PEOPLE July 2008 issue

Kim Jones, the new regional sales manager at Accent Inns, is looking forward to success in her new position on the management team with the family-owned, BC-based company. Based at the chain’s Vancouver International Airport location in Richmond, her duties are selling to the corporate, travel agent and government markets in the Lower Mainland. Jones began her career at Canadian Airlines, and has held various sales positions in the manufacturing industry.

Trish Brown is the new sales manager at the soon to be completed Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Brown will oversee the sales activities for the new resort. Most of Brown’s sales career has been in Whistler where she worked at Tantalus Lodge and Delta Hotels and Resorts, the Telus Conference Centre and Great Escapes Tourism Marketing Group. Most recently, Brown was the director of sales and marketing at the UBC Conference Centre.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide has announced that Richard Dickson has joined the Canadian Revenue Generation team as director, national sales, Western Canada, for Carlson Hotels Worldwide. Since graduating from York University in Toronto, Richard’s experience includes sales and marketing business development for Columbia College, account management for BTI Canada and more recently, account management for ATCO Travel.

Kelli Steer has moved to the position of general manager of the Coast Inn of the North in Prince George, BC. She has been with Coast Hotels & Resorts for 14 years, starting in Powell River, BC and moving to the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel in 2003. Most recently, Steer was manager of operations at the Coast Inn of the North. As GM, Steer will oversee all aspects of the Coast Inn of the North’s operations including financial performance and development of a 117-person staff at the 155-room hotel.

With the departure of David Roberts to his new role as executive vice-president, Asia/Pacific for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced the appointment of Francisco Gomez as regional vice president and general manager of The Fairmont Banff Springs. Gomez brings more than three decades of hospitality experience to the table. A native of Hermosillo, Mexico, Gomez has lived in both Canada and the United States. Most recently he served as regional vice president and general manager of The Fairmont San Francisco.

Fairmont is pleased to announce several other recent management and supervisory level appointments across its portfolio. These include: Garrett Turta, general manager The Fairmont Algonquin; Louis Zanni, who takes on the role of corporate director, rooms, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Kamal Uduwarage, who has taken on the role of executive chef at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport; Demelza Kemp, who has been promoted to director, sales & marketing at The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise; and Lana Uytterhagen, who has been named director, sales & marketing at The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton.

Geoffrey Bird will be joining the faculty of Royal Roads University, in the capacity of assistant professor. Bird was the convenor, Bachelor of Tourism Management Degree at Capilano College in North Vancouver where, in 2006, he was the college nominee for a national teaching award for his innovative work involving experiential and interactive learning. He coordinated the public post-secondary tourism and hospitality programs at Ministry of Advanced Education. Later, he managed the SuperHost Programs at Tourism British Columbia and ran a Victoria-based tour company.

Patrick Cappa has joined Hyatt Regency Montreal as general manager. His most recent post was at the Park Hyatt in Toronto, where he was one of the key individuals responsible for the launch of Roof II, a VIP lounge created specifically for the Toronto International Film Festival and catering to Hollywood’s A-list. In addition to the food and beverage department, Cappa oversaw the daily operations of the hotel’s full-service spa, Stillwater Spa, rated #1 Spa in Eastern Canada by Mobil Rating Guide.

Interval International, a leading provider of vacation services, announced the promotion of Charlie Beech to director of the project management office (PMO) in the IT shared services department. In this role, he is responsible for setting standards and implementing best practices in the areas of project management, communication, closures, and audits, as well as risk management and resource planning. Beech joined Interval in 1997. Prior to joining the company, he worked for Configured Computer Systems (CCS) in Belfast, Ireland as an accountant and auditor.

Intrawest ULC, an international resort developer today has announced the appointment of two seasoned industry veterans to its executive committee.

As previously announced, William (Bill) Jensen has been appointed to the position of chief executive officer at Intrawest.  Jensen brings 35 years of ski industry experience and a demonstrated track record of successfully growing mountain resort operations throughout North America.

In a simultaneous announcement, the company has also appointed Brian Collins to the position of president at Intrawest. Collins will report directly to Bill Jensen and will initially be responsible for all of Intrawest’s global real estate operations including Intrawest Placemaking, the company’s real estate planning and development division, and Playground, the company’s real estate marketing and sales services division.

Janet L. Jakobsen, CMP, MBA has been appointed professor, Hospitality and Tourism Niagara College. Jakobsen is a fifth generation hotelier and for the past 25+ years has worked for a variety of companies in the hospitality industry including full-time positions with Fairmont Hotels, The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Southam Audio Visual Services, Delta Hotels and Resorts and most recently as Director Business Development for AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions.

La Quinta announces Temple H. Weiss has been selected as executive vice president and chief financial officer of La Quinta, succeeding Robert Harshbarger, who retired in May. Weiss will report to Wayne Goldberg, La Quinta’s president and chief executive officer. Most recently, he was executive vice president of acquisitions & development where he led the Company’s $450 million expansion program.  In his new role, he will be responsible for the full range of finance activities and will continue to lead the company’s acquisition and real estate efforts.

Rick Norman, a hospitality industry veteran with 14 years experience, and Michelle Boudreau, a seasoned sales and marketing pro, have been named general manager and director of sales, respectively, for the Residence Inn expected to open in Moncton, New Brunswick  in June. The property is being co-developed and will be managed by New Castle Hotels & Resorts, a Shelton, Conn.-based third-party manager and hotel development company. Norman, comes to Moncton from the Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa, where he served as interim general manager on behalf of New Castle Hotels & Resorts, which manages the property. Boudreau has worked in sales and marketing since 2001. A resident of Shediac, New Brunswick, she joins the Residence Inn’s opening team from the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites in Moncton, where she served as corporate sales manager and marketing manager for two years.