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People & Places Presented by Association News
People & Places Presented by Association News

CVBs/DMOs

VisitPittsburgh has promoted Craig Davis to president and CEO. Davis, the chair-elect of the Destination & Travel Foundation, has been with the organization for 11 years, initially as its executive director of convention sales, before transitioning to vice-president of sales and marketing. He succeeds Joe McGrath, who will become the CVB�s executive chairman and focus on state, national and international tourism issues.

Brent DeRaad has been appointed president and CEO for the Metropolitan Tucson (Arizona) Convention & Visitors Bureau. DeRaad, who has worked in the meetings and tourism industry for 14 years, succeeds Jonathan Walker, who announced his retirement in September after 18 years with the bureau. DeRaad will take over this month. He most recently served as executive vice-president of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Karen Williams, executive vice-president of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, has announced plans to retire from her position on August 3. Williams, who has been with the bureau for 23 years, has also been active with various meetings-industry organizations and is the former chair of the Destination & Travel Foundation. Williams plans to stay in the Louisville area to pursue other opportunities in the hospitality industry.

The Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed John Rolfe to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Rolfe was president and CEO of the Go Wichita (Kansas) Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prior to that, he was vice-president of economic development for the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. 

Andrés Muñoz has been named vice-president of marketing and communications for the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. Muñoz has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications and served as the bureau�s group account director, working from San Antonio� based Bromley Communications.

The Pasadena (California) Convention & Visitors Bureau has made two new appointments. Betsy Bush has been named national sales manager. Since 2007, Bush has worked for Positively Cleveland as national sales manager for the Washington, D.C., area, an area she will continue to represent. And Charles Snyder has been appointed as the sales manager responsible for the corporate and SMERF markets for Pasadena. He was previously director of convention center sales for the Los Angeles Convention Center. Prior to that, Snyder was senior account executive and show manager for George Little Management, DMG World Media and Nielsen Expositions.

Visit Charlotte (North Carolina) has made two appointments. Randy Smith has been promoted to assistant director of sales. Smith joined the organization in 2003 and was previously national sales manager. Before that, he was a director of sales with Radisson Hotels. Also at Visit Charlotte, Ned Blair has been named national sales manager. He previously was the tourism development leader for meetings and conventions at the Delaware Tourism Office.

Hospitality & Suppliers

Palace Resorts, representing seven oceanfront resorts in the Caribbean, has promoted Sandor Winkler to the position of chief operating officer. Additionally, Kathy Halpern has been appointed vice-president of marketing. Winkler has been working at Palace Resorts since 2004, most recently as director of tourism and other services. Halpern�s previous experience includes working as the vice-president of sales and marketing at Occidental Hotels & Resorts, where she worked for 13 years.

Alan Steel has been named president and CEO at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York in New York City. Steel was previously president of George Little Management (GLM), a producer of trade shows in the U.S. and Canada. He succeeds Gerald McQueen, who recently resigned.

S. Lee Bowden has been appointed the general manager of the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, located in Pennsylvania�s Allegheny Mountains. Bowden has 30 years of experience in hotel and resort management. He formerly served as the vice-president and general manager of the U.S. Virgin Islands� Carambola Beach Resort & Spa in St. Croix and at the Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester Village.

Andre Zotoff has been named general manager of the Fairmont/Vancouver. Zotoff joined Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2001 as director of food and beverage at the Fairmont/Chicago-Millennium Park. He was most recently general manager at the same hotel.

Dania Duke has been named general manager of the Hyatt Regency/Santa Clara in California. Duke, a 22-year veteran of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, previously served as the general manager of the Hyatt at Fisherman�s Wharf in San Francisco.

Hyatt 48 Lex, a new 116-room hotel in Midtown Manhattan, has appointed Brian Twomey as its assistant general manager. Twomey was most recently the director of housekeeping at the W/New York in Times Square. Also at Hyatt 48 Lex, Maria Ordóñez-Maloney was named sales manager. She was previously the associate director of sales at the Hilton/New York Fashion District.

In Florida, the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate has named Jean Spaulding as director of sales and marketing. Spaulding was senior vice-president of sales and marketing for the Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group, where she was responsible for the company�s managed resorts and hotels.

Construction & Expansion

The Legoland Windsor Resort Hotel has opened in Windsor, England, just 25 miles west of London. The property features the Legoland Hotel with 150 guest rooms, a pool, business center, dining options and event facilities for up to 320. The resort also offers a �Business & Bricks Program� that allows groups exclusive use of the resort�s more than 55 rides, workshops and attractions.

In San Jose, California, the Hyatt Place/San Jose Downtown has opened across from the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The hotel features 234 guest rooms with 42-inch HDTVs; a fitness center; complimentary Wi-Fi access; a bakery and 6,500 square feet of event space.

The Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans has completed a $22 million restoration. All 316 guest rooms received new décor; its dining, lounge and tea room spaces were redesigned and a new bar was introduced; and the pool area and meeting spaces were rejuvenated.

The 413-room Fairmont Kea Lani on the Hawaiian Island of Maui has completed a $28 million renovation. Upgrades were made to the hotel�s guest suites and villas, pool decks, corridors and ballrooms. The resort offers a total of 36,000 square feet of event space.

The Dallas Marriott City Center has completed a top-to-bottom renovation. The project added a new restaurant offering seasonal American cuisine, a new fitness facility and a concierge lounge. In addition, the hotel�s more than 400 guest rooms were upgraded and the lobby refurbished.

And Finally�

The Destination & Travel Foundation held its 19th Annual Foundation Dinner and Dream Auction on February 27 in Washington, D.C. The event raised nearly $200,000, which will be used to fund research, education and programs that support the destination marketing and travel industries. The evening also honored American Express with the Spirit of Hospitality Award, presented annually to individuals and organizations who have shown an exceptional dedication and commitment to the travel and tourism industry.

This current issue of Association News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here, or download the issue via a PDF file.
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Timothy Schneider is the 2011-12 Immediate Past-Chair of the Destination & Travel Foundation and the publisher of Association News and SportsTravel magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating 106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider Publishing also organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world�s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, recently held October 3-6 in Las Vegas. For further information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free 877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.
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Media Contact:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.
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