Managers in the hotel industry have taken on new roles. Here’s a look:
Hotel Equities Appoints Albert Smith President, Hotel Operations
Hotel Equities (HE) has named Albert (Al) Smith as President, Hotel Operations.
In his new role, Smith will report to HE COO Bryan DeCort and oversee and lead the group’s growing portfolio of more than 200 hotels.
A 20 year veteran of the luxury hospitality industry, Smith has held key leadership positions at Viceroy Hotel Group, SBE Entertainment and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Most recently he was SVP Lifestyle Hotels at Highgate. where he oversaw a major portfolio of independent, full-service luxury hotel properties on the east coast. Previously, he was SVP at Davidson Hotels, where he helped develop the company’s lifestyle and luxury brand and expanded the lifestyle portfolio from a single property to over 25.
Jimmy Suh comes to Arlo Hotels
Arlo Hotels has appointed Jimmy Suh as chief commercial officer, who oversees all aspects of branding, sales and revenue maximization with the specific goal of achieving the company’s commercial goals and growth in all of its hotels, including the recent opening of Arlo Midtown in New York in May. Suh is responsible for developing programs, services and products that increase the brand value proposition and its differentiation from the customer.
Suh has been a leader in revenue management and distribution technology solutions for more than two decades, and has held senior positions at independent hotel companies such as Loews, Kimpton and The Standard. While at The Standard, he developed the One Night Standard App, a last minute hotel booking app for a curated collection of lifestyle hotels. In 2019, Suh founded One Night Inc., a venture-backed hotel distribution company for independent hotels. The One Night App is active on its platform in 15 major cities with more than 150 hotels.
Remington Hotels appoints Richard Garcia as an F&B post
Remington Hotels has named Richard Garcia VP Food & Beverage where he will lead all F&B initiatives for Remington Hotels’ 80 properties.
With more than 12 years of experience in the hotel industry, Garcia will take over the strategic direction and work closely with the Remington Hotels development team and property owners in brainstorming and operating F&B for new construction and renovation concepts, the company reports. By working with operations and sales managers, he will ensure the highest standards and efficiency for F&B outlets, catering and banquets.
Most recently, Garcia was VP, Culinary & Beverage Operations at Crescent Hotels & Resorts, an external management company, where he led the strategic direction of F&B for more than 100 hotels. He also held senior positions at Sodexo Leisure North America as national culinary director and Marriott International as executive chef of the restaurant operations for the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville.
