A number of hotels and resorts appointed new general managers for the end of 2024. Here are some names to know.
Clayton Hotel & Members Club
Alison Mitchell is the new general manager of Clayton Hotel & Members Club, a 63-room boutique hotel and private membership club operated by Aparium Hotel Group in Denver’s Cherry Creek Neighborhood.
With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Mitchell has held a range of positions, including director of food and beverage, director of room operations and assistant general manager at the Boulder (Colo.) Marriott, Renaissance Boulder Flatiron Hotel, Hilton Garden Inn at Denver Union Station and Le Méridien & AC Hotel Denver Downtown. Most recently, she was general manager of the ART Hotel Denver, Curio Collection by Hilton.
Hotel Celare
In Cincinnati, Hotel Celare, the latest addition to the Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, appointed Kollin Hanes as the property’s general manager.
Before joining Hotel Celare, Hanes was the general manager at the Graduate Madison, Wis., where he managed more than $5 million in annual revenue across all aspects of the 72-key boutique hotel, as well as introduced the Toast POS system to shift from bar to cocktail service. At just 28, Hanes became a full-service general manager overseeing the Marriott Columbus Northwest, a 310-room property with 13,000 square feet of event space. There, he managed more than $16 million in annual revenue, inclusive of catering food revenue.
Hotel Effie Sandestin
Hotel Effie Sandestin, Autograph Collection—a boutique hotel at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Fla.—appointed Jennifer Lombard Knight as its new general manager.
With more than 18 years of experience at hotels across the globe, from large-scale properties to private member clubs, Lombard Knight has worked across a range of departments. She has also collaborated with brands and owners. While working on her bachelor’s degree in Switzerland, Lombard Knight completed internships at the Michelin-starred kitchen of Park Hyatt Paris-Vandôme, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace and Charles Kendall. She joined IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2006 on its first AMEA Future Leaders Program, where she worked in various departments at InterContinental Paris Le Grand and Crowne Plaza London. Lombard Knight spent 15 years with IHG working from Europe to the Middle East to Asia and, eventually, the United States.
Limelight Boulder
Limelight Hotels—owned and operated by Aspen Hospitality—appointed Joseph Steiskal general manager of the upcoming Limelight Boulder, Colo.
Steiskal is an active member of the Boulder community. Currently, he is chair of Visit Boulder, vice president of the Boulder Hotel and Motel Association and on the advisory board for the Boulder Economic Council. In addition to Boulder, Steiskal has held leadership roles in Chicago; Cincinnati; and Louisville, Ky. with companies like Marriott International, White Lodging Services and Sage Hospitality.
Omni Fort Lauderdale
Omni Hotels & Resorts has appointed Gayla Guyse as general manager of the upcoming Omni Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Hotel, which will be the brand’s third property in the state when it opens in fall 2025.
Guyse has held key leadership roles across multiple Omni properties in Texas, including positions as general manager of Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West, director of sales and marketing at Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star and director of catering and conference services at both Omni Fort Worth Hotel and Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West. Most recently, Guyse was general manager at Omni Frisco Hotel at The Star for over two years. Before that role, she was general manager of Omni Houston Hotel, overseeing both the Houston property and Omni Houston Hotel at Westside during a pivotal period that included the transition and sale of the Westside property.
W Scottsdale
David J. Cronin has returned to the W Scottsdale, Ariz., as general manager. Cronin has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in hotels across Europe and the U.S.
Cronin has in-depth experience with the W brand, having worked as complex general manager at the W Minneapolis and opening general manager at the W Nashville following his initial tenure as general manager at W Scottsdale. In Scottsdale, Cronin oversaw the property’s renovations.
Most recently, Cronin was resort manager at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, where he worked closely with the various departments. Over his career, he has served in managerial roles at Stanton South Beach, Le Meridien Chambers Minneapolis, Houston Marriott West Loop by the Galleria, Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Chicago Marriott Downtown, Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown, San Antonio Rivercenter/Riverwalk hotels, Arabella Grand Hotel, Maritim Hotels and Seminaris Hotels. Cronin also spent more than four years in Germany at Frankfurt Marriott Hotel as senior catering sales manager.
The Wayfarer San Luis Obispo
Pacifica Hotels, owner and operator of more than 30 brand and boutique hotels on the Pacific Coast, appointed Brian Min general manager at The Wayfarer San Luis Obispo. Min brings more than seven years of expertise in hotel management. Most recently, he was director of operations at the Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay. Min's career also includes leadership roles at The Belamar Hotel Manhattan Beach, DoubleTree by Hilton and Crowne Plaza Harbor Hotel.