INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The following companies bolstered their leadership rosters—Dream Hotel Group, AccorHotels, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, and more. Here’s a look at executives on the move:
Dream Hotel Group
Dream Hotel Group appointed Ryan Walker to VP of e-commerce & digital strategy and Kathryn Barrett to VP of revenue management.
Walker will be responsible for managing all online sales and marketing initiatives for Dream Hotel Group corporate and brand websites, online and search marketing partners and electronic marketing distribution channels. He will also oversee the strategic development and management of e-commerce initiatives for the company’s portfolio of 18 properties across the globe. Walker joins Dream Hotel Group from sbe Hospitality Group, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of all digital marketing campaigns and e-commerce strategies for sbe’s portfolio of 23 hotels.
Barrett will be responsible for integrating synergies between revenue, analysis, sales and distribution channels. Barrett returns to Dream Hotel Group from Revenue Optimization Consultants, where she most recently served as regional director of revenue strategy, overseeing annual market and submarket forecasts, budget strategy and analysis for 80 properties in the greater New York area. Prior roles also include revenue manager at Dream Hotel Group (formerly Hampshire Hotels & Resorts), overseeing the 334-room Best Western President, now The Gallivant, in Times Square, as well as several management positions at Cape Resorts Group.
AccorHotels
AccorHotels has named Ian Ricci as VP of development, Canada & Caribbean. In his new role, he is responsible for overseeing the corporate development strategy for AccorHotels’ portfolio in Canada and the Caribbean.
Ricci brings close to two decades of hospitality industry experience with a focus on the financial sector to his new role. He joined AccorHotels from CWB Franchise Finance, a division of Canadian Western Bank, where he was an account manager. He held the same position at GE Capital, where he worked for nearly a decade, starting as a structuring manager in late 2006. Ricci also spent time at HVS International, where he worked on market and hotel feasibility studies and hotel valuations—from budget hotels to five-star properties—across Canada and the U.S.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts
Interstate Hotels & Resorts has appointed Fernando Salazar as the SVP of food and beverage.
Salazar was most recently managing director of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at the campus in San Antonio, and was named as the official ambassador. Previously, he held food and beverage positions at Westin Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Helmsley Hotels in New York. Salazar created the International Tapas competition that evolved into the World Tapas Competition held every year in Spain as well as the International Black Truffles competition.
Northern Powerhouse Developments
Russell Kett, chairman of the London office of global hospitality consultancy HVS, has been appointed as special adviser to the board of hotel and leisure investment company, Northern Powerhouse Developments (NPD). Kett brings 45 years of experience within the international hotel sector to this northern-based U.K. company. He joins two other hotel and leisure names at NPD: Peter Moore—who introduced Center Parcs to the U.K.—is chairman of NPD Leisure, and Richard Lewis, who is CEO of NPD Hotels.
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D.C.-based, architecture and design firm hires Sam Forman as Architect. The studio was just chosen as 2018 Best Places to Work in the Greater Washington Area by the Washington Business Journal and the Best Architecture Firm by Washington City Paper.
Bringing over five years of experience as a licensed architect within the hospitality sector to the firm, Forman is a member of the AIA and is LEED AP BD+C accredited. After completing multiple hospitality, residential, and restaurant projects throughout the D.C. area, including Succotash, Slipstream and Mi Vida, the firm is gearing up for several projects debuting across the east coast including the new Marriott in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Forman will aid the principal architects, David Shove-Brown and David Tracz, with all upcoming hospitality projects the firm has planned this year.