People ~ April 2010

Avmor, a leading Canadian manufacturer of professional cleaning chemicals, has hired Dale Bonnett in the role of territory manager, foodservice division – Ontario. Bonnett brings more than 20 years of sales experience in the cleaning and foodservice industries. He is responsible for growing the foodservice division with an emphasis in supporting key Ontario distributor partners and multi-unit end user accounts. Bonnett brings to Avmor several years of sanitation industry experience and knowledge.

Gerard Curran, proprietor of the popular James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant in downtown Calgary, was elected chairman of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) at the association’s annual meeting last month. Curran and his wife Anne opened the James Joyce — the first authentic Irish pub in Alberta — in 1997. Born and raised in Ireland, Curran emigrated to Canada in 1979, at the age of 20. As a teenager he worked in Irish pubs, as well as for the Guinness company, and in Canada he worked his way up from general sales manager to chief executive officer of a $30-million brewing company.

Susan Labentsoff has joined the Coast Hotels & Resorts’ sales management team as national sales director. In her new position, Labentsoff will be responsible for aligning and optimizing the mix of corporate, leisure and agency business among Coast Hotels’ 29 Canadian properties as well as continuing to expand the hotel chain’s base of corporate travel clients. Before joining Coast, she served as director of sales for Rocky Mountaineer Vacations in Vancouver, managing some of the company’s largest clients.

David Goldstein is the new president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), effective April 5, 2010. Goldstein brings over 18 years of experience in the media industry, the last 12 years directly in senior advocacy roles.

“This is an exciting opportunity to help strengthen this vital sector of the Canadian economy,” said Goldstein. “While Canada’s tourism sector faces many serious challenges in the short term, we also have the potential for tremendous opportunities. ”

Winnie Schroder has returned to the 298-room Le Méridien King Edward Hotel as director of sales and marketing, after working in Chicago and Calgary for the past seven years. Schroder has more than 14 years of hospitality experience with Starwood Hotels to her credit. This new role marks a return for Schroder to the King Eddy, where she worked from 1996 through 2003 in various positions, including director of sales. In 2003, she moved to Le Méridien Chicago as the director of sales & marketing, before transitioning back home to Canada for her most recent position at The Westin Calgary.

Luke Scheer has been appointed to the newly-created position of director, corporate development, for Delta Hotels and Resorts. Based out of the company’s corporate office in Toronto, Scheer is responsible for identifying new development opportunities, managing and growing Delta’s network of internal and external contacts, and overseeing leads and transactions through a high level multi-step process. Scheer held positions at PKF Consulting, Coast Hotels & Resorts, and Legacy Hotels, prior to joining Delta in 2008.

Peter Adams joins the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association’s communications and government relations team. In his new role, Adams will oversee communications-related projects for the ORHMA while contributing to the ongoing successes of the ORHMA’s government relations efforts. Adams comes to the ORHMA with two decades of experience in the healthcare, information technology and construction sectors. Adams has taught at the college level as well as to professionals seeking their accreditation. In his spare time, Adams enjoys volunteering as a branch board member for the Red Cross and is the recipient of a national award for volunteerism.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has named its chief financial officer, Vasant Prabhu, vice chairman as well as CFO, in recognition of his “extraordinary” contributions to the company. Starwood’s president and chief executive officer, Frits van Paasschen, made the announcement following the company’s recent board of directors meeting.

“Vasant’s leadership and strategic vision were in sharp relief in 2009 as Starwood navigated the toughest year our industry has endured since the Great Depression,” said van Paasschen. According to van Paasschen, the company significantly cut costs in 2009, raised over $1.6 billion in cash from a broad range of transactions, reduced its debt by over $1 billion and paid down debt maturities from 2010 through 2013.

Michael Johnstone has been named general manager of the new Residence Inn by Marriott Kingston Water’s Edge. Johnstone has over 25 years of experience in the hotel industry. After an introduction to the industry through various family businesses, he owned and operated his own restaurant in Scotland. He then worked as revenue manager for several years with Hilton UK and Ireland. Johnstone’s first venture as GM was with a country house hotel in Wales. He has since been a GM for a further four hotels in England, Scotland and most recently the Holiday Inn Trenton in Ontario.

Sealy Global Hospitality has added Leo Vogel as new business development manager - Global Hospitality. In his new position, Vogel will be responsible for developing new distribution channels within Sealy’s hospitality division, working with select key accounts and assisting in the process of increasing overall market share. The addition of Vogel to the Sealy team represents a homecoming of sorts for the hospitality veteran, as he worked at Sealy from 1994 to 2007.

Bellstar Hotels & Resorts has appointed Todd Mallen to the position of general manager of Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa in Osoyoos, BC. A second generation hotelier and graduate from the Hospitality Management program in Saskatoon, SK, Todd joins Spirit Ridge with a tremendous background in condo resort/hotel management and a passion for exceptional customer service. He joined the staff at Kelowna’s Lake Okanagan Resort in 1987 and had served as the GM since 2001. During that time he developed his knowledge and experience in all aspects of resort management. Mallen joined the Bellstar Team in 2009 as Canmore interim general manager.

In a strategic alliance with Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc., Canadian Hospitality Group Inc. is now the exclusive development partner to represent, sell, and market the Canadas Best Value Inn brand throughout Canada. Canadian Hospitality Group is owned and operated by Kash Joshi and his son Rahuul Joshi, who have been working with Vantage to create an aggressive expansion plan for Canadas Best Value Inn. Born in Rajasthan, India, Kash and his wife have lived in Canada since 1973. Kash became active in the lodging industry in 1975 when he left his engineering position to become a real estate broker. Rahuul attended York University, is involved in the real estate field as an investor, and also holds his real estate license requirements.

Lindsay Sandomirsky has been appointed the new director of sales and marketing at the Westin Calgary. She joined the Westin from her former position as director of sales and marketing at the Sheraton Tyson’s Corner in Virginia. Sandomirsky has held senior sales management positions at both the Sheraton Suites and the Fairmont Palliser, both in Calgary, prior to her foray into the United States.

Marcos Yu is the new director of rooms for the Westin Calgary. Yu has held numerous positions in the Westin Calgary since April 2000, most recently as director of housekeeping. He will be responsible for all aspects of the front office, housekeeping and guest services. Yu will be an active member of the executive committee in the hotel.