People ~ June 2010

Bill Stone, one of Canada's most accomplished hotel and resort specialty real estate professionals, has joined CBRE Hotels as executive vice president to lead the company's Canadian hotel practice. Stone is joined by colleagues Deborah Borotsik and Mark Sparrow and will also work closely with CBRE Hotels' Sarah Segal and Brian Flood to provide enhanced services to clients across the country. Stone joins CBRE from Colliers International, where he was an executive managing director of the hotel group. He has been involved in over 250 Canadian hotel transactions, valued in excess of $4.5 billion.

Borotsik, associate vice president, brings 12-years of sales, marketing and due diligence experience in the hotel sector to CBRE Hotels. She will be directly responsible for working with owners to complete property and market due diligence and financial underwriting, property valuations and strategic disposition strategies, as well as executing CB Richard Ellis press release effective marketing programs. Her experience extends across all asset classes throughout Canada.

Sparrow joins CBRE Hotels as a sales associate and will be responsible for executing disposition strategies, sourcing buyers, providing due diligence assistance and analyzing Canadian investment trends. He will be actively involved in assessing values for a variety of hotel and resort asset types, and will work closely with owners to develop tailored marketing programs.

Champion Industries, a leading manufacturer of commercial ware washing systems, has announced the appointments of Scott Cherevaty as vice president of sales and marketing for Moyer Diebel Ltd., which includes the Champion, Moyer Diebel and Bi-Line brands for the Canadian market, and of Joe Deckelman as vice president of sales and marketing for Champion Industries U.S., effective immediately.

Prior to moving to the United States to join Champion in 2004, Cherevaty worked with the FoodRetail and FoodService divisions during his six year tenure with Hobart in Canada, where he was heavily involved with Canadian buying groups and national accounts.

Deckelman brings to this role extensive sales management experience, including most recently as vice president of sales and marketing for Wells Bloomfield. Prior, Deckelman held other key sales management roles with distinguished brands in the commercial food service equipment industry including Scotsman Ice Systems and Hobart Corporation.

Daniel Edward Craig has worked for a variety of hotels, from large chains to luxury boutiques, in positions ranging from director of sales and marketing to general manager. He has also written hotel-themed mystery novels. Craig is now focusing on consulting and project work in the hospitality industry. His goal is to help hotels take advantage of new opportunities by strengthening branding and positioning, engaging travellers and driving incremental business. His areas of expertise are social media, project management, sales and marketing, organizational development and training. Based in Vancouver, BC, he is available to relocate at short notice for temporary general manager coverage and to assist with recruitment efforts.

It was with regret that OPUS Hotel Vancouver's general manager, Nicholas Gandossi, announced the departure of Don Letendre, executive chef of OPUS Hotel Vancouver, Elixir Bistro and OPUS Bar. A member of the opening team, Letendre had been with the company for eight years and has made many valuable contributions to its success.

David Mounteer is the new general manager at The Hazelton Hotel and Private Residences in downtown Toronto. Mounteer's commitment to excellence and his expertise in the travel and tourism industry ensures that he will be an effective leader for the hotel's dedicated staff and continue The Hazelton Hotel's fine tradition of delivering an extraordinary level of service to valued guests. Prior to joining The Hazelton Team, Mounteer was general manager of Auberge Saint-Antoine in Québec City. While there, he was named "2009 Hotelier of the Year" by Hotelier Magazine.

Recently appointed general manager of Juniper Hotel  Bistro (Banff, Alberta), James Kendal, has set his sights on wooing the local market, while looking to partners like Bullfrog Power, Canada's 100 per cent green electricity provider, to help reduce his property's carbon emissions footprint. Kendal comes to Banff with a 20 year hospitality career under his belt, including management stints in such properties as Relais & Chateaux's Aerie Resort, Ontario's Millcroft Inn, Fairmont's Jasper Park Lodge and most recently heading up the hospitality division at Quail's Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna, BC.

Lyne Landry, managing director of l'Auberge internationale de Québec has been elected president of the  Conseil 2010 de la CITQ.

Olivier Poirot, chief executive officer of Accor North America (ANA), Motel 6 and Studio 6, will continue to serve as the company's CEO in Dallas, Texas.  Poirot was appointed chief financial officer of Accor Hospitality in December of 2009, and over the last four months, has helped to lead the process of Accor Hospitality's transformation plan and demerger alongside Gilles Pélisson, CEO of Accor.

Sophie Stabile has been appointed chief financial officer of Accor Hospitality, succeeding Poirot. Stabile began her career with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, before joining Accor in 1999 to head the consolidation and financial reporting departments.

Marla Preston of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Saskatchewan has been named president of the Regina Hotel Association's 2010 Board of Directors. Preston brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having been directly involved in Saskatchewan's hotel and tourism industry for over 15 years. Preston takes over from Glenn Weir, who had served as the RHA's president since 2004.

Scott Richer has been appointed as director, development, in a position based out of the Delta Hotels and Resorts corporate office in Toronto. Providing strategic direction for brand growth, Richer will be responsible for identifying key development opportunities and building new investor relationships within the Delta portfolio. This new role marks his return to the Delta brand, where he worked in positions at the company's corporate office, as well as the Delta Lodge at Kananaskis in Alberta. Scott has previously held positions with Starwood Hotels in Australia, the Fairmont Royal York, and most recently as the director of extended stay franchise development with Choice Hotels International.

Travel Alberta is increasing its marketing investments in the Asia/Pacific tourism market with the appointment of a new Vancouver-based market development director Joe Volk as well as Maria Yang, a new China Market Development Director, to be co-located with the Canadian Tourism Commission's office in Beijing.

Volk joins Travel Alberta July 1st following a 35-year career with VIA Rail in western Canada. Most recently he was director, international sales and marketing, responsible for all international marketing and sales activities for VIA's network.  Yang, who has been Travel Alberta's marketing and public relations director in China for five years, has more than 24-years of experience in communications, public relations, marketing and sales.

Travelport Limited, the parent company of the Travelport group of companies, has announced the appointment of twenty-year technology entrepreneur Michael Buhr to the new position of chief executive officer, consumer and new ventures.

Travelport also announced that Kurt Ekert, currently chief operating officer for GTA by Travelport, will succeed Armin Meier to the position of chief commercial officer, Travelport GDS in accordance with a transition plan. The plan has been activated following Meier's decision to pursue a new business venture outside the travel industry.