Movers and Shakers

CHIP Hospitality has made changes to its senior leadership team to strengthen the company’s leadership position in Canada’s mid-market hotel category.

Tony Cary-Barnard is now vice president, asset management. His diversified hospitality background includes Westin Hotels and CP Hotels (now Fairmont). He has been with CHIP Hospitality since its inception in 1997 and most recently held the position of regional vice president for the Northwest region. In his new role, he will lead the development of CHIP’s asset management model.

Pierre Plamondon becomes vice president, real estate. He spent much of the 1980s and early 1990s in Asia, returning to Canada in the mid-1990s to open The Fairmont Chateau Tremblant and serve as its GM. He joined CHIP in 2007 as regional vice president for Quebec. His new role will be leadership of the design, construction and engineering team as well as capital project management.

Louis-Robert Handfield will continue to manage the Hilton Bonaventure in addition to his new position as regional vice president, Quebec.

Mark Medland will relocate from Ontario to Edmonton where he will support the Northern Alberta hotels in his new position as regional vice president, Northern Alberta.

Trevor Morgan’s new title is regional vice president, Ontario & Atlantic. He will continue to lead CHIP’s Atlantic properties but will also take on the four Ontario properties.

Nathalie Jeghers becomes director of national sales. She has over 15 years of sales and marketing experience, and has worked with a number of brands including Holiday Inn Select, Crowne Plaza and Hilton Montreal Airport.

CHIP Hospitality is pleased to announce the appointment of Walter van Beek as the new general manager of the Best Western Charlottetown. His most recent position has been as general manager of Stanley Bridge Country Resort and Conference Centre in Stanley Bridge, PEI.

Paul Hasegawa is the director of sales for the new Coast Coal Harbour Hotel in Vancouver, which will open in fall 2009. He is currently director of sales for Vancouver’s Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites. Previously, he was Director of Sales and Marketing for the 540-room, five-star Hotel New Otani in Osaka, Japan.

Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) has appointed Thomas Storey as president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Michael Glennie as president, real estate & development of FRHI.

Storey has invested 25 years in the hotel industry. Over the last seven years, he has held a number of leadership roles within the company, most recently as executive vice president, development, responsible for Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel. Storey succeeds Chris Cahill, who will focus his efforts on leveraging the company’s infrastructure and capabilities in marketing and operations in his role as chief operating officer.

In addition, the development function will be merged with real estate under the leadership of Michael Glennie, in his expanded role as president, real estate and development. Glennie’s career spans over 30 years, most recently as executive vice president, real estate for FRHI.

New appointments at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler include Victoria Verpoorte as director, sales and marketing and Heike Tiemann as senior sales manager.

Québec’s Association des Relais santé (Quebec Spa Association) is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Forest as its new managing director. She has more than 15 years of association leadership experience, is a lawyer and has a graduate’s degree in Management and a certificate in Public Relations.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has appointed Simon Turner as president, global development. Turner will join Starwood’s Senior Leadership Team and will report to Frits van Paasschen, Starwood’s president and CEO.

Starwood has also promoted Denise Coll to president of its North America Division. In her new role, Coll, who most recently served as senior vice president of operations for the division, will oversee operations, development, sales and marketing for more than 450 Starwood hotels.

Michael Welsh is now the national director of group sales for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Canada, based in the Toronto office. Most recently Welsh served as the national director of group sales for Atlific Hotels & Resorts with a focus on the corporate, third party and incentive markets.