Nominations

🏨 Whitbread PLC appoints Emma O'Shiel as Project and Programme Manager to advance its goal of 5,000 Premier Inn rooms in Ireland. Currently, Whitbread operates six hotels in Dublin and Cork with over 1,000 rooms and another 1,000 in development. O'Shiel, with over 15 years of experience, will oversee construction and work under Matt Gent, head of development for Ireland, to evaluate further opportunities.

🏨 Danish hotel group Zleep Hotels merges with hotel management company Core Hospitality, becoming Denmark's fourth largest hotel operating company. This follows Zleep Hotels' split from Deutsche Hospitality, with the latter now owning 100% of Zleep brand, while Core Hospitality holds all Danish operations. Core Hospitality will continue under the same name, now operating 19 hotels across five brands: 14 Zleep in Denmark, two Moxy in Norway, one Fairfield by Marriott, one Residence Inn by Marriott in Copenhagen, and Kirk Suites in Vejle. CEO Peter Haaber aims for a multi-brand operator strategy, promising more brands to come. The merger enables Core Hospitality to achieve economies of scale, negotiate better rates, enhance commercial efforts, develop talent, and offer real estate investors maximized ROI with brand flexibility.

🏨 Starhotels, an influential player in the global hospitality sector, has established a new office in the UK aimed at boosting business development in the UK and Northern Europe. The UK presence complements Starhotels' recent expansion in the Middle East and India, adding to existing representatives in the US, Latin America, Russia, and CIS. Antonio Ducceschi, the group's Commercial Director, believes this move will open up significant growth opportunities. Romano Campione is appointed as the new global sales office head for the UK and Northern Europe, leveraging his extensive experience to drive Starhotels' ambitious growth plans.

🏨 Nathalie Diouf, a BSc graduate from École Hôtelière de Lausanne (2002-2006), has moved from her role as Hotel Manager at Sofitel Abidjan to become the General Manager of Mövenpick Hotel Abidjan, both part of the Accor Group. She replaces Fabien Martinez, a Cornell University Master's graduate (2009), who served in Abidjan since 2021 and is now promoted to Regional General Manager and General Manager of Pullman Cape Town City Centre since July. Diouf has also managed La Maison Palmier (2020-2023) and Seen Hotel Abidjan, under Mangalis Group. Jean-François Rémy, DG of Sofitel Abidjan, acknowledged her departure and past collaboration in a LinkedIn post.

💰 In 2015, the Chinese conglomerate Fosun acquired Club Med, with Henri Giscard d’Estaing supporting the strategic upscale shift started 10 years prior. By 2023, Fosun faced heavy debt, working to divest and restructure, including a considered but unrealized 30% Club Med sale for €600M. In December 2023, Fosun announced Henri Giscard d’Estaing's departure from various executive roles within the group.

🏠 Josef Ebner, RVP for Canada and General Manager of Chelsea Hotel Toronto, managed 14 establishments in 7 countries throughout his career. He spent 32 years at the helm of Chelsea Hotel, overseeing its transition from the Delta brand to Chelsea 11 years ago under Langham Hospitality Group. Ebner is now retiring after a notable hospitality tenure, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his career, which started in the era of former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in May 1974.

🏨 Kimpton Hotels announces a partnership with JMA Ventures and Machete Group to develop its first luxury brand establishment in Orlando. The new Kimpton hotel, adjacent to the Kia Center arena within the Westcourt mixed-use sports and entertainment development, will feature 261 rooms over 11 floors, and offer more than 1500 square meters of indoor meeting space. Targeted to enhance downtown Orlando, the Kimpton Orlando will be the seventh Kimpton in Florida.

🍴 Sébastien Billard, with a BTS in culinary arts from Vienne's Lycée Bellerive (2002), began as a sous-chef in a semi-gourmet hotel in 2005. In 2009, he joined the Michelin-starred Auberge du Vieux Marais and Domaine de Clairefontaine. He turned to teaching at Vienne's hotel school in 2011 and joined Api Restauration in 2012, where he spent 12 years. In April 2024, Billard became National Restaurant Manager at Azureva, focusing on quality, hygiene, local, and fresh produce in customizable regional menus.

🏨 John Blanco, former General Manager of Capella Bangkok, with a career in luxury hospitality and fluent in 6 languages, is now General Manager of the Capella cluster in Japan. He oversees Capella Kyoto and collaborates with Ellen Franke on the Patina Osaka project, set to open in 2025. Franke, a German national with 18 years at Ritz-Carlton, was General Manager of Ritz-Carlton Langkawi since 2018. Blanco has led the multi-award-winning Capella Bangkok since its 2020 opening.

🍕 Vincenzo Tuccillo, at 33, became the chef at AC Hotel Nice's Farago on the Roof in August, having previously worked with Alain Ducasse at Meurice (2014-2015), as chef de partie at Mandarin Oriental (2015-2017), and sous-chef at George V from March 2018 to May 2023. Tuccillo specializes in Mediterranean flavors, offering dishes like low-temperature veal Quasi and sea bream Ceviche, plus shared dishes and desserts like chestnut cream Tiramisu and deconstructed lemon tart.