Hotel, where he oversaw a major renovation. His career spans roles at properties including Newport Beach Marriott Bayview, The Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, and Sheraton Grand Sacramento. Earlier in his career, Cho opened Asia’s first W Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.
JW Marriott Dallas Arts District
JW Marriott Dallas Arts District appointed Bosther Kusich its new general manager.
Kusich has 29 years of global experience with Marriott International’s luxury brands. Most recently, he led The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, and before that guided The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., through a multimillion-dollar renovation and post-pandemic labor recovery. His earlier posts include senior food-and-beverage and hotel-operations roles at The Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Kapalua, Phoenix and Sarasota. Kusich began his career at the Aruba Marriott & Stellaris Casino and holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel management and tourism.
JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa
Richard Romane is the new general manager at the JW Marriott Scottsdale (Ariz.) Camelback Inn Resort & Spa.
Romane joins JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa with nearly three decades of hospitality experience at Marriott International. Most recently, he was general manager of Sheraton Phoenix Downtown. Before his three years at Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Romane was resort manager at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. He also was general manager of The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago and Fort Collins Marriott in Colorado, and held sales and operations leadership roles at Denver Marriott City Center and other key Marriott International properties across the country.
Montage Healdsburg
Montage Healdsburg, Calif., appointed Steve Janicek general manager.
Before joining Montage Healdsburg, Janicek was managing director at the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort and Bretton Woods Ski Area in New Hampshire. He spent more than a decade with The Ritz-Carlton, where he was general manager at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara; The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch; and The Ritz-Carlton, Denver.
New York Hilton Midtown
Hilton appointed Ted Selogie general manager of the New York Hilton Midtown. Over his 30+ years in the industry, Selogie has held senior leadership positions with Marriott International and Accor. His career began as a barback at the former North Shore Hilton (now DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - North Shore Conference Center) in Skokie, Ill., and has since evolved into a series of executive roles across six major hospitality brands.
Most recently, as general manager of Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, he helped secure the property’s ranking as the number one luxury hotel in Los Angeles on TripAdvisor. During his tenure at Accor, Selogie was regional vice president, overseeing a portfolio of Fairmont, Sofitel and Swissôtel properties across New York City, Chicago and California. Before this role, he was area general manager in the Chicago metropolitan area, where he managed 13 properties.
NOPSI Hotel
NOPSI Hotel, a historic hotel in downtown New Orleans and operated by Crescent Hotels & Resorts, appointed Cullen Stackpole its new general manager. Previously, Stackpole was general manager of Le Méridien New Orleans, where he oversaw a multimillion-dollar renovation that included updates to guestrooms, meeting spaces and rooftop amenities.
His previous roles include general manager positions at Cambria Hotel New Orleans Warehouse District, Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center and Hilton New Orleans St. Charles Avenue.
Staypineapple New York
Staypineapple appointed Aldina Rexha as general manager of Staypineapple New York, the brand’s 89-guestroom property in Midtown Manhattan.
Rexha has worked at NU Hotel and Hampton Inn hotels in New York City.
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
Waldorf Astoria Orlando appointed Anthony Fabiano the property’s hotel manager.
Fabiano most recently was director of operations (task force) for Hilton Luxury Brands Americas, where he supported properties including Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Park City and Washington D.C. Before that, he was director of rooms and an executive committee member at Mandarin Oriental New York, where he implemented major operational efficiencies across the front office, housekeeping and concierge services. Earlier roles include leadership positions at The Conrad New York Downtown, Millennium Hilton New York Downtown and the Waldorf Astoria New York.
The Westin Flushing at LaGuardia Airport
The Westin Flushing at LaGuardia Airport, the latest addition to Marriott International’s portfolio, appointed Paul Williamson general manager.
Williamson most recently was general manager at Sheraton Tarrytown, where he led the property out of Red Zone 4 status. He also launched the SpringHill Suites Buffalo (N.Y.) Airport in 2015.