A number of hotels across the country, including three Hyatt-affiliated properties in Texas, have appointed or promoted new general managers in recent weeks. Here are some names to know.
Admiral Hotel
Avocet Hospitality appointed Ed Conway general manager of The Admiral Hotel in Mobile, Ala. Conway’s journey in hospitality began at the Sheraton Hotel in West Springfield, Mass., where he held multiple guest service roles. While earning his M.S. in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he worked as a front-desk clerk.
Conway most recently was general manager of The Whitehall Hotel in Chicago, a 222-room boutique property where he led rebranding efforts. Previously, he spent 16 years as general manager of Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa in Arizona. He also was asset manager for Sedona Life Center, overseeing the development of two hotel projects totaling 350 rooms.
Beacon Hill Hotel
Olympia Hospitality has appointed Jayson Goldstein GM at Beacon Hill Hotel in Boston. Goldstein has held leadership roles in the food and beverage space with brands like Loews, Four Seasons and the Waldorf Astoria along with Boston-area household hospitality companies such as Neighborhood Restaurant Group and Levy Restaurants.
Most recently, he was director of food and beverage at the Yotel Boston, where he oversaw multiunit restaurant and sales operations, revenue management, community relations as well as the creation of culinary concept Vela from design to execution. Goldstein is a graduate of University of North Texas with dual degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and Finance.
Harvard Square Hotel
Olympia Hospitality has promoted Charlotte Kennedy to general manager at Harvard Square Hotel in Cambridge, Mass.
Kennedy’s career started in group sales and as acting hotel manager for Harvard Square Hotel, culminating in her present-day appointment at the boutique hotel. She has also held leadership roles at Boston’s Battery Wharf Hotel and Sonesta Hotels.
Hotel Granada
Hotel Granada, a recently renovated boutique hotel in Midtown Atlanta, appointed Matthew Iacobucci general manager. A Cleveland native and The Ohio State University alum, Iacobucci held early roles at Shore Club, Delano and Mondrian with Ian Schrager Hotels in Miami, working at nightlife venues like Sky Bar and The Florida Room.
Expanding beyond food and beverage, Iacobucci took on leadership roles at Viceroy Aspen/Snowmass followed by a move to Aparium Hotel Group, working as hotel manager at Surety Hotel in Des Moines and general manager at The Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
Hotel Revival
Management company New Waterloo has promoted Maureen Cameron general manager of Baltimore’s Hotel Revival. Cameron joined Revival in 2022 as director of sales and marketing.
Cameron’s leadership journey began in sales roles for hotels across New York City and the Washington, D.C., area, before joining Brightview Senior Living as community sales director. She later joined Hotel Revival, where she spearheaded key sales and marketing initiatives and established partnerships.
Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin
The Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, Texas, appointed Jessica Higginbotham general manager. Higginbotham has worked at multiple Hyatt properties across the country, most recently as general manager at The Elms Resort & Spa in Excelsior Springs, Mo. She held leadership roles at Hyatt Regency DFW Airport as director of operations and Hyatt Regency Austin as food & beverage director and director of rooms.
At Hyatt Regency DFW Airport, she led the hotel operations team through a renovation of guestrooms and meeting spaces. Higginbotham holds a BS in Marketing from Nicholls State University.
Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk
The Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk, a newly renovated hotel in Downtown San Antonio, appointed Chryssaldo Thomas general manager. Born in Haiti and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Thomas began his hospitality journey at a young age, working as a busser at a resort in French Lick, Ind. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management at Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Following graduation, Thomas began working as an assistant executive housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency Miami, where he held various positions as a department manager. He then progressed within Hyatt, starting as a front office manager at Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Alexandria, Va. From there, he advanced to assistant room director roles at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, Fla., and Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago. In 2009, Thomas was promoted to director of rooms and held that position at various properties around the country, including Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus in Oak Brook, Ill.; Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Fla.; and Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa in Hawaii. In 2017, Thomas joined Outrigger Hospitality Group as hotel manager of Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu. He continued his career trajectory as general manager of Ohana Waikiki East, later advancing to area general manager at the property. Following his time in Hawaii, Thomas began working with Hyatt Regency Boston where he led the hotel’s team as general manager for the past three years before his transfer to San Antonio.
Miraval Austin Resort & Spa
The Miraval Austin Resort & Spa, part of the Hyatt portfolio in the Texas Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, appointed Kimberly Rossi as its new general manager.
Holding certifications as an Ayurvedic health consultant and leader of Kundalini and Kripalu yoga, Rossi has built her career around wellness. She directed day spas in Westport, Conn., managed a team of more than 100 spa professionals at the Cranwell Resort in Lenox, Mass., was spa director for The Ritz-Carlton in Puerto Rico and ultimately a luxury wellness subject matter expert for Marriott International in the Caribbean and Latin America. Most recently, Rossi was the director of wellness and business development and hotel manager for North Carolina’s Art of Living Retreat Center.
Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort
Four Seasons has appointed Diego Angarita general manager of Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, a new property along the Gulf Coast, set to debut in autumn. Owned and developed by Athens Group and BDT & MSD Partners, Naples Beach Club sits on the site of the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.
Born in Colombia and raised in Puerto Vallarta along the Pacific coast of Mexico, Angarita grew up in a hotel family, moving where his father’s assignments took him and becoming familiar with operations along the way. He studied hospitality at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas, secured an internship with Four Seasons and has been with the company ever since. Starting at the Front Desk in Punta Mita, his journey continued to housekeeping management in the Bahamas and then to director of rooms in Las Vegas. After holding the same role at Hualalai in Hawaii, Angarita was promoted to resort manager in Anguilla as the property was reflagging to Four Seasons, and then became hotel manager in Los Angeles. He later returned to Anguilla as general manager. With Angarita’s earlier experience at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, his latest appointment symbolizes a homecoming to the property portfolio of BDT & MSD Partners, L.P.
Red Cliffs Lodge Moab
Red Cliffs Lodge Moab in Utah appointed Nicholas Fogarty general manager. Fogarty joins the Red Cliffs Lodge Moab team after spending more than a decade as director of food and beverage at the Hilton Cassara, Sheraton and Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. He moved on to a brief role as event services manager at Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego, before most recently working as director of banquets at Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
Early in his career, Fogarty worked in multiple leadership roles in the lodging and food and beverage industry—from banquet manager to director—at properties across California.